Development of an AR App to Improve Healthcare Students’ Classroom Experience

Abstract

Augmented Reality (AR) is one of the most promising digital health innovations today. In the medical field, it is increasingly adopted as technological advancement in healthcare since it holds promise as a robust teaching initiative in the said field. However, most of the initiatives are conducted and analyzed in the developed countries. Its application and adoption seem to be challenging in developing countries like the Philippines, which may be attributed to the limited applied research or financial capability. Findings from this research also show only the knowledge acquisition from AR apps being developed rather than the effects of its inclusion on healthcare. Thus, this study was initiated to develop an AR app as a tool to improve the students’ classroom experience. Specifically, this study is conducted to investigate AR app usability and its effects on healthcare students. Based on initial findings, AR integration in the classroom could have significant effects on healthcare students and clinical instructors. However, the psychologists observed that there remain several challenges and issues on its use that we need to consider in the development and use of this app. Thus, when the entire qualitative methodology is completed, it is expected that an AR app will be developed based on the initial findings. This study is also expected to produce an AR app that can be used as a mobile-based tool in medical education to contribute to the improvement of the healthcare students’ classroom experience despite being in a developing country.