UTILISING MR TECHNOLOGIES FOR ESSENTIAL PROJECT-BASED LEARNING IN DESIGN EDUCATION

Abstract

The increasing use of digital platforms is bridging the distance between students and their instructors by augmenting student-instructor interactions. Yet when it comes to complex project-based and open-ended education content, the development of these platforms is far from complete. Especially seen in project-based learning environment, where multiple ways to teach, learn, and practice are required, real-world interactions are integral for encouraging exploration and implementation. Though recent works have shown the possibility of immersive technologies like AR/VR for teaching and hands-on experience, they are either strictly restricted to visualisation or require sophisticated equipment to be implemented as educational content. Here, a simplified and structured approach that can be directly used in the regular education environment, both in-house and remote, is needed. By taking a bottom-up approach through realistic use-case, this work demonstrates how to investigate and utilise/combine mixed-reality technologies for use in a PBL environment, targeting the values provided for education in general. Through a use case targeting design education activity in architecture, this work conducts a technological survey, evaluating available platforms/products and establishing PBL requirements, followed by mapping them to surveyed tech. The result of this work is a valuable MR Tech-PBL-education map, which can be used as a reference for designing interactive educational material.