When you think about Microsoft HoloLens, business applications likely come to mind. After all, HoloLens was primarily designed for enterprise use, and it’s natural that media coverage and use cases often revolve around industries like manufacturing, retail, and healthcare.

However, one industry that doesn’t receive as much coverage and is sometimes overlooked is education. Over the course of the pandemic, the use of HoloLens in education has developed and significantly increased. The statistics clearly demonstrate its impact. When students engage with immersive technologies like HoloLens, test scores improve by 22%, and there’s a remarkable 35% increase in student engagement and retention.

In the medical field, the most prominent use cases have been within higher education, particularly in medical colleges and universities. Prior to the pandemic, the focus was on transforming and enhancing the student learning experience. Instead of relying solely on textbooks, HoloLens brings the study of human anatomy to life, offering students a visual akin to X-rays. This allows them to see the placement of small nerves under the skin or observe the heart’s movements under different conditions.

During the pandemic, attention shifted towards addressing how to educate students while adhering to face-to-face restrictions. The response was the adoption of Dynamics 365 Remote Assist and Guides. Instructors utilize Remote Assist to share their perspective, demonstrating operations and procedures in a hands-free manner. This approach enabled students to be virtually present in the room even when physical attendance wasn’t possible. The alternative solution involved creating self-paced instructional sets using Guides, enabling students to learn without direct instructor guidance.

As colleges and universities gradually reopen, the focus has returned to how HoloLens can further enhance the learning experience. The period of restricted face-to-face interactions emphasized the effectiveness of Guides as a self-paced training tool.

Educators have recognized that there’s no substitute for students observing actual operations and procedures. However, they’ve also acknowledged that they lack control over the scenarios students encounter during these observations. To address this, educators and instructors are now utilizing Guides to provide students with hands-on experience, walking them through various scenarios they might encounter in the field.

HoloLens is also finding utility in college labs. During the pandemic, instructor-led training continued virtually, but lab sessions faced challenges. Northeastern University’s medical department saw the potential of HoloLens and developed a pilot Guide that introduced pipette techniques. This reduced training time from three hours to a mere thirty minutes. The efficiency gains have prompted Northeastern University to explore additional areas where HoloLens can be implemented in their training programs.

While the primary focus of HoloLens in education has been on the medical field, its potential in other educational domains is promising. We’re still in the early stages of discovering the varied applications of this technology. As HoloLens continues to evolve and more people recognize its potential for enhancing training, we can expect to see more ideas translated into pilot projects and proof-of-concepts across different areas of education.