The COVID-19 pandemic forced education online, revealing a critical flaw in video conferencing platforms that diminished teacher presence and student engagement. In these environments, educators appeared as small figures competing with presentation materials for attention, breaking the vital teacher-student connection.

We developed TutAR to solve this fundamental problem, creating an augmented reality solution that seamlessly integrates teachers with digital content rather than sidelining them. Launched in 2020 with forward-thinking school partners like Nirmalamatha Central School, our platform leverages the newfound digital literacy of educators to restore the teacher's central role in virtual learning, transforming passive online classes into interactive, teacher-led experiences where instructors appear alongside 3D models and interactive elements.