Abstract:

The literature has been revealing the efficacy of Mobile Augmented Reality Games (MARGs) for promoting k-12 students’ learning. MARGs enable various types of learning, including cognitive and emotional, and offer advantages such as innovation in educational practices. However, there are some disadvantages and barriers, such as technical limitations, costs, and accessibility issues. Despite its advantages, educational settings have not widely explored MARGs, possibly due to the lack of reliable and quality educational resources that support this teaching approach. Therefore, there is a need to develop educational MARGs, specifically for education for sustainable development. One factor that influences the adoption of new software in education is the user experience. Therefore, it is useful to evaluate any new educational resource from this perspective. The EduCITY project aims to promote knowledge and create new opportunities for citizens to contribute to their city's sustainability. The project team developed a smart learning city environment, including a mobile app and a web-based platform for MARG co-creation by users without programming skills, such as students and teachers. The EduCITY mobile app comprises location-based games that integrate educational resources using augmented reality, environmental sensor data, and 3D models, among others. This study presents the user experience of the EduCITY app prototype, according to 7th to 11th-grade students from Aveiro (Portugal), after participating in an outdoor game-playing activity. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data.

The questionnaire consists of three sections:
A - Value of EduCITY activity in promoting sustainable development;
B - Review of the EduCITY app;
C - Overall assessment of the activity.

This work focuses on section B, and the collected data was analyzed using Excel software. The study identified strengths of the EduCITY app prototype, as “Attractiveness” (mean value of 2.046), “Stimulation” (1.842), “Efficiency” (1.696), and “Perspicuity” (1.606). The Cronbach’s Alpha Coefficient (CAC) for “Attractiveness” (0.89), “Stimulation” (0.89), “Perspicuity” (0.82) and “Efficiency” (0.77) were all above the recommended threshold of 0.7, providing high confidence in the results. However, the scales with the lowest level of reliability were “Novelty” and “Dependability”, with a CAC of 0.60 and 0.43, respectively. Further research is needed to improve the quality of “Novelty” and “Dependability” and achieve a CAC higher than 0.7. The evaluation of the EduCITY app prototype using the benchmark dataset, was “Above average” for “Perspicuity” and “Dependability”, “Good” for “Efficiency” and “Novelty”, and achieved “Excellent” on “Attractiveness” and “Stimulation”, making this software prototype already good for students aged 12 to 17 years, when compared to other software. A growing number of students are recognizing the significance of MARGs in education, which is an expanding research area that is closely linked to Goal 4 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Keywords:

Mobile learning, augmented reality games, education, game-based learning, user experience, sustainable development, EduCITY.