Augmented Reality and the Events Curriculum: the Students' Perspective

The emergence of Augmented Reality (AR) as a ground-breaking technology has transcended both business and academic sectors. Despite its rapid rise commercially, evidence of the benefits of AR in the classroom at higher education is slower to emerge, with only a limited focus to date on its specific relationship with curriculum development and learning outcomes. To respond to the changing characteristics of the higher education learning environment, and the shift towards mobile learning (M Learning) and ubiquitous learning (U Learning), it is clear that educators should reflect these trends in curriculum design and didactic methods. This paper presents the findings of exploratory research on the potential benefits of AR in an events management curriculum at the Dublin Institute of Technology. Using focus groups, the authors assess the degree to which AR is perceived by students as being a valuable tool in increasing learners’ knowledge gain, and the type of cognitive processes that may benefit most. Concerns raised by students also point to the importance of including the student voice in any development of an AR-enabled curriculum.