Transforming IoT Skill Development in Engineering Education: The Influence of Augmented Reality-Based Learning Environment

Traditional methods for teaching Internet-of-things (IoT) in engineering education often lack interactivity and hands-on engagement, limiting skill development. This study explores Augmented Reality (AR) based learning environment as a solution, enabling students to visualize real-time data flows, interact with virtual components, and configure IoT systems in a risk-free setting. Using tools like Unity 3D, Blender, Vuforia SDK, and Arduino IDE, an AR-based framework is developed and tested against traditional methods. The results show increased student engagement, knowledge retention, and skill acquisition, with a System Usability Score of 82.00%. The paper presents the framework's design, usability assessment, and comparative evaluation, highlighting AR's potential to enhance IoT education. It is observed that the proposed AR-based framework improves the skill retention by 36% over the traditional method. Further, the performance comparison of proposed method with traditional method is evaluated in terms of students' engagement, learning speed, and user satisfaction. In the end, the limitations of proposed study are addressed, and the future directions are presented.