The use of augmented reality (AR) in printed books

Wednesday, August 31, 2022

In September 2022, PG Online will become the first UK publisher to launch AR into its popular ClearRevise guides, starting in the Science and Geography subject areas. Augmented reality is the addition of virtual objects such as digital images, text, sound and video to a real-world environment. A well-known use is the Pokémon Go game.

Augmented reality offers an inspiring, alternative tool to enrich printed books in a way appeals to students, increasing their interactivity and involvement in learning.¹ AR content includes 3D models that students can interact with through rotate, pinch and zoom gestures; video content that explains topics in more detail; and curated links to further online research.

Engagement and motivation

AR provides an invisible layer of almost infinite depth in terms of their type, number and the detail into which augmented features can go into. Using ubiquitous pocket-technology, students can employ their phones or tablets to magically reveal this layer, immersing themselves in a topic they may previously have dismissed as being incomprehensible.¹ The 3D aspect can bring flat printed diagrams to life, displaying them in a format that students have never seen before, and a format that they cannot easily access in the classroom.²  This creates, for example, an opportunity to extend the learning on the circulatory system by opening a beating heart right at your desk, on the bus or at home. Students can watch the valves rhythmically move and study its parts, supported by labels and additional descriptions to boost learning. A chemical formula can now be displayed as a three-dimensional ball and stick model to better understand it beyond a 2D diagram. This deepens the learning and promotes deeper questioning.

Increased understanding

The third dimension provides a greater chance for students to see beyond the page, to observe models and content they may never otherwise see in a way they haven’t engaged with before. Video content, superimposed on the physical page, complements and enhances the printed page content to develop understanding or explain something in another way. This offers a second bite at the cherry for students who might benefit from a second perspective. Web links can offer further information beyond the scope of a specification or show relevant news articles to provide real world, contextual or cross-curricular examples. This increases the level of depth that students can study to using a curated pathway that saves hours of searching and removes a barrier for those who simply would not otherwise bother.³  The additional engagement and enjoyment, aids the desire to learn, helps encourage students to learn more at each sitting and has been shown to improve overall outcomes and performance.⁴

Longer term impact

Beyond the immediate engagement that is observed in students using this technology, the additional layer encourages them to revisit topics and discuss them with friends. Constantly returning to earlier topics improves retention of information, makes new connections, strengthens others and improves knowledge transfer.⁵  Using the technology competently aids digital skills too which are increasingly important in every generation. Any tool that can increase the volume and regularity of learning has got to be a good thing if it strengthens understanding. There are still many questions to be answered and we hope that as the provision of AR develops, opportunities for further research will present themselves.

Try AR out for yourself here.  

PG Online 2022