“I think there are a lot of solutions you can come up with through the use of technology,” said Jessica Browning, a student in the Master of Science in Information program. “Extended reality is appealing to me because it’s visual, it’s interactive and there are endless possibilities.”

Aside from being an MSI student, Browning is completing her Master’s in Education. Her project combines elements of both of her degree paths, helping deaf students learn to read by creating a simulation that translates words in a book into American sign language. The human simulation interprets the book a child is reading through augmented reality (AR). Their signing speed can also be adjusted to accommodate the student’s needs.

“I’ve always been interested in tech and I find that the field of education is lacking material in terms of accommodating students,” she says. “I came up with this idea because one of my teachers is deaf and he talked about how it’s not easy to learn how to read when you’re deaf because very often, there aren’t sign language accompaniments to books.”