Enhancing educational experiences with location-based mobile learning games

Poster 8

Roger Edmonds
University of South Australia
@mobileadoz

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Tuesday 5 December 3pm – 3.45pm
Refectory

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Abstract

This digital poster is in the form of an interactive video in which you can click or touch the screen to explore its content.

It presents the results of action-research into the benefits and deployment strategies of integrating location-based mobile learning games (LBMLGs) delivered as mobile apps into Higher Education courses.

We began piloting the playing of LBMLGs in one Business course in 2014 primarily to strengthen students’ immersion with their study material. Since then this has been extended across 10 courses representing five disciplines (Business, Education, Health, Arts and Science). Over 120 LBMLGs have been developed and been played 1750 times. 54 staff and over 200 students have designed, developed and implemented LBMLGs.

In 2017 our work has focused on the educational experiences gained by students who design and develop their own LBMLGs, on evaluation and identifying the challenges and opportunities of incorporating LBMLGs into fully online courses.

Our action-research indicates that LBMLGs are an authentic and meaningful new pathway to teach and learn and offer exciting and engaging educational experiences to students. Our work reinforces existing research that already articulates the benefits of LBMLGs for learning and confirms that students playing LBMLGs engage with the content and are inspired. Furthermore, when students design and develop LBMLGs, opportunities are created for them to improve their communication and collaboration skills, digital literacy, spatial awareness and social skills.

About the authors

Roger Edmonds

Roger is an online educational designer at the University of South Australia and has presented both internationally and nationally on location-based mobile learning. He is co-managing a project to inform the development of a framework that will guide contextually based mobile learning in the University. The project was shortlisted for a 2016 Reimagine Education Award. Roger’s past projects have won finalist status in the 2011 Computerworld Honors Program and a Brandon Hall Silver Award for excellence in eLearning in 2003. He was also awarded the Centenary Medal of Australia in recognition for his lead role developing Australia’s Centenary of Federation’s Connecting-the-Kids online project.