Designing effective materials and activities for mobile augmented learning

Abstract

This paper presents the findings from a study of augmented mobile learning with Chinese students (n = 37) at a post-secondary vocational school. Students were enrolled in a course concerning horticultural science and applications. We augmented the school’s botanical garden with supplemental information, accessed by students scanning QR codes that were affixed near 20 distinct plant species. This paper presents a design study that investigates what factors are important to the development of effective augmented mobile curriculum activities. Working closely with the course instructor, we developed three challenging activities concerned with horticultural applications that required students to utilize the augmented information. The paper presents our designs of the problems and the augmented materials, as well as an analysis of student interactions with materials and questionnaire data about student collaborations during problem solving. We conclude with findings about the factors influencing effective design of such activities.