Augmented Reality for Middle School Education

This project was completed during my undergraduate degree in 2019 and published in Springer's SN Computer Science journal in 2020. It explored how augmented reality can help middle school students understand science concepts through visual, interactive models rather than static diagrams.

The goal was to demonstrate that low-cost, mobile-based AR could meaningfully improve conceptual understanding without requiring specialized hardware.

Students could scan specially designed newspaper images that triggered contextual videos, overlays, and animated explanations. This blended traditional media with interactive digital content.

The approach made abstract concepts tangible by overlaying digital information on physical media students already understood.

One of the highlights was an interactive solar system model with rotating planets, orbit paths, moon systems, and educational panels. It allowed students to explore complex space concepts in an intuitive way.

Students could interact with the model, zoom in on planets, and access detailed information about each celestial body.

• ARCore for real-world tracking and plane detection
• Unity for rendering 3D interactive models
• Firebase Authentication to distinguish educators and students
• Android app as the host platform
• Image-target recognition for interactive newspaper content

The paper demonstrated the potential for low-cost AR to meaningfully improve conceptual understanding, and presented early evidence that AR can be integrated into classrooms without special hardware.

This work contributed to the growing body of research showing that mobile AR can democratize access to immersive educational experiences.

Journal: SN Computer Science (Springer)

Year: 2020

Citation: Kapoor, V., et al. "Mobile-Based Augmented Reality for Learning Concepts in Middle School Science Education." SN Computer Science, vol. 1, 2020.