Can AR be the antidote to virtual classroom shortcomings?

Schools across the country are well into their second go-round of distance learning at this point. Things seem to be running more smoothly than the first attempt last spring–however, we are still experiencing growing pains to say the least.

Students, parents, and educators have all expressed serious concerns regarding distance learning. In a survey done by The Education Trust, a statewide poll found that 90 percent of parents are worried about their children falling behind academically due to coronavirus-related school closures.

One of the most difficult adjustments to this change, especially for teachers, has been the adoption of digital tools that aid distance learning. We’ve all become much more acquainted with Zoom and Google Meets.

Related content: Taking the classroom into the world with VR and AR

That said, these tools are limited in tackling the serious hurdles that distance learning presents. A recent survey from Educationdata.org found that the number one concern of educators across the country was maintaining student engagement. A sweeping 81 percent of educators list “maintaining student engagement” as their primary concern with distance learning.