ARLearn:Open source mobile application platform for learning

Börner, D., Ternier, S., Klemke, R., Schmitz, B., Kalz, M., Tabuenca, B., & Specht, M. (2013). ARLearn - Open source mobile application platform for learning. In D. Hernández-Leo et al. (Eds.), Scaling up Learning for Sustained Impact. Proceedings of the 8th European Conference on Technology Enhanced Learning (EC-TEL 2013), LNCS 8095 (pp. 536-539). Berlin Heidelberg, Germany: Springer. [The final publication is available at link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-40814-4_52]The paper presents and outlines the demonstration of an open source mobile application platform for designing, supporting, and evaluating mobile learning scenarios that make use of media artefacts in a specific context. The platform contains a web-based authoring environment, cross-platform mobile applications to run the scenarios, as well as tools to monitor progress and results. Besides exploring the pedagogical background, the paper describes the conceptual implementation as well as the technical infrastructure and lists the requirements for demonstrating the platform and all its components

D3.1 Validation of technical specifications of ECO modules

The objective of this document is to list the most important technical specifications of each MOOC platform that will be integrated in the overall ECO architecture. The objective of this particular task is to carry out analysis of all the technical specifications of each of the modules/platforms that are to be integrated in the global ECO platform. Once integration will be done, an Open Data exposure solution will be implemented by means of integrating an Open Data Catalog platform such as CKAN.ICT Policy Support Programme as part of the Competitiveness and Innovation framework Programme (CIP) - grant number 62112

Design of a game-based pre-hospital resuscitation training for first responders

Kalz, M., Schmitz, B., Biermann, H., Klemke, R., Ternier, S., & Specht, M. (2013). Design of a game-based pre-hospital resuscitation training for first responders. In A. Holzinger, M. Ziefle, & V. Glavinić (Eds.), SouthCHI 2013, LNCS 7946 (pp. 363-372). Germany: Springer, Heidelberg.This paper reports about the design of a game-based training intervention for pre-hospital resuscitation training. Our underlying assumption is, that survival chances in cardiac arrest situations could be significantly improved, if bystanders would be better educated and prepared to help. Based on a discussion of problems of current training concepts and related educational the-ories a game-based learning intervention is proposed. The focus of the interven-tion is the improvement of procedural knowledge and self-efficacy of partici-pants. The game is designed on the basis of the ARLearn platform. The game context and game-design is discussed. Last but not least we discuss short-term and long-term evaluation scenarios.This publication was partly financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), regions of the Euregio Meuse-Rhine and the participating institutions under the INTERREG IVa program (EMR.INT4-1.2.-2011-04/070, http://www.emurgency.eu)

Immersive multi-user decision training games with ARLearn

Serious gaming approaches so far focus mainly on skill development, motivational aspects or providing immersive learning situations. Little work has been reported to foster awareness and decision competencies in complex deci-sion situations involving incomplete information and multiple stakeholders. We address this issue exploring the technical requirements and possibilities to de-sign games for such situations in three case studies: a hostage taking situation, a multi-stakeholder logistics case, and a health-care related emergency case. To implement the games, we use a multi-user enabled mobile game development platform (ARLearn). We describe the underlying real world situations and edu-cational challenges and analyse how these are reflected in the ARLearn games realized. Based on these cases we propose a way to increase the immersiveness of mobile learning games.SALOM

Keep it simple : Lowering the Barrier for Authoring Serious Games

Background. Despite the continuous and abundant growth of the game market the uptake of serious games in education has been limited. Games require complex technologies and are difficult to organise and to embed in the curriculum. Aim. This article explores to what extent game templates and game authoring processes can be designed that can be easily adopted and adapted by teachers while only using openly available tools. Method. It discusses the design and first evaluation of two game platforms: ARGUMENT, based on a wiki, and ARLEARN, a toolkit based on openly available Google technologies. ARGUMENT is a text-based game challenging students to take a position on a given topic. ARLEARN offers an explicit mobile and virtual gameplay environment and a defined authoring process to create game scripts. Results. ARGUMENT and ARLEARN have been evaluated in four small-scale studies, where educators designed game scenarios and students played the resulting games. Conclusions. The results indicate that both tools are useful instruments that can be operated by teachers to build games and game-alike educational activities and, additionally, are a valuable step to gain experience with serious games.SURFnet/Kennisnet (ARGUMENT, StreetLearn, ARLearn), UNHC

Lessons Learned from Creating a Mobile Version of an Educational Board Game to Increase Situational Awareness

This paper reports on an iterative design process for a serious game, which aims to raise situational awareness among different stakeholders in a logistics value chain by introducing multi-user role-playing games. It does so in several phases: After introducing the field of logistics as a problem domain for an educational challenge, it firstly describes the design of an educational board game for the field of disruption handling in logistics processes. Secondly, it de-scribes how the board game can be realized in an open-source mobile serious games platform and identifies lessons learned based on advantages and issues found. Thirdly, it derives requirements for a re-design of the mobile game and finally draws conclusions.SALOM

Multi-stakeholder decision training games with ARLearn

Klemke, R., Ternier, S., Kalz, M., Schmitz, B., & Specht, M. (2013, 26-27 September). Multi-stakeholder decision training games with ARLearn. In D. Milosevic (Ed.), Proceedings of the fourth international conference on eLearning (eLearning 2013) (pp. 1-9). Belgrade Metropolitan University, Belgrade, Serbia. http://econference.metropolitan.ac.rs/Serious gaming approaches so far focus mainly on skill development, motivational aspects or providing immersive learning situations. Little work has been reported to foster awareness and decision competencies in complex decision situations involving incomplete information and multiple stakeholders. We address this issue exploring the technical requirements and possibilities to design games for such situations in three case studies: a hostage taking situation, a multi-stakeholder logistics case, and a health-care related emergency case. To implement the games, we use a multi-user enabled mobile game development platform (ARLearn). We describe the underlying real world situations and educational challenges and analyse how these are reflected in the ARLearn games realized.SALOMO, EMURGENCY, UNHC

ARLearn:Learning activities and interaction in augmented reality

Ternier, S., Tabuenca, B., & Specht, M. (2012). ARLearn: Learning activities and interaction in augmented reality. In M. Specht, J. Multisilta, & M. Sharples (Eds.), Proceedings of the Mobile Augmented Reality for Education Workshop (pp. 10-13). October, 16-17, 2012, Helsinki, Finland.ARLearn is a tool suite for educators and learners supporting different phases and activities during a field trip. Learners can use the ARLearn app to explore and annotate the real world, while teacher can monitor their progress in real time