Volume Two - Academic Conferences

4. Pedagogical impacts
Thomas Putz
It was a main goal of the mGBL project to develop methods and tools that enable learning in a playful
and emotional way. To this end, WP3 developed innovative learning models, which have
subsequently been implemented prototypically as game templates. These game templates have been
evaluated from both the learners’ and teachers’ perspective and proved to fully support the overall
goal. For example, the results of a empirical study with approx. 100 students for game template three
(Get Real!) reveal that it leads to higher energetic activation, more positive emotions, more positive
attitudes towards learning content, and more efficient knowledge transfer than a conventional case
study approach. For the first time ever a mobile learning game has even been used to hold exams at
the University of Rijeka – with very positive reactions from all side. This also exemplifies the dramatic
impact the models and technologies developed in the course of the mGBL project can have in all
phases of teaching and learning.
5. Impacts of innovative new services
The mGBL project has proven that it is not always necessary to deploy the most advanced 3D
graphics and cutting-edge handsets in order to ensure a good user experience. In contrast, a practical
"low tech – high involvement" approach is in many cases much more suitable in the learning context,
especially when considering younger people in formal education. It is of utmost importance that the
systems can be used by all pupils and students and that it does not require special devices, which
may not be available or affordable for some target groups. The mGBL project thus developed a
platform which fully supports wide-spread standards and makes minimal demands regarding device
capabilities on the client side (Java, http, SMS/MMS). The platform exhibits maximum flexibility
regarding contents and can easily be adapted to individual needs without very specific know-how. It is
available as Open Source under the European Public License (EUPL) model at SourceForge and its
modularity and ease of use should give rise to a considerably large community both contributing new
functionalities and contents and at the same time improving the software quality. As could already be
seen from first exploitation activities (e.g. the trials at the University of Vienna, or an exploitation
workshop with mobilkom Austria representatives), hosting the platform as an application provider and
offering additional services (such as user acceptance research or community building services) are
promising business models (where also advertising may play a vital role for revenue generation),
which shall lead to a broader uptake of the new learning models in the future.
6. Impacts on target groups
The main target group, i.e. younger people aged 16-24, benefits greatly from the new learning models
developed in the course of the project. As the empirical results show these models can not only
support more efficient knowledge transfer then for example a conventional case study under certain
conditions, but also leads to more positive emotions and especially high flow values when using the
mobile learning games. The strong flow experience points to a high degree of intrinsic motivation in
the learner and shows that the game is being played for the game itself and not due to an external
incentive, e.g., a good grade.
7. Contribution to standards
The mGBL project has contributed to the raising of standards in two domains:
A Pedagogical and game models
B Learning standards
7.1 Pedagogical and game models
The three game templates (also known as models) produced by the mGBL consortium reflect generic
educational goals (Anderson and Krathwohl, 2001) and between them cater for three different
learning paradigms (experiences of learning):
Instructionist (Tolman, 1932), student as consumer. Focus on content, throughput, quality of
student on exit (e.g. Game model 1).
Revelatory (Bruner, 1973): student as explorer, team-worker. Focus on discovery (e.g. Game
model 2).
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