Determining the Educational Needs of Students Regarding the Use of Augmented Reality Applications in Museums

In recent years, augmented reality (AR) applications, which have emerged as an indispensable technological element in many fields, have also begun to be used as an important learning tool in museum environments. It is seen that AR applications, which enable permanent learning especially by using technology, have positive effects on students. In this context, the aim of this research is to determine the educational needs of students regarding the use of augmented reality applications in museums. The research was conducted using the screening model from quantitative method designs. The study group consists of university students (n=99). In the spring semester of 2023-2024, students taking the museum education applications course and the Digital Literacies and Ethics course were determined from purposeful samples using the criterion sampling method. The quantitative data of the study were obtained with a 5-point Likert-type educational needs survey. Quantitative data were interpreted according to the mean score (MEAN) values in the distribution of the survey items. According to the research findings, students need training for the use of Smartify, Museum Alive, Layar, Wonderscope, ARLOOPA, ARKit, Vuforia Engine, ARCore applications. Based on these findings, in future studies, students will be asked to design augmented reality applications for museums by providing training on the relevant applications.