MSL_AR TOOLKIT: AR WITH INTERACTIVE FEATURE FOR

NEXT GENERATION EDUCATION

Jinwook Shim, Jonghoon Seo

Dpt. of Computer Science,Yonsei University, 134, Sinchon-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, Korea

Tack-don Han

Dpt. of Computer Science,Yonsei University, 134, Sinchon-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, Korea

Keywords: Augmented Reality, Interaction, Authoring tool.

Abstract: We describe an authoring tool for Augmented Reality (AR) contents. In recent years there have been a

number of frameworks proposed for developing Augmented Reality (AR) applications. This paper describes

an authoring tool for Augmented Reality (AR) application with interactive features. We developed the AR

authoring tool which provides Interactive features that we can perform the education service project and

participate it actively for the participating education service. This paper provides learning and teaching

models for next generation digital textbook which Augmented Reality interactions between teacher and

learner. The proposed method of this paper is applied to educational contents and we found positive effect

which is supported by statistical experiments.

1 INTRODUCTION

The digital textbook project which embarked by the

Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has

focused on experiments and practices from the

school designated by the government in Korea.

However the previous research about digital

textbook provides static interaction models and

teaching-learning models analogous to web-based

learning based PC even the framework of the digital

textbook is based of Augmented Reality.

This paper provides learning and teaching

models for next generation digital textbook which

encourages interactions between teacher and

students. The proposed method is applied to

educational contents and we found positive effect

which is supported by statistical experiments. The

results of this study about the future development of

digital textbooks will be effective development plan.

The study results from the demonstration digital

textbook project sponsored by the Ministry of

Education showed that the form of the digital

textbook contents made the insertion of

supplementary study materials difficult. This

difficulty resulted in a failure to arouse continued

interest and as a learning obstruction factor. In

particular, because the simple presentation-type,

web- and multimedia-based passive contents

currently used in schools and the composition of

digital textbook contents are similar and thus

provide only a limited degree of freedom with

respect to learning, such contents revealed

limitations in terms of inducing interest and flow.

Since virtual information difficult to observe in

the real world can be attained with the use of

augmented reality technology, it is possible to utilize

additional information and receive guidelines or

additional information appropriate for the user’s

situation through situated cognition. As it allows

tangible testing using markers, it can be effective for

inducing interest in learning.

In this paper, we aim to design and create a

future digital textbook content scenario by using

augmented reality technology. Accordingly, for

augmented reality-based digital textbook

development and application, we drew up and

applied a development and teaching-learning method

design for “interactive chemical formula teaching

contents” to explain structures of atoms and

molecules in a chemistry course. Through the results

obtained, we seek to increase the student’s interest in

457

Shim J., Seo J. and Han T..

MSL_AR TOOLKIT: AR WITH INTERACTIVE FEATURE FOR NEXT GENERATION EDUCATION.

DOI: 10.5220/0003476404570461

In Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Computer Supported Education (ATTeL-2011), pages 457-461

ISBN: 978-989-8425-50-8

 2011 SCITEPRESS (Science and Technology Publications, Lda.)

learning together with learning flow and inquiry

ability.

2 BACKGROUND

2.1 Augmented Reality

Augment Reality means a converged environment of

the real-world and a virtual reality. The time that the

research related to augment reality begins is since

the Boeing Company has coined a term 'Augmented

Reality'.

Also, since augmented reality technology as a

learning tool is provided to have the students

directly experience the contents regarding study

materials that are not abstract symbols, it induces

motivation by enhancing the interactivity and

increasing the flow. In addition, by serving as a

guide that enables the students to become interested

and to inquire about the learning assignment on their

own, it aids the students to engage in active, self-

driven learning. (Jeeheon Ryu., et al., 2006).

2.2 Augmented Reality Authoring Tool

Current situation of AR Authoring Tools have too

short history and lack of common application

compare with 3ds MAX, MAYA. AR Authoring

tool has a major ripple effect on technically yet. (e.g.

(Yuan Wang, et al., 2009))

Table 1: Types of Authoring tools.

Programmers Non-programmers

Low level

ARToolKit

arTag

DART

ComposAR

High level

Studierstube

osgART

AMIRE

MARS

2.3 Flow

As an outcome of continuous responses hastened by

interactivity, flow is accompanied by loss of self-

awareness and is characterized by voluntary

enhancement. Hoffman and Novak (1997), through

their research on flow in the web environment,

asserted that flow is the continuity of ceaseless

responses hastened through the interaction between

machine and human in the process of sailing the

network.

In this paper, based on the concept of the flow,

we tried to look at the effect of student's flow related

to a digital study contents based on an augmented

reality.

2.4 Interest

Since existing digital textbooks have repetitions of

unnecessary animations or sounds and are mostly

filled with pictures and videos for simply presenting

the content of the text, they can degenerate into

simple presentation types that reduce the level of

concentration or interest.

In this study, however, augmented reality

technology is applied as the future digital textbook

technology, enabling the students to understand

given principles by directly experiencing and

manipulating on their own the contents of the

textbook. We are going to see the change of before

and after the interest by planning the study activity

so that the class becomes possible to focus on the

students.

3 MSL_AR TOOLKIT

In this section we describe the prototype of a

MSL_AR toolkit process. Our goal is to develop a

low-level tool that will allow programmers to build

AR contents with interactive features. The users can

modify configure file that needs for interaction on

AR content through GUI.

Figure 1: MSL_AR toolkit authoring tool process.

Fig 1 is a diagram of a MSL_AR toolkit

authoring tool overall process. The first step is to

input the information to create a simple AR content

through User GUI. After that it creates AR content

about entered information through main frame of

MSL_AR toolkit.

The AR content that came out as the result of

MSL_AR toolkit works with interactive feature

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458

which specified by the user

3.1 MSL_AR Toolkit Process

MSL_AR toolkit authoring tool requires coding and

scripting skills with programming knowledge. This

authoring tool provides main function of engine and

DLL library basically. Configure file determines

markers` ID and the interaction methods, etc.

Authoring tool that has been developed provides

interaction that uses marker occlusion and marker

merge methods. Fig 2 shows a flowchart of

MSL_AR toolkit authoring tool.

Figure 2: MSL_AR toolkit flowchart.

User sets the configure file through interface.

And then, user implements the MSL_AR toolkit, it

creates the AR content by applying the configure file

in the stage of preprocessor. When the process

activates, it will find marker in the inputted video

from camera and augments the object above the

marker. It interacts by interactive feature with the

information that user input.

3.2 Augmented Reality Content Design

for Education

In this research, we developed the contents

instructing 'Atoms and Molecule' in Chemistry. An

each marker indicates the unit of the atoms or

molecule like Figure 3.

When these individual atoms or molecules are

brought near to each other, the molecular (Figure 4)

and application models (Figure 5) (Figure 6) that can

be generated from the combination of atoms or

molecules are generated through the interaction

function of the designed markers.

Figure 3: Basic atomic model.

Figure 4: Molecular model by Interaction.

Figure 5: Refrigerator Marker.

Figure 6: Change of state.

A teaching-learning guidance plan was designed

based on the ‘4-1. Three Forms of Matter’ unit for

the 7

grade level in Korea by using the augmented

reality contents related to molecular arrangement, as

shown in Figure 3. A teaching-learning course, in

which the learning contents of the augmented

reality-based molecular arrangement were applied,

was created as a problem-solving learning model

where the student directly makes the physical model

MSL_AR TOOLKIT: AR WITH INTERACTIVE FEATURE FOR NEXT GENERATION EDUCATION

459

of each molecule and explores its strengths and

weaknesses and understands and resolves the

molecular arrangement resulting from the condition

of the substance by utilizing the augmented reality

contents. The learning format consists of group

learning activity followed by individual learning

stage.

4 ANALYSIS

4.1 Applying Object

To apply the guideline of teacher who is dealing

with Augmented Reality contents, we guide the

people who are mostly students.

The study subjects comprised 30 fifth grade

students from a primary school located in Incheon,

Korea. The developed contents were used in class

lessons for one month.

4.2 Applying Result and Analysis

As the teaching-learning design that utilized the

augmented reality proposed in this study was being

applied to the students, in order to find out whether

there are significant changes in the three dependent

variables of learning flow, interest, and inquiry

ability with respect to the students before and after

its application, the results were analyzed through

paired samples t-test.

The collected materials are analyzed by SPSS12.0

which is a statistic program and we set the

significant level as p <0.5.

4.3 The Influence of Future Contents

Application that will Affect the

Someone`s Flow of Study

In order to determine whether there is a significant

difference in terms of the students’ learning flow

when the augmented reality-based contents were

applied in the digital textbook, the learning flow test

tool translated by Eun-ju Lee (2001) was modified

and used. The examination tool is total 28 questions

and we measured 5 point as Likert standard.

Table 2: flow before-after Test of experimental group.

average

Standard

deviation

t p

before 2.80 .39

-6.761 .00

after 3.20 .46

p<.05

4.4 The Influence of Future Contents

Application that Will Affect the

Someone`s Interesting of Study

In order to determine whether there is a significant

difference in terms of the students’ learning interest

when the augmented reality-based contents were

applied in the digital textbook, the learning flow test

tool created by Eun-ju Lee (2001) was used. The test

tool consisted of 10 questions with a mixture of 5-

level Likert scale and short-answer types.

(T.P.Novak., et al., 1996)

The pre- and post-test results of the test group

students’ learning interest showed that the average

value improved by 3.2 points after the program

application. This is a significant difference since the

significance property value is less than .05.

Therefore, the future contents are shown to be

effective in terms of learning interest when applied

to digital textbooks.

Table 3: Interesting before-after Test of experimental

group.

average

Standard

deviation

t p

before 56.17 6.98

-6.033 .00

after 59.37 7.69

p<.05

5 CONCLUSIONS

The existing limitation of Augmented Reality

authoring tool is fixed and provided restricted

contents. Thus, there is no more additional

information. The function of Augmented Reality

based offers additional virtual information; that is

actually difficult to observe, recognizes the situation

and provides guideline about experimental

procedure or order, etc. Also through interaction

technology, MSL_AR toolkit increases the

educational effectiveness and can be performed

effectual, tangible experiments using marker.

In this study, as an alternative for the social

demand for learning contents and system

supplementation that can be applied to future digital

textbooks, we applied to education augmented

reality-based contents that provide a learning

environment allowing students on their own to

immerse in studying as well as improve learning

interest and learning flow effect by hastening the

sense of realness and flow. From this study, the

following conclusions were obtained.

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460

First, augmented reality contents can be widely

applied in school lessons under the future digital

textbook environment because work that would have

been impossible to do or learning elements that

could not have been experienced due to spatial and

physical limitations can be easily simulated in the

augmented reality environment where the real world

and virtual reality converge.

Second, the results from the application of

augmented reality-based contents showed that it can

provide high level of interest and learning

effectiveness of learning flow; and as such, it can be

applied as the next-generation learning model.

Third, through this technological progress, the

augmented reality-based learning, as a revolutionary

learning method by which the students can become

immersed on their own and gain understanding and

generate new knowledge using the method of

exploratory learning, is expected to become further

developed by fusing with future learning

technologies such as personal customized learning,

ubiquitous learning, multi-game type learning and

intelligent learning.

In follow-up research, we intend to develop a

prototype of a digital textbook augmented reality

writing tool that will allow teachers to easily utilize

in the classrooms the development of augmented

reality-based contents. Moreover, we seek to

develop a more advance forms of educational

contents and verify them in the classrooms.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This work (2010-0027654) was supported by Mid-

career Researcher Program through NRF grant

funded by the MEST.

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