Augmented Reality Technology as a Means of Forming Master’s Degree Students’ Multicultural Competence

Abstract

Higher education adapts to the challenges of globalization and new priorities of society, the values of students from different countries, expands the range of pedagogical technologies and the ways they are included in the educational process. To train highly qualified specialists, develop the multicultural competence as an integrated personal quality in higher education, blended learning, 3D modeling, augmented and virtual realities are used. The paper investigates the problems and ways of using AR applications in the educational process and organization of practice, intercultural communication and joint activities of master’s level students which are considered as important conditions of formation of a multicultural individual. Methodology. The main idea of the study is determined by the principle of multicultural education which involves the acquisition of new knowledge, intercultural interaction, formation of a worldview, etc. in augmented reality. The software tool is the Zome application. The study of augmented reality technology and software takes place in a quest format. 42 students of the Vyatka State University, master’s degree program in Pedagogical Education, were involved in the experiment. Results. In the experimental group, master’s degree students used AR tools to study theory, consolidate skills of intercultural communication and collaboration. The levels of multicultural competence formed were assessed, and statistically significant differences in the qualitative changes that occurred in the pedagogical system were revealed.In conclusion, the peculiarities of using augmented reality as a pedagogical technology to form master’s degree students’ multicultural competence and improve the quality of education in general are summarized.