CapitalOne Educational Program Uses AR To Teach Science and Math
Groove Jones teamed up with CapitalOne to create an AR App that gives visiting students an opportunity to see how Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics are relevant in the world around them.
This student program takes place in and around various locations on the CapitalOne Financial Services Headquarters campus in Plano, Texas. Students take a walking tour of the campus and analyze STEM methodologies in relation to the real-world campus environment.
The program is built in coordination with talk STEM to serve as an ecosystem of science and math learning opportunities both inside and outside of the traditional school setting, with the goal of engaging students in STEM experiences “beyond the textbook”. walk STEM was developed in partnership with the National Museum of Mathematics here in Dallas Texas.
Groove Jones was brought in as a subject–matter expert in AR App development to enhance the STEM program and create an exciting tool for the students to use.
The team built the experience using Apple ARKit for use on iPads.
Wall of Innovators AR
Along the campus, there are many stops to explore and learn. The Wall of Innovators is located in the Capital One Garage, a location at the HQ that serves as a location of inspiration and creativity for employees and visitors. The Wall of Innovators is the first stop on the walk STEM tour that highlights multiple prominent thought leaders who influenced the STEM world.
By using image recognition with the mobile device’s camera, the app recognizes a photo of an innovator and activates custom made videos and information about each of them.
This is a great way to help tell the story and humanize the various industries and jobs in which STEM skills are needed.
Miniature Golf Course AR
It’s all about physics on the Miniature Golf course. The students get to experiment with physics in a mini-golf environment by customizing the turf and ball, affecting physical factors of play.
Students can use AR to drop a golf hole wherever they want, then drop a golf ball which can be changed into a beach ball, a bowling ball, a golf ball or a ping-pong ball. Each variant creates a different outcome due to force, weight, and physics.
The turf itself can be switched to concrete, sand, or glass to exhibit the effect friction has on the trajectory and movement of the ball. Students can select from a variety of surfaces – concrete, green grass, sand, mud. They can also change the ball weight and material by giving it attributes of a ping-pong ball, beach ball, golf ball, tennis ball or a bowling ball.
The player then attempts to putt with the various combinations of balls and surface layers to explore how they react together. When the student sinks the putt, they get a fireworks show.
TreeHouse AR
The treehouse stop on the Capital One campus is where students learn about area estimation. The App allows the students to draw out rectangles and right triangles to accurately measure distances and areas using either square meters or square feet with simple shapes. The App tallies up the total area among all drawn shapes, letting students scrutinize their initial estimations.
Included in the App are a variety of learning materials that are used at various stops within the campus walk. An illustrated interactive map guides the students along and provides an easy to use interface to explore the materials.
The interactive AR additions allow for students to explore and apply scientific theory to a real-world environment. Once the kids got their hands on the STEM app, the creativity of how they use each application is as limitless as their imagination.
