a b s t r a c t
Recent advances in mobile technologies (esp., smartphones and tablets with built-in cameras, GPS and
Internet access) made augmented reality (AR) applications available for the broad public. While many
researchers have examined the affordances and constraints of AR for teaching and learning, quantitative
evidence for its effectiveness is still scarce. To contribute to filling this research gap, we designed and
conducted a pretesteposttest crossover field experiment with 101 participants at a mathematics exhibition
to measure the effect of AR on acquiring and retaining mathematical knowledge in an informal learning
environment. We hypothesized that visitors acquire more knowledge from augmented exhibits than from
exhibits without AR. The theoretical rationale for our hypothesis is that AR allows for the efficient and
effective implementation of a subset of the design principles defined in the cognitive theory of multimedia
learning. The empirical results we obtained show that museum visitors performed significantly better on
knowledge acquisition and retention tests related to augmented exhibits than to non-augmented exhibits
and that they perceived AR as a valuable and desirable add-on for museum exhibitions.