JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Augmented Reality (AR) as an interactive communication tool has matured to the point that it can be used in the classroom to engage medical students.

Objective:

We assess a state-of-the-art AR game published together with a modern cell atlas on cells of the oral cavity to investigate the trade-offs of the new technology to convey medical knowledge.

Methods:

A serious game is designed and created to represent state-of-the-art knowledge on osteoclasts for the classroom. The game is evaluated for its usability and a vignette experiment is conducted comparing the topic of Osteoclasts in the AR game and a textbook option conveying the same information. Participants are randomly assigned and their learning success is measured after the treatment, one week later and one month later. We also assess the use of the game in the app store to gain general insights.

Results:

A serious game elicits strong interest in the topic and motivates students. The learning outcomes are comparable to text-based self-learning but with higher engagement. Furthermore, curious students benefit more from interactive learning methods compared to text-only methods and have higher learning success.

Conclusions:

Introducing new technology like AR into teaching curricula requires technological investment, updated curricula and careful application of learning paradigms. AR-based learning may serve especially curious students that usually learn less in text-heavy teaching. In addition, a new generation of students is soon entering the classroom that is very used to short and entertaining information exchanges and our methods repertoire needs to adapt to these new realities.