IIT-M develops AR/VR-based edu model for rural students

Researchers with the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) are developing AR/VR (augmented reality/virtual reality)-based enabled learning using digital technologies to develop teaching-learning models for subjects taught in secondary schools in rural areas.

This initiative’s goal is to develop VR-enabled immersive and experiential learning environments where students get opportunities to learn subjects such as social science, history, sciences, and languages. Through AR/VR world-building, digital storytelling, and games, the learning process becomes more efficient and would help prepare the students for a competent field of higher education, the IIT-M said.

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Dr Merin Simi Raj and Dr Avishek Parui, project coordinators, have created the first AR-based mobile app called ‘MemoryBytes,’ which captures the history of the transnational Anglo-Indian community across 500 years. The mobile app, available in Android and iOS versions, provides an interactive, animated, and augmented experience of photographs, maps, and archival documents.

This project could also help India achieve UN Sustainable Development Goal #4, which calls upon all nations to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”.

“This project has the potential to redefine learning and education in schools for millions of rural school students across India, by creating immersive experiences through AR/VR technology-enhanced pedagogy,” Prof Mahesh Panchagnula, Dean (Alumni and Corporate Relations), IIT-M, said.

By developing pedagogic tools using AR/VR technology, the project could potentially revolutionize education in rural areas by enabling virtual access and mobility through portable platforms, the IIT-M said, adding that this project could also bridge the ‘Digital Divide’ between urban and rural school students.