Mimas are committed to helping to bring together technology and education but it’s always lovely to get rewarded!
At the 2013 Education Innovation Conference & Exhibition, Jackie Carter (Senior Manager, Learning and Teaching and Social Science Data Services at Mimas) who directs all of our AR work, accepted an award on behalf of the Scarlet team. The award was for innovation in higher education on the back of all the work we talk about on this blog. A big thanks to everyone we have worked with to date on AR.
Here is Jackie with Spencer Kelly of BBC click who gave out the awards.
We are really pleased to announce that an article written by Mimas’ Matt Ramirez is featured in the latest issue of AR(t) magazine. The article talks about lessons learnt and knowledge gained through both the SCARLET and SCARLET+ projects, and how AR can enhance the student experience.
A special thanks to Jean Vacher, Marie-Therese Gramstadt both from the University for the Creative Arts, and Rose Lock from the University of Sussex for their input.
The article can be found on pages 57-61, we hope you find it informative. This edition in particular includes a number of articles relating to using AR with students.
Mimas have been developing Augmented Reality (AR) experiences for use within education for over two years and in that time we have amassed a wealth of experience, knowledge and examples. We have barely touched the surface of its potential; but the enthusiasm and interest in the possibilities have been extremely encouraging. So, with experiences gained and success stories to share, we thought it would be a good idea to host an event within the university (where Mimas is hosted) to demonstrate what we’d achieved and the great potential of AR.
“The showcase day provided a golden opportunity to bring together important and interested people across the university and within the wider region to consider the future potential of innovation in education. We hope that by demonstrating the exciting potential of the work undertaken at Manchester we have highlighted the considerable expertise available on our own doorstep. We know there is more to do to evidence the effectiveness of AR in learning, but we believe that we have developed an approach on which others can build. As Edison said ‘If we all did the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves’. The time is ripe to be further astounded.” Dr. Jackie Carter, Mimas
The showcase, held on the 24th April (by invitation only), requested the presence of a number of key people across the university and Manchester, who we felt would have an interest in how we are developing AR for use in the educational context. We were full to capacity with attendees including Professor Richard Reece (Associate Vice-President, Teaching, Learning and Students), and Matt Gallop and Jenny Chapman both from the learning Innovations team at the BBC.
“It was great to see the projects, which have been developed, and those in the pipeline. The AR field trip has some obvious resonance with some of the work we have been looking into around Face-to-face Learning events. Keep up the good work!” Matt Gallop, BBC
The hour-long showcase event included a vast array of examples from augmented manuscripts to medical cannulas and was a chance to show off about the awards we have won. We heard from all of the projects that Mimas have worked on:
SCARLET (Special Collections using Augmented Reality to Enhance Learning and Teaching) at the University of Manchester
Dr Guyda Armstrong (Senior Lecturer in Italian), Andy Land (E-Library Infrastructure Manager) and John Hodgson (Collections & Research Support Manager at the John Rylands University Library) who worked on our original SCARLET project bringing special collection to life using AR, further information: http://teamscarlet.wordpress.com/?s=scarlet
SCARLET+
Rose Lock (Senior Archive Assistant (Library) at the University of Sussex) who worked with Mimas to lead on the technical development of an AR application for the University of Sussex. Further information: http://teamscarlet.wordpress.com/author/roselock/
Ian Hutt (Senior Learning Technologist, Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences at the University of Manchester) told is about our new and possibly most ambitious project to date, Discover Geology, which will develop an AR fieldtrip – watch this space for a dedicated blog post about this project soon!
So what’s our secret?
Our model – a simple formula that begins with a committed mixed team approach, and if you’ve ever heard or spoken to Mimas about AR before you’ll know that’s where our expertise lies. Every AR projects starts with the right team of people, sharing a penchant for developing AR to improve the student experience. For AR this usually means people with content, academics, technical skills and project management, and obviously students. We’ve been lucky enough to work with some fantastic people, such as award winning academics, librarians with amazing content and people who despite their inexperience with technology are willing to learn and learn quickly. This model seems to be working.
“It has been a joy to work with Mimas on the SCARLET project. They have managed the project with consummate professionalism, encouraging creativity while ensuring that deadlines and objectives were met. While their technical skills are impressive, the project was driven by pedagogical needs, not by technology. We have learnt a huge amount from them about project management and we will seek every opportunity to work with them again.” John Hodgson
We love AR
Our passion for innovative technology and education initiates our work, and at Mimas we get that the students and academics drive us, not the technology. We also ensure our projects are well managed; this guarantees that we achieve what we set out to within a short space of time and budget. We also make certain that when a project partnership ends, we have successfully transferred our skills, knowledge and enthusiasm, to provide all the tools needed to sustain a project.
“Mimas have given me the framework and confidence to create my own AR applications. My understanding of the way AR works has increased exponentially and I now feel able not only to build applications but also to explain to others how it works and show them how to create their own; embedding the skills into our department.” Rose Lock
Future thoughts
Whilst chatting to Matt Ramirez, our key AR technical lead, I realised how much we have learnt about AR and how the technology has improved. Our projects have provided a great deal of valuable feedback from students and academics; whilst access to supplementary resources is useful (especially video), it is the ability to augment the reality that was the key to unlock further learning.
It’s great to see this learning applied to new projects. At a recent meeting for the new Discover Geology project we were planning a teaching tool that would allow students and the public, to find fossils, overlay historical images over a changing landscape and even the possibility to find out what was lying beneath their feet! I can’t wait for this application to be available and to collect the student feedback. A blog post and video will be available about this project very soon.
Please keep an eye on our blog to find out more about our new AR projects and to get updates from those already being used by students. We will also be posting a short video from the showcase very soon. And, finally, if you’ve got ideas or projects you’d like support with please contact us or share your ideas/experiences via AR-DISCUSS@jiscmail.com.
In the recent webinar held on the 16th April, members from the award winning SCARLET team (led by Mimas) shared their experiences of working on the SCARLET+ project team. Testimonials from Rose Lock at the University of Sussex and Jean Vacher from the University for the Creative Arts describe how their AR outputs are being used in education across their institutions. View the webinar in full below.
Momentum is always a problem when a project like SCARLET+ moves from having staff dedicated to it to being a part of everyday work life. Today is my last day as Project Co-ordinator for the University of Sussex SCARLET+ project and I am determined to keep promoting the use of Augmented Reality with archival collections. We have a plan…
At the end of the last University of Sussex SCARLET+ workshop the staff present from across the university passed on the names of anyone at Sussex they thought might be interested in using or supporting the use of AR. Armed with this list I am going to be sending out emails inviting these possibly interested parties for one to one discussion to investigate whether they would like to take advantage of what we have been developing.
24th April takes me to Manchester for a showcase event with SCARLET, University of Manchester, and Mimas designed to engage University of Manchester’s Senior Stakeholders.
We are hoping to raise the profile of SCARLET’s work within the university itself. It is a strange anomaly that exciting projects such as SCARLET are often better known outside of the institution that has been instrumental in creating them, one that we are well aware of at University of Sussex. It will be interesting to see what level of increased involvement comes from this event; perhaps we could do something similar at Sussex?
On 25th April I will be visiting the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew to speak about SCARLET to the European Botanical and Horticultural Group as part of their 20th Annual meeting for their day on ‘Space and Cyberspace : the challenges of managing physical and digital collections‘. http://www.kew.org/ebhl/meetings.htm
With support from Team SCARLET in the form of their marvelous presentation I am looking forward to speaking to archive staff who are in the same position as I was a year ago; having no experience of AR what so ever! I hope I can give them the confidence to explore this avenue AR really could be put to some wonderful uses with Botanical and Horticultural archives. Triggers placed in a garden, linking plants themselves to the archives could be both entertaining and educationally interesting.
I have been asked to write a blog post for ITS concentrating on SCARLET+’s pedagogical approach to AR. There are a huge number of University of Sussex departmental, project and staff blogs which are each read by a very different section of the university’s population. SCARLET+ has featured on the Observing 1980s project blog and has been re-blogged by the Teaching, Learning and Development Unit blog. These cross-blog posts are hugely important in keeping the rest of the university informed of what we are doing.
A double-sided postcard featuring the QR code and trigger for Voices In Your Pocket is being produced as an example of what Sussex can do with AR. This can be handed out both internally and externally at conferences or meetings, or left in public spaces for anyone to find and discover a little about Augmented Reality, Observing the 1980s and University of Sussex Special Collections.
Last week we returned to the Library Open Learning Space for our second and final workshop to discuss Scarlet+ specifically and the future of AR at University of Sussex specifically. We were once again joined by our lead academic, Dr. Lucy Robinson and a host of Sussex staff including Suzanne Rose our Mass Observation Education and Outreach Officer), Fiona Courage, Special Collections Manager & Mass Observation Curator, Stuart Lamour and John Davies, from ITS, and a new face in the shape of Suzanne Tatham, our Learning and Teaching Support Librarian.
Whilst the final AR app was presented and discussed, the main intention of the workshop was to gather ideas about where to go next with AR at University of Sussex. Once again, the blend of skills and experience in the room meant that I was left with a huge range of thoughts and ideas that can now guide our next steps with this exciting new technology. The session ended with a brainstorming session of which other individuals and departments within Sussex might be interested in using AR in their own work.
So; why should we use AR in archives as oppose to other teaching and outreach tools? What does it have that gives a unique and meaningful experience to our users? Which groups is it particularly suited to? Which types of material is it particularly suited to?
Our overarching concept with VIYP has been to use AR to provide resources that users need or want but cannot access using the actual archival material. Extra resources such as the videos used in YIYP, documents that link material within or between our archives, and chosen supporting resources such as digital newspaper articles were all suggested.
Dr. Robinson stated that for postgraduates AR can be seen as a unique historical resource in its own right. She was particularly interested in using AR for ‘gobbet exercises’.
These teach and test student’s content perception, and understanding of the meanings and social relationships of historical material. The specific skills of content perception are difficult to convey and test. The current ‘gobbet exercise’ uses quotes and images to test students on the constructions, interpretations and relationships of material. Getting students to create an AR app to answer these questions would be more appropriate as it forces students to think about context and develop these skills.
Dr. Lucy Robinson on AR and gobbets.
For providing content there is still much doubt in how is AR different from providing a tablet device with a list of links or downloaded material? What is the unique quality that it gives the user that makes it different? There are certainly times when a tablet loaded up with digital images of archive material would be a better experience, especially when Wi-Fi may not be available. We need to ensure that we use AR only when AR is the most suitable option, not just for its own sake. As Jane Harvell, Head of Academic services at the library and Sussex’s Scarlet+ Project Manager wisely said, “archives are incredibly powerful” – we have to remember WHY our users visit us. What do they want from the experience?
Jane Harvell and Fiona Courage speaking about the future of AR at Sussex.
Some archive users will always want the original material due their feeling of excitement at having a ‘real’ document in their hands, but not everyone values this experience; how can we use AR to draw them in?
Outreach, especially in schools, is a better trodden path for AR. Suzanne Rose has included AR in Mass Observation’s HLF bid for use in Secondary schools to open up the archive. It gives a more explorative, less formal way to provide access to archival material away from the archive than a pile of photocopies; for example, a treasure hunt feel could be achieved with clever use of triggers that would make the AR an organic part of the experience, not just another pile of paper. Possibly the greatest challenge AR faces when being taken out is Wi-Fi; Suzanne has already had to rethink one outreach session on the hop due to this problem. She had designed an exercise using iPads that relied on Wi-Fi but the room she was using was changed at the last minute and had to revert to paper.
Conferences were another place where AR could be an exciting way to share digital resources, either formally as part of a presentation or informally on a one to one basis. Attendees could take home a presentation on their device or take part in a digital exhibition.
Content might be king, but is context our overlord? Content can be provided in many ways (originals, paper copies, digital copies); is the power of AR the ability to contextualise archives in personal ways? Ultimately the use of AR in teaching relies on the enthusiasm of the tutor/teacher and in having the flexibility to allow them to shape the learning experience. They need to be handed the reins so what is created is meaningful to their sessions.
Stuart Lamour speaking about pedagogical approaches to AR.
AR could be used before viewing archival material as an introduction, especially digital material such as MOOnline and Observing the 1980s. Markers on boxes could trigger specific tutorials on how to handle that material or how to understand the way the collection is constructed. Suzanne Tatham can see particular application with sixth form groups in the library, where she could use AR to engage with Special Collections during library introductions and tours. She also suggested that AR could be used to supplement hand-outs as a way to provide the introductory information.
Suzanne Tatham speaking about AR in Learning & Teaching
Special Collections is about to move off-campus to a new archival resource centre. Will the physical distance to The Keep mean that we need to somehow keep a foothold in the library? AR could certainly be a way of doing this. Exhibitions and introductions would be the most obvious place to start, using AR in the library to bring people to archival material in The Keep.
Site specific material looks to be the most appropriate to access through AR. Dr. Robinson is currently setting up a Post Punk Britain course that is heavily rooted in Brighton, and also mentioned a community project based on the Arches.
Dr. Lucy Robinson on AR use in new courses at Sussex
This concept can be extended to the space within an exhibition where AR can be used to provide a different set of information to cater for different audiences (students, casual visitors, school groups etc.) or can layer images to show something that is not there. However, she also spoke of liminal space and of using AR not as an invitation to a ‘real’ this, but as an object and reality all of its own.
Transcription and translation were another problem that AR seems to offer a neat solution to. Our Virginia Woolf diaries are hard to read and lots of our German Jewish collections are not in English. AR can offer access to text that is not immediately readable and in this case the triggers would target the sections needed.
The fact that this is by far and away the longest blog post I have written for the Scarlet+ project is a tribute to just how productive the final workshop really was. I would recommend anyone undertaking a similar project to go with this sandwich approach of bringing together interested parties at the start and finish. In just a few hours a plan for the future of AR at University of Sussex has been hatched and although the project is nearly over, the ball is most definitely still rolling.
The University of Manchester has organised a week of activities to enthuse school children about studying science and engineering. Pupils have the opportunity to get up close with some of the cutting-edge research going on at The University of Manchester and take part in a range of activities designed to inspire them to become the scientists of the future.
One of the cutting-edge technologies being showcased is the new UKMap AR App which allows pupils to interact with different mapping layers from the UKMap database originally collected by The GeoInformation Group and hosted at Landmap, Mimas. For the National Science and Engineering event a quick quiz sheet was devised where pupils answer 5 questions based on the geospatial layers. The positive feedback from pupils has underlined how much potential there is in using AR in education, especially in the geospatial field.
It is my pleasure to announce that the geospatial AR channel developed in conjunction with Landmap is now live. It allows the user to visualise this data in a whole new way. Through a highly detailed feature rich map, users can switch between different map layers and manipulate 3D models to bring the location to life.
Added functionality enables the user to:
Freeze the tracking to take a snapshot of the layer
Activate gestures to rotate, scale and move the layer
Make the layer transparent to see how it fits on the printed base layer
Displays information about different parts of the interface
To access the channel simply open Junaio and scan the map image or scan the QR code below. Follow the instructions to uncover the content by holding your device over the satellite image. For maximum functionality the content is best viewed on a tablet device although smartphones will still display the models and key correctly.
The new channel will be showcased as part of the National Science and Engineering Week 2013 and we welcome any feedback you may have.
The SCARLET+ Experience Tuesday 16th April 12.00 – 1.00pm
Hear members from the award winning SCARLET team (led by Mimas) share examples of how Augmented Reality (AR) is being used in education at the University of Sussex and the University for the Creative Arts.
We will also share the outputs of SCARLET+ including a demonstration of the AR applications developed. Plus we’d like to hear stories about your experiences of AR in education or how you’d like to use it!
Sharing expertise was always at the heart of both the SCARLET and SCARLET+ projects. The team hope to inspire others with the potential for AR in education.
Over the past couple of months I have been working with colleagues from the Landmap service at Mimas to create an AR experience around the UKMap dataset. The UKMap Collection is one of five collections provided free of charge to the UK academic community at Landmap and was originally collection by The GeoInformation Group.
This provides a wealth of rich, multi-layered information accurately locating building types, building heights and ground usage to name a few. The challenge was to incorporate this tabular data in a visual 3D model that a handheld device was able to render efficiently. The raw data and map files were often hundreds of megabytes, completely unusable on a mobile device. Through a process of trial and error, myself and Gail Millin-Chalabi from Landmap were able to develop a workflow for delivery through Junaio.
Firstly ESRI ArcScene was used to create a 3D visualisation of geospatial data layers contained in the UKMap Collection. Then the data layers were clipped to an Area of Interest (AOI) – in this example Lea Bridge Road, Walthamstow, London. The 2D feature data was then converted to 3D feature data and reprojected in WGS84 coordinates from British National Grid. The model was then output as a VRML 3D file for use in Blender.
In Blender the model was optimised by reducing polygons, adding lighting and baking textures to allow for efficient delivery through the Junaio channel. There were a couple of issues importing from ArcScene, most notably a number of faces were drawn incorrectly rendering them invisible on final export. This was remedied by painstakingly flipping each face manually and continually checking the final render, I really hope that the next version of ArcScene has a bug fix for this problem!
Finally, I was able to develop a GUI(Graphic User Interface) utilising a transparent HTML5 layer with functionality coded in AREL (Augmented Reality Experience Language) based on Javascript and PHP. This enables the user to control the AR experience by displaying different models (heights, feature classification code), using gestures to rotate and scale the model and transparency to allow comparison to the printed base layer. But perhaps the most exciting piece of functionality, the “Freeze” button allows the user to disable tracking, creating a snapshot of the background and overcoming the need to continually hold the device over the tracking image.
Working so closely to spatial data has opened my eyes to the vast potential of using AR visualisation alongside existing learning activities at several levels from primary to post-graduate education. In the future I hope to investigate how these models could be used to reinforce learning through summative assessment. For example, it would be fairly simple to use building heights to test trigonometry calculations, terrain modelling to examine flood management and geological phenomena such as the anatomy of a volcano (see working model below).
The new Landmap AR app will be released in the next few days, we look forward to receiving your feedback.
