Overview of Experience

In 2019, I combined my academic and professional worlds when presenting peer-reviewed evidence on the effectiveness of augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR) and virtual reality (VR) in learning. I later co-presented this research at the ATD New England conference. My goal was to educate both my NEU student peers and learning professionals on next-generation technology and to build a case for when each technology contributes to the best learning outcomes.

 

Importance

Education as an Advanced Field of Study required examining an educational controversy. At first I struggled to consider a controversy that would apply to my professional life in corporate training. At the same time, at work, we were having difficulty explaining the AR/MR/VR value proposition to L&D decision makers. Learning professionals were very interested in the best uses for the technologies, but our belief alone wasn’t enough to convince people that they were effective for learning, or the best investment for their training budget. The technology was also new and constantly changing. I framed my assignment as the controversy surrounding the effectiveness of AR, MR and VR in learning, and researched to provide evidence for when each technology was and wasn’t a good choice.

 

Skills Gained

In order to build credibility for the use of AR, MR and VR in learning, I located and annotated peer-reviewed evidence where the technology was utilized in education. Reading and interpreting scientific studies helped both CrossTrainer to determine which was the best option to recommend and helped corporate training stakeholders in making evidence-based decisions. Because it’s easy to get carried away by the cool factor when experiencing the technology, I learned that needs analysis is essential when recommending whether AR, VR or MR can provide the best learning outcome. I learned that for conceptual learning, AR can provide excellent learning outcomes. For empathy building or soft skills training, VR is likely a better option.

 

Impact

It is best to focus on the skill that an organization is trying to train, and then the technology best used for training it.