Enhancing Computer Science Education with Augmented Reality

William Coleman*, Husnu Narman
Weisberg Division of Computer Science, Marshall University, Huntington, WV 25755

Presentation Category: Social & Behavioral Sciences (Poster Presentation)

Student’s Major: Computer Science

Teaching Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) courses to students who do not have programming experience can be challenging. Therefore, there are several computer-aided techniques to help students learn OOP more effectively. However, there is little work to determine the effects of Augmented Reality (AR) on student learning of fundamental computer science concepts. Using a digital overlay to project computer-generated objects into the context of a real-world space, AR provides an engaging medium through which students may visualize and explore concepts, even abstract ones. Therefore, the primary objective of this research is to develop AR technology that will utilize AR models that demonstrate fundamental OOP concepts in a manner that increases student understanding, interest, and motivation to learn. The second objective is to test the AR technology in a classroom setting and gather feedback from students and instructors regarding their experiences. Specifically, our long-term goal is to determine how using the AR application affects student understanding, interest, and motivation regarding OOP topics compared to previously used teaching methods. The research expectation is that AR will be more effective.

Funding: WV Higher Education Policy Commission, Division of Science and Research

Program/mechanism supporting research/creative efforts: a West Virginia SURE program