The Microsoft HoloLens is the first self-contained, holographic computer that allows users to place and interact with holographic objects in the world around them. This impressive piece of kit bridges the gap between the virtual and real worlds giving the user virtual objects that are placed and sit in the real world. In the Digital Learning Team we have taken responsibility for helping the university develop projects using the HoloLens kit.
At the moment the HoloLens is being loaned to faculties for review purposes and give academics the chance to think of potential projects that can utilise the unique properties of this technology.
The use of Augmented Reality is currently a focus of research into its effects on students learning, with pioneering studies showing that AR provides opportunities for interactive learning and that students are able to gain a better understanding of the concepts they are studying. There is also a suggestion that this form of technology in HE helps students to retain more knowledge for a longer period of time while fostering intellectual curiosity, encouraging students to think critically about the world around them.
We are very excited to see where this technology will go and the potential projects that will come from this.
Image: CC Jean-Pierre Dalbéra