Upside Learning Develops Augmented Reality Cover For Elearning! Magazine

The July/August issue of Elearning! Magazine featuring a cover story on Augmented Reality (AR) for Learning officially hit the news stands on July 14^th, 2011. What makes this remarkable is the fact that it is the first-ever eLearning magazine to feature an interactive ‘augmented reality’ cover page. And making this possible is Upside Learning, a global leader in Custom eLearning, Mobile Learning solutions and Learning Management System. Upside Learning has been instrumental in the complete development process of the application from conceptualisation to implementation.

Upside Learning has constantly strived to address the multifarious platforms in the technology space, with Augmented Reality being one of the most important ones. For some years, the company has been exploring this technology and finding the best ways to utilise it in the learning domain. It has successfully developed AR applications like Pune Layar, an augmented reality application for mobile phones developed first time for an Indian city; and AR Street Racing, a simple racing game.

Given Upside Learning’s experience, understanding and capabilities of AR technology, Elearning! Magazine approached the company for its special issue focusing on Augmented Reality. The main idea was to develop a cover for the magazine that introduced the readers to the real world uses of AR. It was also important that it illustrated the accessibility of AR in learning programs. Being an eLearning company, with a focus on emerging technologies, Upside Learning considered this as a perfect opportunity to showcase its learning and technology capabilities.

After initial discussions between the publication team and Upside Learning’s team, comprising Abhijit Kadle, Sr. Manager-Instructional Design, and Shivaji Babar, Associate Lead Developer, it was decided to create a simple marker that could be printed on the magazine cover. This marker when held up to a computer camera, on recognition and registration thereof, enabled the AR demo. As the cover story was to highlight various disciplines wherein Augmented Reality could be used as a value add in effective learning, the final demo was developed to showcase three videos demonstrating practical AR applications in Manufacturing, Medical and Recruitment.

Designed for both Windows and Mac, the AR cover is clearly inline with the cover story demonstrating how Augmented Reality can blend real world learning with digital technology with components like exploration, learning and entertainment.

Amit Garg, Director of Custom eLearning Solutions at Upside Learning, said, “We are excited to see an AR application developed in-house being featured on the cover page of Elearning! Magazine. Reaching thousands of readers, it is an excellent way to showcase our technology capability while keeping learning as a focal point.”