How STEM learning is Expanding With Mixed Reality

The STEM learning curriculum is quickly becoming a form of education that is being implemented by increasingly more learning institutions. The STEM acronym stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. These four broad courses of study are integrated to create one cohesive learning system that pre-exposes students to situations and challenges they will face in the real world, now and into the future.

Mixed reality is a form of computer technology that blends the digital world with the physical world, creating a type of alternate reality. This reality, however, is a genuine one that can be manipulated and worked in. Examples of these are augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) games and applications that you might have used already, but that is becoming more mainstream.

The Integration of STEM and Mixed Reality

Partially or fully immersive experiences that can be generated by AR and VR technologies allow students to learn about complex phenomena like electromagnetic waves or complex laws of motion. Students can delve deeply into subjects that were once complicated to teach and learn by experiencing aspects of it themselves.

It’s now possible to study the different parts of a human cell by actually touring it, in applications like MoleculE VR. VR Math and others like it are making learning mathematical concepts fun and engaging. Students can examine and learn from 3D graphs, vectors, and geometry in a close-up and personal way with these kinds of applications. It’s the integration of VR and AR technologies with the STEM curriculum archetype that makes this all possible.

Impacts on Education and Industry

Virtual reality and augmented reality applications have been used for a few decades already by professionals in the medical, science, and engineering fields. Improving their skills and advancing their careers might have necessitated using these types of applications. As technology advances and becomes more complicated, there will be more of a demand for VR/AR aided learning.

Universities all over the United States and the world are implementing this kind of learning paradigm into their curriculums. It’s the low-priced options for new VR and AR technologies that are making it possible for more learning institutions to incorporate them into their curriculums. Immersing students in math, technology, engineering, and science today can help the world prepare for tomorrow’s challenges. 

This article was originally published at RickGarson.net