Augmented Reality for students and educators: get started with AR NOW!

Eva Triantafillopoulou
It’s never been a better time for students and educators to take a closer look at the augmented reality technology to future-proof their careers.

Learn why and how to get started with Augmented Reality for students and educators!

Augmented reality technology

As explained in our introductory AR technology 101 guide, augmented reality is when computer-generated elements (graphics, 3D animations, videos, etc.) are digitally layered on top of a user’s view of the real world. 

As seen in the reels below, users can scan images, objects, and locations to reveal augmented experiences or point their devices to see augmentations seamlessly appear as if they were part of the physical environment.

Most of the use cases above were created by experienced independent developers and AR agencies for commercial purposes.

However, with the authoring tools and technical documentation available today (more on these, below), anyone can create AR experiences. Including teachers and students, no matter the level of expertise.

Why augmented reality technology and why NOW?

Timing is everything. And yes, AR has been around for a while and had a spark of fame back in 2016 when Pokémon Go was launched – (side note, don’t miss this tutorial: how to build an app like Pokémon Go in three simple steps). 

Lately, however, tech giants, enterprises, and fortune 500 companies have been keeping a keen eye on the technology – and for good reason! AR growth predictions are incredibly promising, and the technology is already starting to get a significant chunk of the market. 

It is the dawn of AR. The technology is spreading fast and NOW is the perfect time to explore AR with some hands-on action. Students and educators worldwide are taking a closer look at augmented reality tools and the opportunities this technology brings.

The sooner you start the more prepared you will be to deliver when the AR market is at full blast.

We can help you get started NOW!

The Wikitude Academy: free Augmented Reality tools for students and educators

Back in 2012, Wikitude started a program to support academics interested in learning more about AR. As AR-technology providers keen on making the technology advance, we help by offering free access to our augmented reality platform and tools. The program was a success then and continues to thrive until this very day. 

We receive many requests and grant multiple educational AR licenses on a daily basis to students and teachers around the globe.

Teachers reach out to the Wikitude Academy when they are interested in expanding their knowledge or as a means of starting the journey of enhancing their teaching methods with the benefits of AR itself: adding digital augmentations (audio, video, 3D models, instructions) to books, machines, lab equipment, and more.

Our student requests, on the other hand, come from all backgrounds: high-school students creating independent projects, university students for project assignments and final graduation or master thesis, apprentices seeking to learn more about AR during short-term technology courses. 

How does the Wikitude Academy work?

Easy! Eligible students and educators can apply by filling out the application form on the Wikitude Academy page. The Wikitude team analyses each application individually to review the project and eligibility requirements. The final decision is informed by email.

To be eligible to apply students must be actively enrolled in (and professors currently employed by) an accredited academic institution.

The Wikitude EDU AR SDK allows users to create one AR App that can be deployed on Android, iOS, and Windows. Further details, requirements, and restrictions can be found in the Academy page linked above.

Wikitude AR SDK: augmented reality software development kit

Academics with coding knowledge (or code learning in progress), can choose to work with our main product, the Wikitude AR SDK.

The Wikitude SDK allows users to develop AR apps that can recognize, track and augment images, objects, scenes, and geographical locations. 

In the EDU version, students can work with Native or JavaScript API or choose Unity, Cordova, Xamarin or Flutter extensions to create cross-platform AR experiences for smartphones, and tablets across Android, iOS and Windows. Please note, digital eyewear projects are reserved for commercial licenses only.

Wikitude Studio Editor: create AR apps without code

Regardless if you have coding experience or not, you might want to check out the Wikitude Studio Editor.

Wikitude Studio Editor is a web-based authoring tool used for creating augmented reality experiences. 

With useful features and an intuitive interface, it should help you accomplish AR tasks without any particular technical skills. Studio Editor lets you add augmentations to your targets in a drag-and-drop manner, as well as edit and remove them. Augmented projects can be exported for further use or shared for consumption.

Wikitude documentation and AR tech articles

For support and guidance in exploring augmented reality, students and teachers are invited to navigate through our extensive documentation and forum threads. 

Additionally, the augmented reality articles below will give readers access to technical details and sample app instructions:

Download Augmented Reality SDK trial for students and educators

Are you a student or educator and want to give our augmented reality tools a try before sending your official EDU application? Access our download page to choose your platform of choice, view all plugin options and other dev tools. After the download, you will be directed to a registering page to get started.

Apply for a free Wikitude EDU SDK NOW!

AR is inspiring, challenging, useful, innovative, and growing fast. The earlier you start the better.

Dare to create the next big AR use case? Click the button below to start your augmented reality journey.

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