| 1. |
- Agbo, Friday Joseph, et al.
(author)
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Co-design of mini games for learning computational thinking in an online environment
- 2021
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In: Education and Information Technologies. - : Springer. - 1360-2357 .- 1573-7608. ; 26:5, s. 5815-5849
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Understanding the principles of computational thinking (CT), e.g., problem abstraction, decomposition, and recursion, is vital for computer science (CS) students. Unfortunately, these concepts can be difficult for novice students to understand. One way students can develop CT skills is to involve them in the design of an application to teach CT. This study focuses on co-designing mini games to support teaching and learning CT principles and concepts in an online environment. Online co-design (OCD) of mini games enhances students’ understanding of problem-solving through a rigorous process of designing contextual educational games to aid their own learning. Given the current COVID-19 pandemic, where face-to-face co-designing between researchers and stakeholders could be difficult, OCD is a suitable option. CS students in a Nigerian higher education institution were recruited to co-design mini games with researchers. Mixed research methods comprising qualitative and quantitative strategies were employed in this study. Findings show that the participants gained relevant knowledge, for example, how to (i) create game scenarios and game elements related to CT, (ii) connect contextual storyline to mini games, (iii) collaborate in a group to create contextual low-fidelity mini game prototypes, and (iv) peer review each other’s mini game concepts. In addition, students were motivated toward designing educational mini games in their future studies. This study also demonstrates how to conduct OCD with students, presents lesson learned, and provides recommendations based on the authors’ experience.
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| 2. |
- Danjuma, Kwetishe Joro, et al.
(author)
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Mobile application for Ebola virus disease diagnosis (EbolaDiag)
- 2018
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In: Mobile Technologies and Socio-Economic Development in Emerging Nations. - Hershey, Pennsylvania : IGI Global. - 9781522540304 - 9781522540298 ; , s. 64-80
-
Book chapter (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This chapter describes how the Ebola virus is considered extremely infectious with a series of physical and psychological traumas on the victims. Common clinical signs associated with the disease include a sudden fever, severe headaches, muscle pain, fatigue, diarrhea, vomiting, and unexplained hemorrhages. In Africa, with strained medical facilities and remote localities, prompt identification and diagnosis of the symptoms of Ebola in a suspected patient are important to the control of the epidemic and in curtailing further spread. This chapter presents the development of an Android mobile application called EbolaDiag (Ebola Diagnosis), which is capable of supporting the diagnosis, screening, and healthcare experts working on the frontline in contact tracing and monitoring of the spread of Ebola. Furthermore, EbolaDiag is suitable for aiding the strained medical facilities in endemic areas. In addressing this gap, the application provided a model for implementing such solutions in pandemic environments. Such a solution becomes more relevant and useful to combat Ebola and several other diseases in similar environments.
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| 3. |
- Dirin, Amir, et al.
(author)
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Facets of Mobile Lifelong Learning Services
- 2020
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In: Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Computer Supported Education. - : SciTePress. ; , s. 543-551
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In the era of digital services and digital connectivity, a massive amount of knowledge has become available and accessible all the time and for all ages. This mandates significant structural changes in the ways in which knowledge are shared and contents are presented. The ways in which knowledge is shared and learners become engaged with that knowledge are crucial in lifelong learning. In lifelong learning the knowledge and the content must be delivered to learners at the right time, without distractions and noise. The traditional educational offering in classrooms is not anymore feasible and supportive as learning happens in a disengaged manner in lifelong learning. In new lifelong learning services, user experience (UX) plays a key role in delivering content appropriately and supporting transition of learning between different contexts with adaptive learning media. The objective of this study is to illustrate and elaborate on the roles of feelings and emotions in engaging students i n lifelong learning applications. We have applied systematic literature review (SLR) to identify emotional factors associated with lifelong mobile learning (m-learning) environments. Based on the findings, we propose an application concept as a case study to demonstrate how emotional factors can manifest themselves in lifelong learning applications. Finally, based on the findings of the literature review and the case study evaluation, we propose a model illustrating the facets in lifelong learning applications.
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| 4. |
- Dirin, Amir, et al.
(author)
-
Managing Emotional Requirements in a Context-Aware Mobile Application for Tourists
- 2018
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In: International Journal of Interactive Mobile Technologies (iJIM). - : Kassel University Press GmbH. - 1865-7923. ; 12:2, s. 177-196
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The objective of this study was to unveil the importance of emotions and feelings in developing mobile-based tourism applications. We gathered and analyzed emotional requirements to develop a mobile context-aware application for tourists. Emotional requirements are non-functional requirements affecting users’ emotional experiences around using applications, which are important for sustainable application usage. Many tourism applications exist, but were designed without considering emotional requirements or related UX factors and emotions. We developed a proof-of-concept prototype service-based context-aware tourism application (SCATA), and users participated in the design and evaluation processes. Emotional requirements are key to sustainable usage, especially regarding security. This paper details the application design and evaluation processes, emotional requirements analysis in each design phase, and the emotional effects of content accessibility in the application’s offline mode in unknown environments. The results show that trust, security, adjustability, and reliability are important factors to users, especially in unknown environments.
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| 5. |
- Dirin, Amir, et al.
(author)
-
Towards an Adaptive Study Management Platform : Freedom Through Personalization
- 2018
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In: CSEDU 2018. - : SciTePress. - 9789897582912 ; , s. 432-439
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Technological advancements have brought abundant freedom to our lives. In an educational context, however, the technology utilization is still relatively low despite recent developments on various learning platforms such as e-learning, mobile learning, MOOCs, and social networks. The contemporary technological advancement in smart gadgets enables us to bring learning resources with appropriate content format to the learners at the right time in the right learning situation. Yet there remains a need for an adaptive study management solution that would apply data mining algorithms to assist university students both before and during their studies in a personalized manner. This assistance can be of many kinds, such as campus orientation to new students, course curriculum recommendations, and customization of study paths. In this paper, we present the concept and an initial implementation the Adaptive Study Management (ASM) platform that aims at facilitating a university student’s academi c life in different phases by tracing the student’s activities and providing personalized services, such as a course curriculum recommendation, based on their behavior and achievements during a period. The ASM platform creates a profile for the student based on their achievements and competencies. Consequently, the platform aims to grant freedom to students on their study management, eases teachers’ workloads on assessing students’ performance, and assists teachers and administrators to follow up students and dropouts. The goal of this platform to increase graduation rates by personalizing study management and providing analysis services, such as dropout prediction.
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| 6. |
- Dirin, Amir, et al.
(author)
-
User Experience in Mobile Augmented Reality : Emotions, Challenges, Opportunities and Best Practices
- 2018
-
In: Computers. - : MDPI. - 2073-431X. ; 7:2
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Mobile Augmented Reality (MAR) is gaining a strong momentum to become a major interactive technology that can be applied across domains and purposes. The rapid proliferation of MAR applications in global mobile application markets has been fueled by a range of freely-available MAR software development kits and content development tools, some of which enable the creation of MAR applications even without programming skills. Despite the recent advances of MAR technology and tools, there are still many challenges associated with MAR from the User Experience (UX) design perspective. In this study, we first define UX as the emotions that the user encounters while using a service, a product or an application and then explore the recent research on the topic. We present two case studies, a commercial MAR experience and our own Virtual Campus Tour MAR application, and evaluate them from the UX perspective, with a focus on emotions. Next, we synthesize the findings from previous research and the results of the case study evaluations to form sets of challenges, opportunities and best practices related to UX design of MAR applications. Based on the identified best practices, we finally present an updated version of the Virtual Campus Tour. The results can be used for improving UX design of future MAR applications, thus making them emotionally engaging.
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| 7. |
- Havukainen, Martti, et al.
(author)
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A Case Study on Co-designing Digital Games with Older Adults and Children : Game Elements, Assets, and Challenges
- 2020
-
In: The Computer Games Journal. - : Springer. - 2052-773X. ; 9:2, s. 163-188
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Digital games have traditionally been targeted at younger generations, although the proportion of older adult players is increasing. However, the design processes of digital games often do not consider the special needs of older adults. Co-design is a potential method to address this, but there is little research on co-designing games with older adults. In our study, we proposed a co-design process model that considers the intergenerational perspective. Using this model, eight older adults (two males and six females aged 47–80) and 22 sixth graders (11 males and 11 females aged 12–13) co-designed a digital game. The content of the game was based on old concepts used by the designers during their childhood. Similarly, game content involving new words and concepts were produced by the sixth graders. We collected data using semi-structured interviews and observations during the co-design process over a period of 24 months and then processed the data using grounded theory. The results indicated that the older adults identified seven game elements as essential to make games fun—appearance and aesthetics, competition, manageability of gameplay, social impact, familiarity, unpredictability, and intergenerational gameplay. Furthermore, we identified six assets that older adults have as game co-designers and five challenges that co-designing games with older adults may entail.
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| 8. |
- Jingili, Nuru, et al.
(author)
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A Two-Stage co-Design Process of Battleship-AST Persuasive Game for Active School Transportation in Northern Sweden
- 2024
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In: International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1044-7318 .- 1532-7590.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This research delves into the dynamics of active school transport (AST) by utilizing a two-stage co-design process and leveraging persuasive technology within a game for promoting AST called Battleship-AST. The primary aim of this research is to thoroughly investigate the two-stage game co-design process employed in creating a Battleship-AST game. Moreover, our research aims to evaluate participants’ perceptions regarding the motivating and engaging potential of the persuasive technology and gamification features embedded within the final iteration of the game. This evaluation aims to understand how these features influence participants’ motivation to increase their usage of AST through gameplay. In pursuit of these objectives, the research builds upon the existing Battleship-AST prototype and actively engages school children in a collaborative two-stage co-design process. Their valuable insights and preferences were harnessed in refining the game, which was subsequently tested during a tech event in Skellefteå, Sweden. The findings shed light on various aspects of the game’s impact, from its reception to the gamification features integrated within. Notably, the research highlights the positive impact of the co-design process, with increased motivation and engagement observed among the participants. Their involvement in shaping the game’s design resulted in a more engaging and enjoyable experience. The persuasive technology features, encompassing competition, collaboration, auditory cues, a virtual reward system, and an emphasis on similarity, played a pivotal role in sustaining engagement and motivating players. Elements such as rewards, leaderboard progression, and badges proved highly effective in encouraging continued participation and fostering a positive feedback loop. However, the study also identifies areas for potential improvement, including the need to measure real-life progress and refine the game’s levelling system. The research indicates that refining feedback mechanisms and tailoring game content to individual preferences could create an even more engaging experience. Additionally, long-term playtesting is proposed to assess the game’s extended impact. The findings offer promising avenues for enhancing motivation and engagement in AST, which can contribute to the promotion of healthier and more sustainable transportation choices among school children.
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| 9. |
- Jingili, Nuru, et al.
(author)
-
Adolescents’ perceptions of active school transport in northern Sweden
- 2023
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In: Heliyon. - : Elsevier. - 2405-8440. ; 9:10
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Active school transport (AST) refers to using active means of transport such as walking, cycling, or riding a non-motorised scooter to school. It can help improve adolescents’ physical activity levels and create a more sustainable environment. The study involved 70 adolescents (45 boys and 25 girls) aged 13 to 14 from one school in Skellefteå, in Northern Sweden. In an online questionnaire, they were asked about their perceptions of cycling, walking, and riding a non-motorised scooter to school. This study used descriptive statistics, multiple regression analysis, and hypothesis testing with ANOVA to analyse the collected data and compare the perceptions of different types of transport on safety, environmental, and personal factors among adolescents in Northern Sweden. According to the results, more adolescents walked to school than cycled, and significantly few rode a non-motorised scooter to school. Most adolescents believe walking or cycling to school is a great way to exercise. Furthermore, the study also revealed that many adolescents avoid using AST due to the time it takes. Although the study showed that adolescents felt sufficient support for using AST from schools and parents, the number of adolescents using motorised transport is higher during winter than in summer. Additionally, most of them were more confident about cycling and walking to school than riding a non-motorised scooter and thought using AST was nice. Finally, most adolescents perceived having complete control over their transport options when going to school. The research indicates that it is crucial to implement interventions that inspire children to be interested and excited about using AST. These strategies should include fostering an AST culture that is fun and positive, as well as creating environments that are safe and supportive. The research results will guide the creation of a persuasive game that can motivate adolescents to use AST and measure its effectiveness.
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| 10. |
- Kalkofen, Denis, et al.
(author)
-
Tools for Teaching Mining Students in Virtual Reality based on 360° Video Experiences
- 2020
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In: 2020 IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces Abstracts and Workshops. - : IEEE. ; , s. 455-459
-
Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- In recent years, Virtual Reality (VR) technology has found their way into higher education. Its power lays in its ability to provide immersive three-dimensional (3D) experiences that help conveying educational content whilst providing rich interaction possibilities. Especially in mining engineering education, VR has high potential to reshape the provided learning content. Field trips, i.e. mine visits, are an integral part of the education and necessary to transfer knowledge to students. However, field trips are time and cost intensive and mines often have tight entry regulations. As a result, the number of field trips is limited. VR-based field trips offer a considerable alternative presupposed they replicate the complex mining environment realistically. In addition, VR mines have the advantage of taking students close to events (e.g. explosions) that are impossible to demonstrate in a real mine. However, generating realistic 3D content for VR still involves complex, and thus time consuming tasks. Therefore, we present the design of a VR Framework for teaching mining students based on 360° video data, its evaluation in three different lectures, and its extension based on the feedback we received from students and teachers from four different universities.
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| 11. |
- Kim, Joo Chan, 1989-, et al.
(author)
-
Multidisciplinary Development Process of a Story-based Mobile Augmented Reality Game for Learning Math
- 2019
-
In: Proceedings on the 17th International Conference on Emerging eLearning Technologies and Applications. - : IEEE. ; , s. 372-377
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Despite the high number of educational games released, only a few games have a strong story that is more than an excuse for players’ actions. Furthermore, even fewer story-based games utilise the affordances of augmented reality (AR) to concretise abstract concepts while engaging players.Based on our literature review, we were inspired to merge AR into a story-based educational mobile game for teaching fractions to elementary school students. The game Tales & Fractions was created through a two-phase multidisciplinary development process. In order to successfully integrate AR into a story-based educational game, we employed an adapted version of the Scrum agile software development method implemented by a multidisciplinary team of experts from computer science, pedagogy, design and arts. During the development process, we faced many issues that other story-based AR game developers could meet. We summarised the encountered issues with our solutions which could be useful for developers to avoid common pitfalls and to enrich the user engagement.
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| 12. |
- Kim, Joo Chan, 1989-, et al.
(author)
-
Multimodal Interaction Systems Based on Internet of Things and Augmented Reality : A Systematic Literature Review
- 2021
-
In: Applied Sciences. - : MDPI. - 2076-3417. ; 11:4
-
Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Technology developments have expanded the diversity of interaction modalities that can be used by an agent (either a human or machine) to interact with a computer system. This expansion has created the need for more natural and user-friendly interfaces in order to achieve effective user experience and usability. More than one modality can be provided to an agent for interaction with a system to accomplish this goal, which is referred to as a multimodal interaction (MI) system. The Internet of Things (IoT) and augmented reality (AR) are popular technologies that allow interaction systems to combine the real-world context of the agent and immersive AR content. However, although MI systems have been extensively studied, there are only several studies that reviewed MI systems that used IoT and AR. Therefore, this paper presents an in-depth review of studies that proposed various MI systems utilizing IoT and AR. A total of 23 studies were identified and analyzed through a rigorous systematic literature review protocol. The results of our analysis of MI system architectures, the relationship between system components, input/output interaction modalities, and open research challenges are presented and discussed to summarize the findings and identify future research and development avenues for researchers and MI developers.
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| 13. |
- Kim, Joochan, et al.
(author)
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Detecting boredom from eye gaze and EEG
- 2018
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In: Biomedical Signal Processing and Control. - : Elsevier. - 1746-8094 .- 1746-8108. ; 46, s. 302-313
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The recent proliferation of affordable physiological sensors has boosted research and development efforts of emotion-aware systems. Boredom has received relatively little attention as a target emotion, and we identified a lack of research on the relationship between eye gaze and electroencephalogram (EEG) when people feel bored. To investigate this matter, we first conducted a background study on boredom and its detection by physiological methods. Then, we designed and executed an experiment that uses a video stimulus – specifically designed for this experiment, yet general enough for other boredom research – with an eye tracker and EEG sensor to elicit and detect boredom. Moreover, a questionnaire was used to confirm the existence of boredom. The experiment was based on a hypothesis that participants may feel bored when their gaze deviates from an expected area of interest, thus indicating loss of attention. The results of the experiment indicated correlations between eye gaze data and EEG data with all participants (N = 13) when they felt bored. This study can be useful for researchers who have interest in developing boredom-aware systems.
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| 14. |
- Laato, Samuli, et al.
(author)
-
Analysis of the Quality of Points of Interest in the Most Popular Location-based Games
- 2019
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In: Computer Systems and Technologies, CompSysTech 2019. - New York, NY, USA : Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). ; , s. 153-160
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Location-basedgames (LBGs) have risen to popularity recently with games like Pokémon GO, Jurassic World: Alive and Walking Dead: Our World. The games revolve around travelling to points of interests (PoIs) to perform missions, but where the points are located and what they represent in the real world varies between games. In this study, we look at the PoI placements in five popular LBGs for Android and iOS platforms: Pokémon GO, Ingress, Jurassic World: Alive, The Walking Dead: Our world and Draconius GO. The first two games utilize the same criteria-based manually created database of PoIs referred to as Portal Network, whereas the next three rely on algorithmically created PoIs. We use three factors in determining the quality of PoIs: 1) connection to real world places 2) uniqueness and metadata and 3) placement. Based on the three factors, the manually created PoI database used in Ingress, Pokémon GO and the upcoming Harry Potter: Wizards Unite outperforms automatically generated alternatives in cities and near tourist attractions, and provides a more immersive, robust and safe platform for LBGs in comparison to alternatives. However, algorithmic options maintain better PoI coverage in rural areas, an issue manual solutions will need to address.
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| 15. |
- Laato, Samuli, et al.
(author)
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Designing a Game for Learning Mathematics by Composing : a Case in a Finnish Primary School
- 2017
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In: IEEE 17th International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies. - Piscataway, NJ : Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). - 9781538638705 ; , s. 136-138
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Music is filled with mathematical relations. When creating music, the composer must keep in mind the rhythm, the notes, and how well they ring with each other. Our aim was to design an application that teaches these relationships and allows users to compose their own songs using numbers. Our work follows the design science research method, and we have co-designed the application together with elementary school students and teachers in Finland. This paper demonstrates the design process and provides an analysis on our design based on data collected from the participants in two separate sessions.
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| 16. |
- Laato, Samuli, et al.
(author)
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Did location-based games motivate players to socialize during COVID-19?
- 2020
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In: Telematics and informatics. - : Elsevier. - 0736-5853 .- 1879-324X. ; 54
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Location-based games (LBGs) are typically played outdoors, as moving in the game is done by moving in the real world. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, people were advised and even forced by governments to stay home and avoid social contact to slow down the spreading of the virus. The major LBG developers reacted by making in-game adjustments that allow playing from home, while still maintaining some incentives for players to go outdoors and socialise. For investigating factors influencing intention to play LBGs socially during the on-going pandemic, we collected cross-sectional survey data (N = 855) from Finnish players of the most popular LBG, Pokémon GO. The results showed that perceived severity of the pandemic and a positive attitude towards both governmental measures and in-game changes for combatting COVID-19 predicted intention to reduce social playing. Fear of missing out and deficient self-regulation increased playing intensity, which in turn negatively correlated with the intention to reduce social playing. Our findings demonstrate the influence that LBGs can have on human behaviour even during global crises such as COVID-19. As such, LBGs can be considered a resource in designing interventions for influencing movement at a population level.
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| 17. |
- Laato, Samuli, et al.
(author)
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Evaluation of the Pedagogical Quality of Mobile Math Games in App Marketplaces
- 2020
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In: Proceedings. - : IEEE.
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The number of available educational games has enormously grown and it is difficult for users to identify which games are pedagogically effective among the multitude of options in app marketplaces. Recent studies on math games have highlighted the importance of (1) linking learning attributes and gameplay and (2) game design that supports students' deliberate practise. Using these as a measure for pedagogical quality, we investigated 109 math games found on Google Play Store (n=61) and iOS App Store (n=48). Furthermore, monetization solutions, data use permissions, target age group and type of mathematical content were retrieved from the apps. The analysis showed that only 11,0% of the games integrated learning attributes with gameplay and 12,0% of the games contained tasks which support learners' deliberate practice. The most commonly featured math subject was arithmetic and the games were targeted mostly to early childhood (6–12 years). Finally, games following curricula content and recommended design principles were difficult to locate using the search tools of the app marketplaces.
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| 18. |
- Laato, Samuli, et al.
(author)
-
Location-Based Games and the COVID-19 Pandemic : An Analysis of Responses from Game Developers and Players
- 2020
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In: Multimodal Technologies and Interaction. - : MDPI. - 2414-4088. ; 4:2
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In early 2020, as a countermeasure to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, governments issued limitations on the movements of their citizens, cancelling social events and advising people to stay home. As location-based games (LBGs) have been found to influence human movement, their role during COVID-19 deserves closer inspection. Under regular circumstances, the very aim of these games is to motivate people to go out, explore and meet other people. However, during COVID-19, people were advised to do the exact opposite. To study how LBG developers and players reacted to the situation, we used the netnography research method utilizing three types of data: (1) COVID-19 related in-game changes made by seven popular LBG developers during March 2020; (2) social media reactions on 20 posts across three popular Pokémon GO subreddits; and (3) the raiding activity (collaborative play) in Pokémon GO in a Finnish municipality during February–May 2020. All observed LBGs made in-game changes due to COVID-19. The social media reactions showed overwhelming appreciation towards these changes, and two central second order themes arose: (1) LBGs have the ability to influence human movement during pandemics; and (2) people should be able to self-regulate their behaviour during COVID-19 independent of LBG influence. Surprisingly, recorded Pokémon GO player activity in Finland was more influenced by offered in-game rewards than the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings have implications on how games and gamification can be used to direct human movement in situations such as COVID-19 where population-level interventions are needed.
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| 19. |
- Laato, Samuli, et al.
(author)
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Location-based Games as Exergames : From Pokémon To The Wizarding World
- 2020
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In: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SERIOUS GAMES. - : Serious Games Society. - 2384-8766. ; 7:1, s. 79-95
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Exergames, i.e. games which aim to increase player’s physical activity, are a prominent sub-category of serious games (SGs). Recently, location-based games (LBGs) similar to Pokémon GO have gained the attention of exergame designers as they have been able to reach people who would otherwise not be motivated to exercise. Multiple studies have been conducted on Pokémon GO alone, identifying positive outcomes related to, for example, exercise and social well-being. However, with substantial findings derived from a single game, it is unclear whether the identified benefits of playing Pokémon GO are present in other similar games. In order to broaden the understanding of LBGs as exergames, this study investigates the gameplay features and initial reactions of early adopters to a game called Harry Potter: Wizards Unite (HPWU) which was launched in summer 2019. A questionnaire (N=346) was sent to HPWU players to measure the effects playing the game has on their physical activity. During the first week of play, an increase in mild physical activity was recorded among HPWU players, similar to what has been reported with Pokémon GO. Also almost half of respondents (46,82%) reported to play the game socially, showcasing how LBGs can generally have a positive impactalso on players’ social well-being.
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| 20. |
- Laine, Teemu H., et al.
(author)
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A Distributed Multiplayer Game to Promote Active Transport at Workplaces : User-Centred Design, Implementation and Lessons Learned
- 2020
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In: IEEE Transactions on Games. - : IEEE. - 2475-1502 .- 2475-1510. ; 12:4, s. 386-397
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recent decline in active transport and increase in motorised transport decreases physical activity and increases air pollution. Using games to motivate people to change their behaviour towards active transport can mitigate this. We proposed Tic-Tac-Training, a distributed, collaborative and competitive game for promoting active transport at workplaces. Tic-Tac-Training was developed through a multidisciplinary and iterative user-centred design (UCD) process in four stages: (i) paper prototype, (ii) low-fidelity prototypes, (iii) high-fidelity prototypes, (iv) digital prototype. User testing and playtesting (N=12) yielded a number of improvement suggestions. We also analysed how Tic-Tac-Training supports the eight core drives of gamification (Octalysis), and presented 17 lessons learned in four categories. Findings suggest that UCD can be useful for developing exergame interventions for workplaces. Moreover, the lessons learned can benefit exergame designers. More research is needed to measure the behaviour change effect of Tic-Tac-Training and its applicability to other use cases.
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| 21. |
- Laine, Teemu H, et al.
(author)
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A Reusable Multiplayer Game for Promoting Active School Transport: Development Study
- 2022
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In: JMIR Serious Games. - : JMIR Publications Inc.. - 2291-9279. ; 10:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Most children and adolescents in Sweden do not meet the recommended daily physical activity levels of the World Health Organization. Active school transport (AST) and gamification are potential methods for increasing children’s daily physical activity. We previously developed a game named Tic-Tac-Training for promoting active transport at workplaces; however, the game has not been applied to AST.Objective: The objectives of this study are to investigate how Tic-Tac-Training functions to promote AST among schoolchildren in northern Sweden, improve the game to be more suitable for schoolchildren, and construct a road map for future development based on children’s ideas.Methods: First, we developed Tic-Tac-Training using the Scrum agile software development method. Second, we conducted a questionnaire-based formative evaluation of the game with schoolchildren (n=16; 9/16, 56% male; 6/16, 38% female; and 1/16, 6% other aged 11-12 years) in Luleå, Sweden. Third, we conducted focus group interviews with 33 children (13/33, 39% male and 20/33, 61% female aged 12-13 years) to gather ideas for gamifying AST. We mapped the interview results to the Octalysis gamification framework and established a road map for future development.Results: The formative evaluation revealed several issues, including a lack of interesting game features, lack of support for continuous engagement, disliked competitive features, and lack of incentives for discourse and participation. New features such as rewards, collectibles, and levels were implemented based on the results. The focus group interviews revealed additional ideas for gamifying AST, such as using avatars, in-game currency and trading, and context-sensitive tasks.Conclusions: The results have several potential impacts on how reusable, gamified AST interventions can be developed and what kind of gamification elements schoolchildren in northern Sweden wish to see. These results can interest game researchers and teachers who wish to apply gamification in school contexts. Finally, we aim to continue developing the game based on the road map.
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| 22. |
- Laine, Teemu H., et al.
(author)
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Designing Educational Mobile Augmented Reality Games Using Motivators and Disturbance Factors
- 2019
-
In: Augmented Reality Games II. - Cham : Springer. - 9783030156206 - 9783030156190 ; , s. 33-56
-
Book chapter (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Mobile augmented reality (MAR) has emerged as a mainstream technology to provide novel visualization and interaction opportunities across application domains. The primary forte of MAR is its ability to bridge the real world with virtual worlds by bringing virtual elements onto a real-world view, and by adapting the experience according to the user’s location and other context parameters. Research has shown that MAR possesses a multitude of affordances in the field of education. These affordances can be amplified in educational MAR games (EMARGs) due to the motivational value and the fun factor provided by intriguing game elements. However, there is a gap in research on design guidelines for EMARGs, especially regarding the connection to motivators and disturbance factors that may have positive and negative effects respectively on the learning experience. In this chapter, we first describe related background, and then present two MAR case studies—a treasure hunt and a story-driven adventure game—to illustrate our experiences in designing EMARGs. We conduct a qualitative analysis of the case studies based on questionnaire answers and interviews of 29 and 112 participants respectively, to identify motivators (16, 20) and disturbance factors (11, 25) in the participants’ gameplay experiences. Through an analysis of the motivators, disturbance factors and our design experiences, we proposed 24 design guidelines in six categories that can potentially strengthen motivators and diminish disturbance factors in MAR applications.
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| 23. |
- Laine, Teemu H., et al.
(author)
-
Designing Engaging Games for Education : A Systematic Literature Review on Game Motivators and Design Principles
- 2020
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In: IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies. - : IEEE. - 1939-1382. ; 13:4, s. 804-821
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Effective educational interventions require sufficient learner engagement, which can be difficult to achieve if the learner is inadequately motivated. Games have been shown to possess powerful motivators that fuel a person's desire to engage in unattractive activities, such as learning theoretical material. However, to design an educational game that is capable of providing motivated engagement is a challenging task. Previous research has proposed various game motivators and game design principles to alleviate this, but a comprehensive synthesis has yet to appear. In this article, we conducted a systematic literature review that yielded two major contributions: 1) a taxonomy of 56 game motivators in 14 classes; and 2) a taxonomy of 54 educational game design principles in 13 classes, with linkages to the identified game motivators. As a minor contribution, we have also presented a classification of gamification-related terms and proposed different strategies for applying gamification. The results of this article are available for educational game designers and researchers to use as a practical toolkit for the creation and evaluation of motivating educational games that keep players engaged. Moreover, this article is the first step toward the creation of a unified gamification framework.
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| 24. |
- Laine, Teemu H.
(author)
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Mobile Educational Augmented Reality Games : A Systematic Literature Review and Two Case Studies
- 2018
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In: Computers. - Basel : MDPI. - 2073-431X. ; 7:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Augmented reality (AR) has evolved from research projects into mainstream applications that cover diverse fields, such as entertainment, health, business, tourism and education. In particular, AR games, such as Pokémon Go, have contributed to introducing the AR technology to the general public. The proliferation of modern smartphones and tablets with large screens, cameras, and high processing power has ushered in mobile AR applications that can provide context-sensitive content to users whilst freeing them to explore the context. To avoid ambiguity, I define mobile AR as a type of AR where a mobile device (smartphone or tablet) is used to display and interact with virtual content that is overlaid on top of a real-time camera feed of the real world. Beyond being mere entertainment, AR and games have been shown to possess significant affordances for learning. Although previous research has done a decent job of reviewing research on educational AR applications, I identified a need for a comprehensive review on research related to educational mobile AR games (EMARGs). This paper explored the research landscape on EMARGs over the period 2012–2017 through a systematic literature review complemented by two case studies in which the author participated. After a comprehensive literature search and filtering, I analyzed 31 EMARGs from the perspectives of technology, pedagogy, and gaming. Moreover, I presented an analysis of 26 AR platforms that can be used to create mobile AR applications. I then discussed the results in depth and synthesized my interpretations into 13 guidelines for future EMARG developers.
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| 25. |
- Lindberg, Renny, et al.
(author)
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Approaches to Detecting and Utilizing Play and Learning Styles in Adaptive Educational Games
- 2017
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In: Computers Supported Education. - Cham : Springer. - 9783319631837 - 9783319631844 ; , s. 336-358
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Games have emerged as promising tools to make learning more fun. Pedagogical effectiveness of an educational game can increase if its behavior changes according to learners’ play and learning styles. Several models for categorizing learning and play styles exist, but not many studies simultaneously detect and utilize both style groups. To alleviate this, as the first contribution, we analyzed and compared existing learning and play style models, and chose the most suitable one from each group. Personality style models were also discussed. We then created a questionnaire based on Honey and Mumford’s Learning Style Questionnaire and Bartle’s Player Types, and collected data from 127 South Korean elementary school children. The results indicated that specific play styles were clearly more dominant (Killer 18%, Achiever 24%, Explorer 32%, Socializer 41%), whereas dominant learning styles were distributed more evenly (Activist 33%, Reflector 37%, Theorist 20% and Pragmatist 25%). As the second contribution, we presented the foundations of a generic adaptation model for utilizing learning and play styles for designing adaptive educational games.
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