A Pilot Program to Introduce Augmented Reality to Female Hispanic High School Students in STEM Education

Amani Qasrawi; Tulio Sulbaran; Sandeep Langar

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Conference: 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Portland, Oregon
Publication Date: June 23, 2024
Start Date: June 23, 2024
End Date: July 12, 2024
Conference Session: Fostering Diversity and Inclusion in STEM Education
Tagged Division: Minorities in Engineering Division(MIND)
Tagged Topic: Diversity
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/46473

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He received his Ph.D. in Civil Engineer from Georgia Institute of Technology with concentration in Construction Management with a minor in Computer Engineering and strong statistical background. He has over 8 years of work experience in the A/E/C (Archite

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biography

Sandeep Langar The University of Texas at San Antonio orcid.org/0000-0001-7955-1646

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Dr. Sandeep Langar is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Construction Science in College of Architecture, Construction, and Planning at The University of Texas at San Antonio. He received his Ph.D. in Environmental Design and Planning from the Co

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Abstract

Abstract

Augmented Reality (AR) allows users wearing special glasses (such as Microsoft HoloLens 2, Apple Vision Pro, Trimble XR-10, Oculus Quest 2, Vuzix Blade, etc.) to see and interact with information generated by a computer overlaid on the real world. AR's interactive, immersive, and engaging features could transform learning experiences, particularly for female students drawn by these features. The problem motivating this paper is that females make up only 34% of the workforce in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). Therefore, as part of this research, Augmented Reality was introduced to female Hispanic high school students with the objective of 1- Identifying students' familiarity with AR, 2- Identifying students' initial impression, 3- Capturing the challenges encountered while using AR, 4- Capturing participants' interest for AR use for an extended period, and 5- Assessing potentials of AR to enhance learning and education among female students. A pre-experimental research design, more specifically, a one-shot case study, was used to introduce STEM using AR (Trimble XR-10 with HoloLens 2) to a group of female Hispanic high school students from rural high schools during a summer camp. After the STEM activity using the AR, the participants completed an online survey with mainly closed-ended questions. The research results are encouraging as all female Hispanic high school students who participated in the activity believed that AR has the potential to enhance their STEM learning and education experiences. The two features that stood out the most were visual quality and interactivity. All participants indicated that AR enhanced their understanding of the topic. The results of this research are vital as there is a growing trend towards the use of AR in STEM fields and STEM education, but limited knowledge exists about the challenges encountered by females when experiencing the AR environment especially when females perceive AR differently than males. The preliminary findings highlight the need for improvements in comfort and user interfaces. AR has the potential to transform education with further research and refinement, which are essential for successful integration into learning environments.

Keywords: STEM, Education, Augmented Reality (AR), Female, Hispanic, High School students

Citation
Format

Qasrawi, A., & Sulbaran, T., & Langar, S. (2024, June), A Pilot Program to Introduce Augmented Reality to Female Hispanic High School Students in STEM Education Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/46473

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Abstract

Augmented Reality (AR) allows users wearing special glasses (such as Microsoft HoloLens 2, Apple Vision Pro, Trimble XR-10, Oculus Quest 2, Vuzix Blade, etc.) to see and interact with information generated by a computer overlaid on the real world. AR&#39;s interactive, immersive, and engaging features could transform learning experiences, particularly for female students drawn by these features. The problem motivating this paper is that females make up only 34% of the workforce in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). Therefore, as part of this research, Augmented Reality was introduced to female Hispanic high school students with the objective of 1- Identifying students&#39; familiarity with AR, 2- Identifying students&#39; initial impression, 3- Capturing the challenges encountered while using AR, 4- Capturing participants&#39; interest for AR use for an extended period, and 5- Assessing potentials of AR to enhance learning and education among female students. A pre-experimental research design, more specifically, a one-shot case study, was used to introduce STEM using AR (Trimble XR-10 with HoloLens 2) to a group of female Hispanic high school students from rural high schools during a summer camp. After the STEM activity using the AR, the participants completed an online survey with mainly closed-ended questions. The research results are encouraging as all female Hispanic high school students who participated in the activity believed that AR has the potential to enhance their STEM learning and education experiences. The two features that stood out the most were visual quality and interactivity. All participants indicated that AR enhanced their understanding of the topic. The results of this research are vital as there is a growing trend towards the use of AR in STEM fields and STEM education, but limited knowledge exists about the challenges encountered by females when experiencing the AR environment especially when females perceive AR differently than males. The preliminary findings highlight the need for improvements in comfort and user interfaces. AR has the potential to transform education with further research and refinement, which are essential for successful integration into learning environments.

Keywords: STEM, Education, Augmented Reality (AR), Female, Hispanic, High School students

AU  - Amani Qasrawi
AU  - Tulio Sulbaran
AU  - Sandeep Langar
CY  - Portland, Oregon
DA  - 2024/06/23
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - A Pilot Program to Introduce Augmented Reality to Female Hispanic High School Students in STEM Education
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/46473
ER  -