TEACHING COMPLEX THEORETICAL MULTI-STEP PROBLEMS IN ICT NETWORKING THROUGH 3D PRINTING AND AUGMENTED REALITY

Michael CowlingSchool of Engineering & Technology

CQUniversity, Australia

James BirtFaculty of Society and Design

Bond University, Australia

Dr James BirtAssistant Professor of Interactive Media and Design (Games & Multimedia)• BIT (Hons), PhD (Software Engineering &

Artificial Intelligence)• 2014 Australian Office for Learning and

Teaching Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning

• 15+ years industry & academic experience

• bond.edu.au/profile/dr-james-birt

Introduction• Difficult to teach complex multi

step processes - especially without a real world model (Tasker & Dalton, 2008)

• ICT computer networking traditional method uses abstract visualizations that don’t capture complexity leaving hidden concepts (Williamson et al., 2012)

• E.g. the multi-step traversal of packets along the layers of the fundamental TCP/IP packet networking model

TCP/IP Model

Pilot Study Rationale• Visualizations are positive learning

support tools (Birt & Hovorka, 2014; Mayer, 2014; …)

• Kinaesthetic tools better form mental models (Pass & Sweller, 2014)

• Use 3D printing & AR simulation assist with learning complex multi step problems

• Evaluate effectiveness of mixed reality visualization technique in ICT networking & the learners understanding of TCP/IP packet flow

Experimental Design• Participants Undergraduate

ICT students (~n = 50)• Split cohort into traditional &

AR+3D Print – rotate students through each approach

• Use 3D printed networking components that students physically assemble, visualise & manipulate using an app built with Unity3d & Vuforia

youtu.be/0pHJWjG4-aQ

Research Methods• Action research (Kemmis, 2006)• Each ‘loop’ single term with different cohort• Pre-Post test assess student base knowledge &

knowledge of learning objectives• Qualitative survey assessing student feelings about the

technology & digital competency• Online focus group to collect further rich data on student

experience

“How does 3D printing and augmented reality assist ICT networking students in visualising

complex multi-step processes?”

• Full paper available from: http://www.2015conference.ascilite.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ascilite-2015-proceedings.pdf