The emergence of augmented reality (AR) is perhaps best exemplified by the Pokemon Go (TM) phenomenon, but there are clear advantages to building AR interfaces for educational uses as well. While many educational AR applications in chemistry look to include molecular representations and images to objects encountered by students, another form that takes its motivation from workplace training is also possible. Many educators have noted the challenge of enhancing student preparedness for carrying out laboratory tasks. When these tasks include instruments, a lack of familiarity with the look and feel of the instruments themselves is capable of thwarting student learning of usage in a pre-lab sense. In such cases, students may arrive in the educational laboratory and have little or no confidence in their ability to correctly use the instruments. The ARiEL application is being designed to provide immediacy in the student understanding of instrument use during interaction with instruments themselves. Once ARiEL is engaged via a smartphone camera, the app can recognize a new instrument and superimpose an AR interface that allows students to access fundamental information about it's proper use. This talk will decribe design parameters for the ARiEL application and describe how usability and utility testing can be designed for such applications.

ARiEL: Augmented reality in the educational laboratory

255th National Meeting (2018)

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