XR technologies have a variety of applications, including gaming, entertainment, education and training. They are widely used to provide users with immersive and interactive experiences that allow them to explore and interact with virtual environments in ways that resemble the physical world.

    Augmented reality

    Augmented reality technologies are on the side of the real environment. In vocational training, augmented reality is often the solution: The live view of the environment is overlaid with digital information, in the form of a camera view on mobile platforms or a transparent screen.

  • Read more

    In addition, AR can also superimpose acoustic stimuli in real space. AR systems can be roughly differentiated by whether the displays are worn on the head or in the hand. The former are head-mounted displays (HMDs) such as data glasses, while the latter are handheld displays (HHDs) in the form of tablets or smartphones. In addition to the display component, augmented reality systems may also have an input device, i.e., the ability to interact with the system, e.g., via a microphone or touchpad, and a 'tracking device' that allows the system to record and process the user's interaction with the environment. For manual work, head-mounted devices can be recommended, as the hands are freely available for the actual work process. In practice, however, tablets are often used instead of smart glasses due to their comparative ease of use, availability and lower cost.

  • Virtual reality

    Learning environments that use virtual reality (VR) offer the possibility to adapt to individual learning goals and needs. This is an opportunity compared to traditional and existing digital learning methods that often ignore the heterogeneity of learners.

  • Read more

    Another advantage of virtual learning environments is the protected nature of the learning space. Here, knowledge and skills can be tested in the virtual environment without causing any economic damage. This can be seen as particularly advantageous in action-oriented (technical) vocational training, where learning is particularly focused on teaching practical skills. VR can be used to train psychomotor coordination and skills with a high degree of immersion and authenticity of the learning situation. This allows learners to immerse themselves in a learning world where they can largely control their own learning process and learn by exploring digital artifacts. Virtual learning spaces thus have special potential due to the action orientation of continuing vocational training.