Social Engagement in Layers of History: Instant Creation of Universal Access to Humanities Content

FAIN: MN-268921-20

Kent State University (Kent, OH 44242-0001)
Richard E. Ferdig (Project Director: June 2019 to May 2022)

Production of a website and on-site augmented reality tour of the Kent State University campus addressing the shootings on May 4, 1970.

This production grant builds upon the NEH-funded prototype project titled, “Layers of History: Experiencing May 4, 1970, and Its Legacy.” The prototype successfully used augmented reality (AR) to help campus visitors reflect on the Kent State shootings and their impact on American history. This proposal will build on the prototype to full production and dissemination with five key outcomes. First, events and themes related to May 4, 1970, will be broadened and enriched with additional stories and places of interest (e.g., downtown Kent). Second, the application will be visually enhanced to target multiple users and various mobile devices. Third, the 50th anniversary will be the impetus to provide AR application features accessible to off-campus users, reaching a wider audience across the country. Fourth, full evaluation will study the use of AR for humanities. Finally, the AR editor will be further developed to allow other humanities scholars to develop similar digital projects.

Associated Products

GLARE (Computer Program)
Title: GLARE
Author: Richard Ferdig
Author: Robert Clements
Author: CC Lu
Author: Enrico Gandolfi
Author: Annette Kratcoski
Author: Chris Lenart
Abstract: GLARE enables the rapid development of new experiences via a simple web interface. Users navigate a map, locate spatial coordinates, and select associated media content. The development of GLARE is built around linked media, scalable by nature to allow changes to be rapidly made to the linked content and to the tour in general. Simply increasing the number of menu items or number of provided links at each hotspot allow changes to be made to the extensible framework. Others may continue development of the framework and rapidly create custom paths to include new content, themes and stories. Using the same interface and configuration, hotspots simply require a geographic location, media to overlay, and a list of appropriately linked content.
Year: 2021
Primary URL: http://glare.cs.kent.edu
Primary URL Description: Link to the main GLARE editor.
Access Model: Open Access
Source Available?: Yes

May 4th Augmented and Virtual Reality Tour (Game/Simulation)
Title: May 4th Augmented and Virtual Reality Tour
Author: Richard Ferdig
Author: Robert Clements
Author: CC Lu
Author: Enrico Gandolfi
Author: Annette Kratcoski
Author: Chris Lenart
Abstract: The completed project, The May 4 Augmented Reality Experience, was created to allow users from any location to view the events of May 4, 1970 in the frame of the present through the lens of augmented reality. (Accessible at https://may4thxr.kent.edu/index.html). The experience is designed to immerse and engage users as they journey through the events of May 4, 1970. As the tour is initiated, participants follow a trail through the National Historic Landmark site that chronicles the events of May 4 using augmented reality (AR) hotspots along the path that transport users to that fateful day via the use of images overlaid on present day imagery as well as audio from the time period. Users effectively view the events from the same physical space and time through pictorial and aural historic place restoration. Each hotspot focuses on an important aspect of the events surrounding the shootings and offers additional media and links to enhance and engage the user in the underlying humanities themes through different perspectives and viewpoints.
Year: 2021
Primary URL: https://may4thxr.kent.edu
Primary URL Description: Link for the main May 4th AR and VR tour.
Secondary URL: http://glare.cs.kent.edu
Secondary URL Description: Link for the GLARE open access editor.
Access Model: Open Access
Source Available?: Yes

Social engagements in layers of history: An XR experience of the May 4th shootings. (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Social engagements in layers of history: An XR experience of the May 4th shootings.
Author: Richard Ferdig
Author: Enrico Gandolfi
Author: Robert Clements
Author: Chris Lenart
Author: Annette Kratcoski
Author: CC Lu
Abstract: Panel presentation at the 5th annual Frameless XR Symposium. Rochester Institute of Technology.
Date: 11/01/2020
Conference Name: 5th annual Frameless XR Symposium. Rochester Institute of Technology.

Social engagement in layers of history: Using AR to explore May 4, 1970. (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Social engagement in layers of history: Using AR to explore May 4, 1970.
Author: Richard Ferdig
Author: Annette Kratcoski
Abstract: Invited presentation at the Board of Trustees Meeting. Kent State University: Kent, OH
Date: 03/01/2020
Primary URL: http://may4thxr.kent.edu
Primary URL Description: Main website for the project.
Conference Name: KSU Board of Trustees Meeting

GLARE: An Open Source Augmented Reality Platform For Location-Based Content Delivery (Article)
Title: GLARE: An Open Source Augmented Reality Platform For Location-Based Content Delivery
Author: Enrico Gandolfi
Author: Richard Ferdig
Author: Annette Kratcoski
Author: James Blank
Author: Robert Clements
Abstract: This article introduces an augmented reality experience editor, exploring its core traits but also challenges. It includes an example AR path based around the events of May 4th, 1970, at Kent State University, also known as the Kent State Shootings. This specific focus is motivated by the fact that the landscape surrounding those events has dramatically changed in the last fifty years, making difficult to visualize them in their own context and locations. As such, AR shows promise in addressing such a pivotal event in recent U.S. history due to its emphasis on augmenting space, tying past and present. Moreover, preliminary results from two formal user/content creator evaluations are presented along with implications and future developments in terms of production and research.
Year: 2021
Access Model: In press publisher website
Format: Journal
Periodical Title: International Journal of Virtual and Augmented Reality
Publisher: IGI Global

An analysis of motivation, situational interest, and augmented reality for exploring historical contexts (Article)
Title: An analysis of motivation, situational interest, and augmented reality for exploring historical contexts
Author: James Raber
Abstract: Motivation and situational interest have proven to be critical factors related to student outcomes. Augmented reality, when leveraged properly, has been demonstrated to be an efficacious instructional vehicle across many academic domains, but little is known about its relationship to motivation and situational interest. Additionally, little empirical research has been performed on augmented reality applications related to the specific domain of history. Merely knowing that a technology, like augmented reality, can produce positive learning outcomes is not enough; understanding how it impacts motivation and situational interest are critical in understanding how and when to leverage this technology. This study analyzed the impact to situational interest and motivation using an augmented reality application that delivers instructional content about the tragic events that occurred on May 4th, 1970 at Kent State University. Using both a qualitative and a quantitative pretest and posttest approach, it was determined that situational interest and motivation were impacted by AR. More specifically, aspects of motivation decreased while situational and content knowledge increased. Through a qualitative approach, this study outlined factors that contributed to these changes. These factors include the feeling of immersiveness and enjoyable multimedia content, as well as negative feelings towards the location finding in the application as well as the applications’ technical reliability
Year: 2020
Primary URL: http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1586366208142576
Access Model: Open access Dissertation
Format: Other
Periodical Title: Dissertation; Proquest
Publisher: Proquest

Press Releases (Report)
Title: Press Releases
Author: Project Team
Abstract: Over the course of the project, there were 14 instances of the project being reported through press releases, TV appearances, and radio broadcasts. An entire list of the audio/visual reports can be found here: https://may4thxr.kent.edu/publications/index.html
Date: 06/30/2021
Primary URL: https://may4thxr.kent.edu/publications/index.html
Primary URL Description: A list of the 14 different citations of the project.
Access Model: Mixed access

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