Post-doc position at Virginia Tech - AR for historical inquiry learning

Center for Human-Computer Interaction, Virginia Tech
"Exploring the Potential of Mobile Augmented Reality for Scaffolding Historical Inquiry Learning"

The Center for HCI at Virginia Tech, in collaboration with the School of Education and the Department of History, is seeking a post-doctoral scholar for an NSF-funded project in the Cyberlearning program. The post-doc will work primarily on a new project involving mobile AR for teaching and learning historical inquiry - the process historians use to make sense of the past. A brief project summary follows:

The overarching question guiding our work is how and to what extent AR technologies can be used to support learning of critical inquiry strategies and processes; we will explore this question within the context of history education. The primary contribution of this work will be a deep exploration of how mobile AR technology can support learning, not of facts, but instead of critical thinking and inquiry. We will compare AR to classroom- and virtual-world-based alternatives to examine the tradeoffs between them. The lessons learned will serve as a foundation for applications targeting disciplines other than history. Finally, our research will contribute a better understanding of how the affordances of AR can be matched to learning goals, and how AR design choices impact student experiences.

The ideal candidate will:
- have a Ph.D. in computer science, human-computer interaction, or a related discipline
- have a high-quality record of publication in the areas of augmented reality, virtual reality, human-computer interaction, or educational technologies
- be familiar with the research literature and best practices in mobile augmented reality
- be a proficient software developer, especially with mobile platforms and augmented reality
- have a background in all phases of usability engineering: requirements analysis, design, prototyping, and both formal and informal evaluation
- have an interest in educational uses of AR and other advanced technologies

The position is for one year, and may be renewed for a second year based on performance. We are looking to fill the position as soon as possible, to begin as early as September 2013 and no later than January 2014.

In addition to the research outlined above, the post-doc will receive mentoring towards a scholarly career, opportunities to lecture, experience in advising and managing student researchers, and experience in research project management.

Interested applicants should send a CV and a brief cover letter to Doug Bowman (bowman@vt.edu).