Augmented Reality in the Higher Education: Students’ Science Concept Learning and Academic Achievement in Astronomy

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of providing learners with diverse approach of simulation-based instructional design, 2D animation (2D), 3D simulation (3D), and augmented reality (AR) on students’ moon phases concept learning and their academic achievement. There were 104 senior college students participated in this study. Based on ANOVA analysis, the result showed that: (a) all of the three approaches could enhance learners’ performance on academic achievement, however, there were no significant difference between them; (b) students in AR approach outperformed the other two instructional design on moon phases concept learning; (c) students in 3D and AR approach demonstrate higher motivation and concentrate their attention on the learning tasks. This study provided insights for better understanding the design, theory and practice of e-learning through augmented reality technology.