Purpose: Through a prior IES-funded SBIR project in 2020, the developer created a prototype of an augmented reality application with audio feedback as blind and visually impaired students engage with tactile molecular models. In this Phase I project, the team developed a new prototype of an augmented reality system.

Project Activities: The new prototype provides audio-generated information on scientific images and diagrams used for teaching and learning chemistry. The prototype includes tactile physical manipulatives and software to provide students a more comparable experience of the visualization to their sighted peers. At the end of Phase I, the researchers conducted a pilot study with 3 special education chemistry educators and 10 high school students who are blind or visual impaired.

Key Outcomes: The researchers found that the prototype functioned as planned and was engaging for users, that the students all agreed that if fully developed the full product would support learning chemistry concepts, and that educators believed that the full product would be feasible to integrate into classroom practice (Wegwerth, et al. 2023).

Publications and Products

ERIC Citations: Find available citations in ERIC for this award here.

Select Publications:

Wegwerth, S. E., Manchester, G. J., & Winter, J. E. (2023). A Feasibility Study of the Kasi Learning System to Support Independent Use of STEM Diagrams by Students With Visual Impairments. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 117(2), 162-174. https://doi.org/10.1177/0145482X231169713

Related IES Projects: Accessible Learning through a Multi-Sensory Augmented Reality Interface for Physical Manipulatives (91990020C0072)