Augmented Reality

McGraw-Hill Teams with Startup to Develop AR Learning Tools

• By Rhea Kelly
• 05/29/19

McGraw-Hill has announced a collaboration with ed tech startup Alchemie to develop augmented reality and three-dimensional learning tools for chemistry courses. The work is being funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation.

McGraw-Hill authors, instructional designers and product managers will work with the Alchemie team over the next year to develop and test the tools, which will be available on a variety of mobile devices for entry-level general chemistry courses. The goal: to help students "go beyond memorizing facts to develop an understanding of course content at a deeper, more conceptual level" in these high-failure-rate courses, according to a news announcement. The companies hope that, in turn, will "help millions of students successfully complete these gateway courses each year and to improve equity in student success rates, broadening the array of students who pursue in-demand STEM careers."

Ultimately, the tools may be embedded into McGraw-Hill's digital courseware.

"By creating mobile-enabled, game-based learning tools, we are providing an innovative method for students to succeed in some of the toughest courses in college," said Alchemie CEO Julia Winter, in a statement. "Through this collaboration, McGraw-Hill and Alchemie will focus on researching how these tools can improve student learning in chemistry, and continue to address educational equity within STEM courses."