Proceedings of the International Workshop on EuroPLOT Persuasive Technology for Learning, Education and Teaching (IWEPLET 2013)

"This book contains the proceedings of the International Workshop on EuroPLOT Persuasive Technology for Learning, Education and Teaching (IWEPLET) 2013 which was held on 16.-17.September 2013 in Paphos (Cyprus) in conjunction with the EC-TEL conference. The workshop and hence the proceedings are divided in two parts: on Day 1 the EuroPLOT project and its results are introduced, with papers about the specific case studies and their evaluation. On Day 2, peer-reviewed papers are presented which address specific topics and issues going beyond the EuroPLOT scope. This workshop is one of the deliverables (D 2.6) of the EuroPLOT project, which has been funded from November 2010 – October 2013 by the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) of the European Commission through the Lifelong Learning Programme (LLL) by grant #511633. The purpose of this project was to develop and evaluate Persuasive Learning Objects and Technologies (PLOTS), based on ideas of BJ Fogg. The purpose of this workshop is to summarize the findings obtained during this project and disseminate them to an interested audience. Furthermore, it shall foster discussions about the future of persuasive technology and design in the context of learning, education and teaching. The international community working in this area of research is relatively small. Nevertheless, we have received a number of high-quality submissions which went through a peer-review process before being selected for presentation and publication. We hope that the information found in this book is useful to the reader and that more interest in this novel approach of persuasive design for teaching/education/learning is stimulated. We are very grateful to the organisers of EC-TEL 2013 for allowing to host IWEPLET 2013 within their organisational facilities which helped us a lot in preparing this event. I am also very grateful to everyone in the EuroPLOT team for collaborating so effectively in these three years towards creating excellent outputs, and for being such a nice group with a very positive spirit also beyond work. And finally I would like to thank the EACEA for providing the financial resources for the EuroPLOT project and for being very helpful when needed. This funding made it possible to organise the IWEPLET workshop without charging a fee from the participants.

Assisting individuals with autism and cognitive disorders: An augmented reality based framework

Individuals with autism require systematic assistance while dealing with the surrounding environment and its objects. The project aim is to develop a framework that could be of substantial help to people with autism and cognitive disorders. The framework is based on common mobile devices and freely available Augmented Reality (AR) applications. The Augmented Reality used in our approach is marker-based AR that employs a camera and a visual marker to trigger and present media content on the mobile device's screen. The developed framework allows parents and teachers to easily create educational augmented environments for children with autism and cognitive disorders by populating a real-world space with visual markers of favorite cartoonish helpers that can evoke helpful AR content and embed it in the real-world environment. The paper analyzes and discusses the use of the proposed framework from conceptual and technological points of view. - 2019 Kassel University Press GmbH.Scopu

Augmented Reality on Mobile Devices to Improve the Academic Achievement and Independence of Students with Disabilities

Augmented reality (AR) is a technology that overlays digital information on a live view of the physical world to create a blended experience. AR can provide unique experiences and opportunities to learn and interact with information in the physical world (Craig, 2013). The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate uses of AR on mobile devices to improve the academic and functional skills of students with disabilities. The first chapter is a literature review providing a clear understanding of AR and its connections with existing learning theories and evidence-based practices that are relevant for meeting the needs of individuals with disabilities. This chapter explores the available research on mobile devices, AR educational applications, and AR research involving students with disabilities. The purpose of Study 1 was to examine the effects of an augmented reality vocabulary instruction for science terms on college-aged students with ID. A multiple probe across skills design was used to determine if there was a functional relation between the AR vocabulary instruction and the acquisition of correctly defined and labeled science terms. The results indicated that all participants learned new science vocabulary terms using the augmented reality vocabulary instruction. Study 2 examined the effects of using an AR navigation, Google Maps, and a paper map as navigation aids for four college-aged students with ID enrolled in a PSE program. Using an adapted alternating treatments design, students used the three navigation aids to travel independently to unknown businesses in a large downtown city to seek employment opportunities. During the intervention phase, students used a mobile device with Google maps and the AR application to navigate to unfamiliar businesses. Results from Study 2 indicated all students improved navigation decision making when using AR. In the final chapter, both studies are discussed in relation to the AR research literature and as potential interventions. Findings from the studies include the capabilities of ARon mobile devices, academic and functional applications of this technology for students with disabilities, implications for mobile learning, and limitations of this technology. Recommendations for future research are presented to further examine using AR for students with disabilities

Effectiveness of AutistAR to enhance communication and social skills among children with autism

Individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may have serious fundamental deficits in communication, social, inventiveness, and constructive skills. In the age of technology, children with disabilities frequently employ assistive technologies to aid in their learning and support the rehabilitation process, particularly for autism. Individuals with ASD require technology-based tools such as software or applications that could assist them with communication, language, organizing skills, and information processing. This research developed an augmented reality (AR) application integrating picture exchange communication systems (PECS) to aid children’s communication and social skills. A single-case experimental design (SCED) method was used to analyze the features and effectiveness of AutistAR. The study included a sample of two individuals diagnosed with ASD, characterized by restricted communication and social abilities. The result revealed that there was an improvement in overall communication and social skills in both participants. The ramification of the findings is further explored

Using Mobile Augmented Reality to Improve Attention in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Adults on the autism spectrum commonly experience impairments in attention management that hinder many other cognitive functions necessary to appreciate relationships between sensory stimuli. As autistic individuals generally identify as visual learners, the effective use of visual aids can be critical in developing life skills. In this brief paper, we propose a Mobile Augmented Reality for Attention (MARA) application which addresses a lack of supportive and simple costeffective solutions for autistic adults to train attention management skills. We present the proposed design, configuration and implementation. Lastly, we discuss future directions for research

Exploring the effect of an augmented reality literacy programme for reading and spelling difficulties for children diagnosed with ADHD

AbstractChildren diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) experience a variety of difficulties related to three primary symptoms: hyperactivity, inattention and impulsivity. The most common type of ADHD has a combination of all three symptom areas. These core symptoms may negatively impact the academic and social performance of children throughout their school life. The AHA (ADHD-Augmented) project focused specifically on the impact of digital technologies' intervention on literacy skills of children that participated in the pilot study and were diagnosed with ADHD prior to the intervention. Existing research has shown that augmented reality (AR) can improve academic outcomes by stimulating pupils' attention. AHA project aimed at implementing an evidence-based intervention to improve ADHD children's reading and spelling abilities through the enhancement of an existing literacy programme with AR functionality. The present paper reports preliminary findings of the pilot study aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of the AHA system in promoting the acquisition of literacy skills in a sample of children diagnosed with ADHD compared to the literacy programme as usual. Background information on the main characteristics and difficulties related to the teaching and learning process associated with children diagnosed with ADHD are first introduced; the design and methodology of the AHA project intervention are also described. The preliminary findings have shown that AHA project succeeded in delivering an AR solution within an existing online literacy programme, which integrates a set of specific technologies and supports interactive educational content, services, assessment, and feedback