Guest Post: Using Augmented Reality and Hands-on STEM education to Improve Student Learning with MindLabs and Youth Engineering Solutions (YES)

Combined physical and digital experiences enhance student learning and collaboration.

Students working with circuits from the Engineering Safety Vests unit. Credit: C. San Antonio-Tunis.

If you’ve ever done a circuit activity with your class, you know how engaging students find them and how empowering the experience can be. You also know to expect some troubleshooting. Connections can be finicky, which can lead to frustration. Students can draw the correct circuit diagram and they know, theoretically, that they’ve created a path for electricity to flow, but that light bulb just won’t light up! Thankfully, the engagement factor is usually enough to encourage students to persist, but could there be a way for them to check their conceptual understanding so that they know they are on the right track even if that pesky bulb isn’t lit?

Bringing the Digital to Life with MindLabs

The MindLabs Energy and Circuits kit allows students to create circuits in augmented reality (AR) to do just this. Using the MindLabs STEM app, students can scan battery, switch, and light bulb cards with their tablet cameras to visualize them in 3D, add them to their design, and then connect them by simply