Augmented reality enters university classrooms

“Nowadays it is difficult not only to get a student to study, but even to get a student to look at a book. It is necessary to find new systems for learning. With the Metaversity project, the Catholic University is today at the frontier of didactic innovation and the application of new technologies to the world of education. The Teaching and Learning Lab aims to experiment with new teaching methods and also new forms of curriculum organisation, capable of best combining face-to-face teaching with the valorisation of new technologies. Always placing the student at the center of the educational and training process”.

With these words Giovanni Marseguerravice-rector for the coordination of the training offer, presented the Metaversity project, which sees researchers from the Catholic University engaged in the design of training experiences using immersive technologies such as AI, virtual reality, augmented reality, in order to try to make the teaching that is more in step with the times.

For example with theAugmented Learning Companion (ALeC), a 3D virtual agent in augmented reality that supports the student in the learning process, through conversations based on artificial intelligence trained on the course material. The app, developed by the technical partner Magnetic Media Network (MMN)supports both Apple Vision Pro is Meta Quest 3.

The project is in collaboration with the Study and Research Center for Communication Psychology (PsiCom) of the Catholic University and with Humane Technology Lab (HTLab)the University Laboratory that investigates the relationship between human experience and technology, directed by Giuseppe RivaFull Professor of General Psychology.

“The experience of the pandemic has taught us that people, not technology, must be at the center of every innovation in digital teaching” he said Andrea Gaggiolicoordinator of Metaversity project and director of PsiCom. “When designing virtual environments for teaching, it is essential to focus on what students and teachers really need, on their expectations, on their skills and, above all, on the difficulties caused by the current limits of the tools and contents available. This is why it is equally important to involve all stakeholders in the planning”.

In the first phase of the project, experiential workshops were held to introduce teachers to immersive technologies. Participants used special headsets to directly explore both what virtual environments can offer and their limitations.

“Among the main strengths identified, the ability of virtual environments to offer immersive experiences that would otherwise be impossible stands out” said Gaggioli. “For example, the possibility of traveling to historical places or representing abstract concepts in a tangible way.” But the workshops also served to understand criticalities. “Among the main problems today are the limited availability of content and the need to ensure accessibility and inclusiveness for students with physical or sensory disabilities” Gaggioli told us.

The results obtained in the first phase of the project have made it possible to develop a new virtual teaching model, the MetaLabs, immersive learning experiences that teachers will be able to integrate into their training programs, adapting them to the precise educational objectives they wish to achieve. For example, if a History of Art teacher wants his students to explore some masterpieces, in the MetaLab he is supported by a new professional figure, theImmersive Learning Designera consultant who integrates skills from different disciplines (combines psychology and design with an in-depth knowledge of technologies) and supports the teacher in evaluating the teaching effectiveness of immersive experiences.

The first two MetaLabs have already been activated, both at the Milan branch of the Catholic University. The first in the field of teaching Psychotechnologies for Wellbeingin the Psychology Facultythe second in the field of teaching Theory and Techniques of Media Communicationin the Faculty of Letters.