Augmented reality as a digital teaching environment to develop spatial thinking

Medler

2017

IJGI

There are several competences and spatial skills to be acquired by the student related to the treatment of geo-information in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Spatial orientation is the spatial skill related to the use of georeferenced information, and geospatial applications (on-line map interfaces) such as the spatial data infrastructure offer a great opportunity for development of this skill. In this report we present several experiments, carried out over five academic years with 559 university students, to improve the spatial orientation skill of the students. Survey learning and wayfinding activities were conducted. First-and second-year university students performed the experiments on a PC and also used digital tablet support. The statistical analysis showed that the students improved their spatial orientation skill with a range from 12.90 (minimum) to 19.21 (maximum) measured with the Perspective Taking Spatial Orientation Test, regardless of the academic year, the hardware (PC or Tablet-PC), or the orientation strategy (survey learning or wayfinding). The second year students improved more than those in their first year. The methodologies employed could be developed by teachers or researchers, and the results presented could be taken as a reference for comparisons in future research in the field of strategy planning with geospatial applications and location-based tools for spatial orientation skill improvement in education.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial Orientation Skill Improvement with Geospatial Applications: Report of a Multi-Year Study

Medler

2017

IJGI

“…These difficulties have generated problems of frustration/motivation among students [6][7][8][9]. Further, issues such as landform representation, spatial skills acquisition, or processes of spatial knowledge construction with different forms of relief representation continue to be active fields of research including recent works by Carbonell [10,11], Collins [12], Tillman, Albrecht and Wunderlich [13], Eynard and Bernhard [14], and Brooke and Bernhard [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Students come into contact with 3D maps and landscape representations in numerous ways [15] and can visualize the relief through accessible popular applications such as Google Maps, which offers immense potential for the representation of landforms. Further, 3D technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR) may support teaching, although this technology also presents some limitations for its implementation [11]. Specifically, research has been done on the potential of 3D technologies for the representation of the terrain and its impact on students in map-reading skills [16][17][18][19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

2D Cartography Training: Has the Time Come for a Paradigm Shift?

Jaeger

Shipley

2018

IJGI

2D maps with contour lines can be difficult for students to visualize in three-dimensions to interpret relief. Despite this challenge, teaching based on 2D contour lines is still used, which could generate frustration/motivation problems among students. Recently, strategies based on 3D technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR) have proven to be motivating for students. Has the time come for a paradigm shift in the teaching of land interpretation/representation? The present paper shows the results of an experiment in which 41 engineering students of the subject Cartography performed an activity with 2D contour lines. The impact on students' motivation was compared with AR. In addition, data about efficiency, effectiveness and user satisfaction were assessed. Results showed that traditional 2D contour line activities were less motivating for students, compared to AR. However, students perceived that doing 2D exercises made them more competent than with AR, although they reported that the 2D exercises required more effort. In terms of participant's spatial reasoning acquisition, 2D strategies offered results similar to AR. Overall, these results suggest that 2D teaching methodologies are still effective and can be complemented by the use of innovative 3D visualization technologies.

“…A similar approach, with the objective of training that develops spatial skills, was employed by Manson et al [34], who affirmed that GIS requires more time to learn the numerous commands of the application, neglecting the improvement of geospatial thinking. In this sense, research carried out for the improvement of spatial planning with low-cost and easy-to-implement digital geotechnologies has obtained good results [17,18]. Thus, in the present research, students performed the 3D design of elementary landforms using the proposed low-cost applications that are easy to use and implement, such as Sketch Up and Autodesk 123D Make applications.…”

Section: Geovisualization Trainingmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…Findings in cognitive studies of geovisualization and the improvement of spatial skills can have a great role in improving the usability and utility of geotechnologies and 3D geovisual software environments. There is research [17,18] in the field of geovisualization that studied the improvement of geospatial thinking with 3D landforms, in which students had their first contact with landforms. In this research, digital technologies (Augmented Reality) and tangible models (digital terrain models printed in 3D) were used for tasks based on the interpretation of basic landforms.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

3D Landform Modeling to Enhance Geospatial Thinking

Medler

2019

IJGI

Geospatial thinking is essential to the visualization-interpretation processes of three-dimensional geographic information. The design of strategies for the interpretation of the Earth's surface which allow the development of students' geospatial thinking poses a challenge in higher education. In geospatial education, we often see a practical approach where students are trained in specific GIS and/or geotechnologies. However, in the first stages of geospatial education, geographic literacy and geospatial thinking processes can be supported better through easy-to-use technologies. In this paper we show the results of two workshops performed with engineering students using visuospatial displays in an easy-to-use 3D software environment. This teaching approach improved students' geospatial thinking, measured using the Topographic Map Assessment (TMA) test-a battery of seven tasks related to relief interpretation along with 18 exercises. Participants also completed a questionnaire relating to the following usability topics: operation (application), improvement, implications for education, and understanding of the concepts related to relief interpretation. The results showed mean gains between 10.7% and 12.6% of the highest score for the TMA. This, together with the results of the questionnaire, confirms the usefulness of this teaching approach using easy-to-use 3D technologies for developing geospatial thinking.