  Although distance learning presents a number of interesting educational
advantages as compared to in-person instruction, it is not without its
downsides. We first assess the educational challenges presented by distance
learning as a whole, and identify 4 main challenges that distance learning
currently presents as compared to in-person instruction: the lack of social
interaction, reduced student engagement and focus, reduced comprehension and
information retention, and the lack of flexible and customizable instructor
resources. After assessing each of these challenges in-depth, we examine how
AR/VR technologies might serve to address each challenge along with their
current shortcomings, and finally outline the further research that is required
to fully understand the potential of AR/VR technologies as they apply to
distance learning.
