The Effects of Machinima on Communication Skills in Students with Developmental Dyslexia

Many research efforts in the international literature have been conducted to investigate various fundamental issues associated with communication skills cultivation of students with developmental dyslexia. However, little is known when it comes to the impact that 'immersive technologies', such as three-dimensional virtual worlds, without considering any exploration of their impact to assist boys and girls with developmental dyslexia cultivate communication skills. Motivated by this inadequacy in the literature, the purpose of this study is to explore the effectiveness of the machinima approach, created via OpenSimulator and Scratch4SL, for students with developmental dyslexia in vocabulary learning and practicing. This embedded mixed-methods research was conducted over a four-week timetable in-class course, with forty students (n = 40) aged 10-12 years old. All students were equally separated into two groups in line with their gender. Boys and girls were encouraged to unfold the communication skills developed (i.e., spelling, writing, reading) by creating their own stories, after viewing educational videos and machinima scenes, before and after the treatment. The results indicate that machinima positively affected students' learning outcomes and achievements. Machinima can improve immediate knowledge gains in boys compared to girls to purposefully translate their cognitive thinking into storytelling, when problem-solving situations through simulated realism are considered. This study also offers insights for educational implications and design guidelines for machinima creation, providing empirical evidence on its effect on the participants' linguistics understanding and communication skills for language learning in girls and boys with developmental dyslexia

A Systematic Review of Augmented Reality Game-Based Applications in Primary Education

Augmented Reality game-based learning (ARGBL) is quickly gaining momentum in the education sector worldwide as it has the potential to enable new forms of learning and transform the learning experience. However, it remains unclear how ARGBL applications can impact students’ motivation and performance in primary education. This study addresses that topic by providing a systematic review, which analyses and critically appraises the current state of knowledge and practice in the use of ARGBL applications in primary education. In total, seventeen (17) studies that used either qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods to collect their data were analysed and were published between 2012 and 2017. The study results indicated that ARGBL applications are mainly used to document the design and development process, as well as to share preliminary findings and student feedback. Based on a comprehensive taxonomy of application areas for AR in primary education, ARGBL can potentially influence the students’ attendance, knowledge transfer, skill acquisition, hands-on digital experience, and positive attitudes in laboratory experimental exercises for different courses. This review aims to offer new insights to researchers and provide educators with effective advice and suggestions on how to improve learning outcomes, as well as increase students’ motivation and learning performance by incorporating this instructional model into their teaching

A Systematic Literature Review on the User Experience Design for Game-Based Interventions via 3D Virtual Worlds in K-12 Education

A substantial body of literature has well-documented and demonstrated the potential of using three-dimensional (3D) virtual worlds (VWs) across various learning subjects and contexts in primary and secondary (K-12) education. However, little is known when it comes to issues related to child-interaction research and the impact that design decisions have on the user experience (UX), especially when game-based learning approaches are employed in 3DVWs. Hence, in this systematic literature review, we appraise and summarize the most relevant research articles (n = 30) conducted in K-12 settings, published between 2006–2020 and that elicit information related to (a) the interaction design (ID) of game events and trends associated with game elements and features that were utilized for the development and creation of game prototypes, (b) the research methods which were followed to empirically evaluate their teaching interventions, and (c) the design-related issues and factors affecting ID and UX by identifying the most frequent set of learning and game mechanics that were adopted in various game prototypes in different learning subjects. The vast majority of game prototypes enhanced students’ engagement and participation, affecting their achievements positively. This systematic literature review provides clear guidelines regarding the design decisions that educational stakeholders should consider, and provides recommendations on how to assess and evaluate the students’ learning experience (i.e., performance, achievements, outcomes) using 3DVWs.</p

A Learning Analytics Conceptual Framework for Augmented Reality-Supported Educational Case Studies

The deployment of augmented reality (AR) has attracted educators' interest and introduced new opportunities in education. Additionally, the advancement of artificial intelligence has enabled educational researchers to apply innovative methods and techniques for the monitoring and evaluation of the teaching and learning process. The so-called learning analytics (LA) discipline emerged with the promise to revolutionize traditional instructional practices by introducing systematic and multidimensional ways to improve the effectiveness of the instructional process. However, the implementation of LA methods is usually associated with web-based platforms, which offer direct access to learners' data with minimal effort or adjustments. On the other hand, the complex nature of immersive technologies and the diverse instructional approaches which are utilized in different scientific domains have limited the opportunities for research and development in this direction. Within these research contexts, we present a conceptual framework that describes the elements of an LA process tailored to the information that can be gathered from the use of educational applications, and further provide an indicative case study for AR-supported educational interventions. The current work contributes by elucidating and concretizing the design elements of AR-supported applications and provides researchers and designers with guidelines on how to apply instructional strategies in (augmented) real-world projects

The effects of augmented reality-supported instruction in tertiary-level medical education

A significant body of the literature has documented the potential of Augmented Reality (AR) in education, but little is known about the effects of AR-supported instruction in tertiary-level Medical Education (ME). This quasi-experimental study compares a traditional instructional approach with supplementary online lecture materials using digital handout notes with a control group (n = 30) and an educational AR application with an experimental group (n = 30) to investigate any possible added-value and gauge the impact of each approach on students' academic performance and training satisfaction. This study's findings indicate considerable differences in both academic performance and training satisfaction between the two groups. The participants in the experimental group performed significantly better than their counterparts, an outcome which is also reflected in their level of training satisfaction through interacting and viewing 3D multimedia content. This study contributes by providing guidelines on how an AR-supported intervention can be integrated into ME and provides empirical evidence on the benefits that such an approach can have on students' academic performance and knowledge acquisition. Practitioner notes What is already known about this topic Several studies have applied various Augmented Reality (AR) applications across different learning disciplines. The effects of AR on students' perceptions and achievements in higher education contexts is well-documented. Despite the increasing use of AR-instruction in Medical Education (ME), there has been no explicit focus on AR's effects on students' academic performance and satisfaction. What this paper adds This quasi-experimental study compares the academic performance and training satisfaction of students in an experimental group (AR) and a control group (handout notes). This study provides instructional insights into, and recommendations that may help students achieve better academic performance in AR-supported ME courses. The experimental group reported greater training satisfaction than their counterparts. Implications for practice and policy Students who followed the AR-supported instruction achieved better academic performance that those in the control group. AR-supported interventions encourage active learning and lead to significant performance improvement. The experimental group outperformed the control group in academic performance and training satisfaction measurements, despite the lower experimental group's lower pre-test performance scores

Facebook and Moodle integration into instructional media design courses: A comparative analysis of students’ learning experiences using the Community of Inquiry (CoI) model

Despite the educational potential of Facebook and Moodle, there are still unanswered questions about their impact on the student learning experience in a well-defined instructional design framework. This study aimed to compare the learning experiences of students who used Moodle (control group) and Facebook (experimental group), in terms of Community of Inquiry presence indicators, i.e., cognitive, teaching, and social presence. Several learning activities for the development of learning environments were carried out by 97 students who were enrolled in instructional media design courses. Findings from quantitative and qualitative analysis indicated that students using either Moodle or Facebook as their learning platform had similar perceptions of teaching and cognitive presence; however, Facebook users had a better social presence in the Community of Inquiry than their Moodle counterparts. Another point worth noting is that the experimental group’s female participants had better teaching presence, cognitive presence, and overall learning experience than their male peers

Augmenting the learning experience in Primary and Secondary school education: A systematic review of recent trends in augmented reality game-based learning

There is a significant body of research relating to augmented reality (AR) uses for learning in the Primary and the Secondary education sectors across the globe. However, there is not such a substantial amount of work exploring the combination of AR with game-based learning (ARGBL). Although ARGBL has the potential to enable new forms of teaching and transform the learning experience, it remains unclear how ARGBL applications can impact students’ motiva tion, achievements, and learning performance. This study reports a systematic review of the literature on ARGBL approaches in compulsory education considering the advantages, disadvantages, instructional affordances and/or effectiveness of ARGBL across various Primary and Secondary education subjects. In total, 21 studies published between 2012 and 2017 in 11 indexed journals were analysed, with 14 studies focusing on Primary education and 7 on Secondary. The main findings from this review provide the current state of the art research in ARGBL in compulsory education. Trends and the vision towards the future are also discussed, as ARGBL can potentially influence the students’ attendance, knowledge transfer, skill acquisition, hands-on digital experience, and positive attitude towards their learning. This review aims to lay the groundwork for educators, technology developers, and other stakeholders involved in the development of literacy programmes for young children by offering new insights with effective advice and suggestions on how to increase student motivation and improve learning outcomes and the learning experience by incorporating ARGBL into their teaching

ARLEAN: An Augmented Reality Learning Analytics Ethical Framework

The emergence of the Learning Analytics (LA) field contextualised the connections in various disciplines and the educational sector, acted as a steppingstone toward the reformation of the educational scenery, thus promoting the importance of providing users with adaptive and personalised learning experiences. At the same time, the use of Augmented Reality (AR) applications in education have been gaining a growing interest across all the educational levels and contexts. However, the efforts to integrate LA techniques in immersive technologies, such as AR, are limited and scarce. This inadequacy is mainly attributed to the difficulties that govern the collection and interpretation of the primary data. To deal with this shortcoming, we present the “Augmented Reality Learning Analytics” (ARLEAN) ethical framework, tailored to the specific characteristics that AR applications have, and focused on various learning subjects. The core of this framework blends the technological, pedagogical, and psychological elements that influence the outcome of educational interventions, with the most widely adopted LA techniques. It provides concrete guidelines to educational technologists and instructional designers on how to integrate LA into their practices to inform their future decisions and thus, support their learners to achieve better results.</p

Exploring Interrelationships among High School Students' Engagement Factors in Introductory Programming Courses via a 3D Multi-user Serious Game Created in Open Sim

The technological affordances of three-dimensional (3D) multi-user virtual worlds and their effectiveness in task-based learning approaches are to a large extent well-established in the international field of computer literacy research. However, less attention was given to their positive or negative impact on student engagement. The current study seeks to investigate the interrelationships of students' engagement among multidimensional constructs consisting of cognitive, emotional and behavioral factors in order to understand better the educational community the learning effectiveness emerged through a 3D computer-supported and multi-user serious game created for introductory programming courses. An instructional design framework based on Papert's theory of Constructionism to be amplified the students' activities and management of their interactions in a 3D multi-user serious game created via an Open Sim standalone server integrated with Scratch4OS is also proposed. Fifty-five (n=55) voluntary students from three different high schools participated and experienced in a 3D mind-trap puzzle game named Co.Co.I.A. (Collaborative Construction of Interactive Artifacts) to learn basic programming structures. The empirical study findings indicated that student behavioral engagement (attention, retention and energy expenditure for activity completion) had not only a linear correlation with cognitive engagement (learning strategies for the construction of the knowledge domain), but it had also a positive association with emotional engagement (students' positive emotions and achievement orientation) in collaborative learning tasks, causing the reinforcement of the other two factors as well

The Effects of Generative AI Platforms on Undergraduates’ Narrative Intelligence and Writing Self-Efficacy

Digital storytelling and generative artificial intelligence (AI) platforms have emerged as transformative tools that empower individuals to write with confidence and share their stories effectively. However, a research gap exists in understanding the effects of using such web-based platforms on narrative intelligence and writing self-efficacy. This study aims to investigate whether digital story creation tasks on web-based platforms can influence the narrative intelligence and writing self-efficacy of undergraduate students. A pretest–posttest comparison study between two groups was conducted with sixty-four undergraduate students (n = 64), majoring in Primary Education. More specifically, it compares the effects of the most well-known conventional platforms, such as Storybird, Storyjumper, and ZooBurst (control condition), and generative AI platforms, such as Sudowrite, Jasper, and Shortly AI (experimental condition) on undergraduate students, with an equal distribution in each group. The findings indicate that the utilization of generative AI platforms in the context of story creation tasks can substantially enhance both narrative intelligence scores and writing self-efficacy when compared to conventional platforms. Nonetheless, there was no significant difference in the creative identity factor. Generative AI platforms have promising implications for supporting undergraduates’ narrative intelligence and writing self-efficacy in fostering their story creation design and development