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Study on the Effect of Integrated Augmented Reality on Student Performance and Attention Level Using Facial Feature Analysis
Estudio sobre el efecto de la realidad aumentada en el rendimiento y nivel de atención de los estudiantes mediante el análisis de rasgos faciales
Keywords:
educational technology, eye aspect ratio (EAR), student engagement, biomedical engineering, online learning (en)tecnología educativa, engagement estudiantil, relación de aspecto ocular (EAR), ingeniería biomédica, aprendizaje en línea (es)
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Augmented reality (AR) is an emerging technology that enhances interactive educational modules by helping students to visualize complex concepts, thereby improving engagement and academic performance. This study aimed to assess the effects of an AR-based educational module on students’ cognitive engagement during online learning, specifically focusing on liver cancer cell characterization as an extension of the cell structure topics in the biology syllabus. A total of 104 students were divided into three groups: one using the AR module, another using a conventional module, and a control group. The students’ performances were assessed through pre-test and post-test analyses. Additionally, the facial features of the AR group were analyzed using MediaPipe’s Face Mesh algorithm to calculate the eye aspect ratio (EAR) which determines attention levels based on the opening and closure of the eyes. The results showed that the AR-based module had a positive effect on students' performance (9.73%) compared to the conventional module and effectively captured students' attention during the first half of the lesson. This integration of technology is beneficial for enhancing online teaching practices, particularly when it comes to engaging biomedical engineering students with challenging biology topics like cancer cell characterization.
La realidad aumentada (AR) es una tecnología emergente que potencia los módulos educativos interactivos al ayudar a los estudiantes a visualizar conceptos complejos, mejorando el engagement y el rendimiento académico. Este estudio tuvo como objetivo evaluar los efectos de un módulo educativo basado en AR sobre el engagement cognitivo de los estudiantes durante el aprendizaje en línea, con un enfoque específico en la caracterización de células de cáncer de hígado como una extensión de los contenidos sobre estructura celular del syllabus de biología. Un total de 104 estudiantes se dividió en tres grupos: uno que utilizó el módulo de AR, otro que empleó un módulo convencional y un grupo de control. El desempeño de los estudiantes se evaluó mediante análisis de pre- y postests. Adicionalmente, se analizaron los rasgos faciales del grupo de AR utilizando el algoritmo Face Mesh de MediaPipe para calcular la relación de aspecto ocular (EAR), la cual permite determinar los niveles de atención a partir de la apertura y el cierre de los ojos. Los resultados mostraron que el módulo basado en AR tuvo un efecto positivo en el rendimiento de los estudiantes (9.73 %) en comparación con el módulo convencional y que captó eficazmente la atención de los estudiantes durante la primera mitad de la sesión. Esta integración tecnológica resulta beneficiosa para mejorar las prácticas de enseñanza en línea, especialmente para involucrar a estudiantes de ingeniería biomédica en temas complejos de biología como la caracterización de células cancerígenas.
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