A Case Study: Evaluation of an Augmented Reality Application Developed for Biology Education

Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) technologies, which have rapidly developed in fields such as industry, social life, entertainment, and education, have emerged as powerful tools due to their ability to enable users to visually interact with objects. This study presents an original mobile AR application designed for biology topics including anatomy, physiology, and experimental animals, and investigates its effects on student attitudes. A mixed-methods approach was employed to assess the impact of AR technology on students' attitudes toward the course. Quantitatively, a quasi-experimental design utilizing the "AR Application Attitude Scale" and qualitatively, structured open-ended interview questions were used. The results revealed that student attitudes improved by an average of 8.35% following the implementation of the AR tools. Content analysis of student responses to open-ended questions indicated that students believed AR applications increased course interest and significantly contributed to laboratory courses.