TeachAR—An Interactive AR-Based Learning Platform

Abstract

Virtual reality and augmented reality technologies have experienced a significant increase in popularity due to their potential to deliver a highly immersive user experience. However, there are still substantial difficulties in creating augmented environments with different purposes that can precisely localize users. In this context, TeachAR is an augmented reality solution designed to provide students with an interactive learning experience through an augmented reality quest system. The system comprises a desktop application and a mobile application, designed for three distinct user roles: building administrators, teachers, and students. Administrators use the desktop application to upload the building’s architectural plans, create a 3D replica of it, and define a navigation graph. Then, using the mobile application, the correspondence between the real building and its replica is created. Teachers employ a simple desktop user interface to design interactive quests. Students interact with the system through the mobile application in three different use cases: free exploration of the building, guided navigation to reach a destination, and individual or collaborative quests proposed by teachers. This paper provides a brief overview of the system’s main functionalities, implementation details, and evaluation of its technical capabilities. The pilot testing is also described in this paper, revealing the potential of using the TeachAR system in schools in the educational process.