# Augmented Reality: A Systematic Review of Its Benefits and Challenges in E-learning Contexts
## 5 Discussion
### Challenges of AR in E-learning  
**RQ2: What are the challenges of AR in academic settings as reported in scholarly literature? **  
The challenges associated with AR in e-learning and learning contexts in general, in the research literature, have been categorized in various ways by different researchers. Most of the studies, such as those by [14; 54] have identified three key areas of education where AR is challenging (e.g., learning, pedagogy, and technology), and researchers have provided possible solutions to overcome the challenges. Based on these studies, challenges in the application of AR are related to learners as well as the learning process. Ref. [55] Also reported that learners in AR e-learning environments could become cognitively overwhelmed by the large amounts of content they encounter, the complex learning content they are expected to consume, and the multiple, highly technical devices they are expected to use. This is particularly true when students are expected to set up the devices on their own and multitask to accomplish learning targets. Ref. [55] Reported that students might become confused and astounded when they engage in complex AR simulations because they are required to deal with mostly unfamiliar technologies and complex tasks under intense circumstances. Ref. [55] Also found that AR challenges the learner and the learning process, especially in subject areas where the learner is required to both apply and synthesize a multitude of complex tasks and skills through spatial navigation, mathematical estimation, technology manipulation, problem solving, and collaboration. These challenges are evident in e-learning contexts where the student is expected to perform most of the tasks and have the essential skills to learn them effectively. Ref. [56] Study also emphasized this challenge, stating that when AR is unassisted, it may confuse learners, which may delay or have another negative effect on the learning process. The general recommendation is to provide the support necessary for students to use the technological devices in AR and the skills necessary during the AR learning process. As reported by [6] this is particularly vital in e-learning scenarios where learning takes place in a virtual world. Pedagogically, AR implementation in e-learning contexts also presents a variety of challenges and should be taken into consideration when adoption initiatives are planned. For instance, [9; 14] reported that, like many other technological innovations, there is often resistance from teachers to adopt AR to \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c} \hline \hline
**Key Benefits** & **Authors** \\ \hline Supports kinesthetic learning & [18; 36] \\ Allows more efficient visualization & [31; 37; 38] \\ Enhances collaborative learning & [39; 40; 41] \\ Allows distance \& remote learning due to portability and convenience & [44; 45] \\ Boosts students’ motivation and engagement & [41; 42; 43] \\ Increases students’ physical interactions and concentration & [46; 47] \\ Allows student-centered learning & [53] \\ Increases learning satisfaction & [47; 48] \\ Enhances knowledge retention and spatial abilities & [49; 50] \\ Supports creative learning & [51] \\ Increases interactivity and information accessibility & [51; 52] \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 3: Summary of the key benefits of augmented reality (AR) in e-learning contexts. replace their conventional approaches to instruction. The learning activities that often characterize AR learning include studio-based pedagogy and participatory simulations. Such approaches typically contradict and are quite different from the usual teacher- and delivery-based methodologies [57]. This difference in approaches has been shown to hinder the implementation of AR in academic settings, such as e-learning contexts. Related to this challenge is the lack of necessary training in effective pedagogies that can aid both the adoption and implementation of AR [6].