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Haptics and Embodied Learning

Abby Dougherty
4 min readJul 18, 2024
Photo by XR Expo on Unsplash

Imagine a classroom where students don’t just read about scientific principles or watch videos of historical artifacts — they actually feel them. In today’s evolving educational landscape, technology is transforming traditional methodologies, enhancing the learning experience in unprecedented ways. One of the most intriguing developments is the intersection of haptics and embodied learning. This fusion promises to revolutionize teaching by making education more immersive, engaging, and effective.

Understanding Haptics and Embodied Learning

Haptics, the technology that interacts with the user’s sense of touch, plays a central role in this transformation. Think of the subtle vibrations in your smartphone or the force feedback in a gaming controller. Now, imagine these tactile sensations being used in educational tools. When combined with embodied learning — which emphasizes the importance of physical interaction and movement in the learning process — these tactile technologies create learning experiences that extend beyond the cognitive to include the physical realm.

The Synergy of Haptics and Embodied Learning

The integration of haptics into embodied learning offers a powerful combination that enhances student engagement and comprehension. For instance, a student learning about the forces in a physics experiment can…

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Abby Dougherty
Abby Dougherty

Written by Abby Dougherty

Abby Dougherty, PhD, loves to learn, and produce scholarship on relational-cultural theory, virtual reality, AI, and using mindfulness in counselor education.

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