Design of a Mobile Augmented Reality Platform with Game-Based Learning Purposes

in o ma ion A icle Design o a Mobile Augmen ed Reali y Pla o m wi h Game-Based Lea ning Pu poses Ma ia C is ina Cos a 1,2,†,∗, An ónio Manso 3,† and João Pa ício 3,† 1Depa men al Uni o Ma hema ics and Physics, Ins i u o Poli écnico de Toma , 2300-313 Toma , Po ugal ; 2In e disciplina y Cen e o Social Sciences (CICS.NOVA), Uni e sidade NOVA de Lisboa, Po ugal ; 3Sma Ci ies Resea ch Cen e (Ci2.ip ), Ins i u o Poli écnico de Toma , 2300-313 Toma , Po ugal ; *Co espondence: [email p o ec ed] † These au ho s con ibu ed equally o his wo k. Recei ed: 31 Janua y 2020; Accep ed: 22 Feb ua y 2020; Published: da e Abs ac : Augmen ed eali y (AR) is an eme gen echnology ha o e lays i ual objec s in o he eal en i onmen . La ely, AR is gaining p ominence in educa ion because o i s inc easing a o dabili y h ough compu e s o mobile echnologies. In addi ion, esea ch sus aining he bene i s o AR o p omo e s uden ’s engagemen o lea n is inc easing e e y day. Howe e , he li e a u e iden i ies lack o s udies abou he use o AR in educa ion, namely, s udies ocused on he de elopmen o AR games designed o e speci ic lea ning objec i es (game-based lea ning). This pape p esen s a mobile augmen ed eali y pla o m wi h lea ning pu poses. The pla o m includes a mobile applica ion ha consis s o a loca ion-based game a ge ed o p omo e lea ning abou he uni e se. Fu he mo e, i includes a back-o ice ha allows eache s o in oduce in o ma ion abou celes ial bodies and also de elop a se o mul iple-choice ques ions o assess s uden ’s lea ning abou he subjec ma e s hey each. The mobile applica ion p o ides he use s wi h physical mo emen and social in e ac ion in he eal wo ld, while playing he game and o his eason i is included in he pe asi e games’ pa adigm. Besides engaging he s uden s o play he game, we a gue ha his pla o m may be used as a esou ce o be implemen ed in in o mal and o mal lea ning en i onmen s. Keywo ds: game-based lea ning; augmen ed eali y; mobile echnologies; loca ion-based games; as onomy 1. In oduc ion The e is an inc easing call o he in oduc ion o echnology in o educa ion o engage s uden s o lea n and enhance hei lea ning pe o mance. In pa icula , Augmen ed Reali y (AR) is an eme ging opic ha has been gaining p ominence due o i s po en ial o combine he eal wo ld wi h i ual objec s [1,2] and o engage s uden s in p ac ice-based ac i i ies [3]. O he eme ging echnologies ha ha e been gaining mo e p ominence in he las yea s a e mobile echnologies [ 4 , 5 ]. Acco ding o Kou omanos and A aamidou, mobile echnologies, such as mobile games, can be a lea ning ool in a a ie y o o mal and in o mal lea ning en i onmen s [ 6 ]. A su ey ela ed o Mobile Augmen ed Reali y (MAR) echnology e e s ha he inc easing imp o emen in mobile de ices pe mi s he use o AR applica ions, which gi es an easie access o his ool [7]. Howe e , he li e a u e iden i ies a lack o s udies abou he use o AR in educa ion, namely, s udies ocused on he de elopmen o AR games ha a e designed o e speci ic lea ning objec i es (game-based lea ning). In pa icula , he e is a gap in he li e a u e abou he use o AR wi hin mobile games and applica ions [ 6 ]. Fu he mo e, he design o MAR applica ions a ge ed o o mal lea ning en i onmen s is missing. Fo example, some au ho s a gue he need o conduc mo e s udies ha include AR applica ions wi h a pedagogical app oach o ins uc ional s a egy [ 8 ]. Rega ding hese issues, i is ele an o keep de eloping esea ch in his ma e . In o ma ion 2020,xx, 5; doi:10.3390/in oxx010005 www.mdpi.com/jou nal/in o ma ion In o ma ion 2020,xx, 5 2 o 20 This pape p esen s a MAR pla o m o lea ning pu poses called Plane a ySys emGO. The pla o m includes a mobile applica ion ha consis s o a loca ion-based game a ge ed o p omo e lea ning abou he Uni e se. The eal en i onmen cap u ed by he mobile phone came a is he place whe e he playe is inse ed. The i ual objec s a e celes ial bodies ha appea on he sc een o he mobile phone such as s a s o plane s. The pla o m also comp ises a back-o ice ha allows eache s o in oduce in o ma ion abou celes ial bodies and de elop a se o mul iple-choice ques ions o assess s uden ’s lea ning abou he subjec ma e s hey each. Because i is a loca ion-based game ha equi es Global Posi ioning Sys em (GPS), Plane a ySys emGO is an ou doo e sion. The playe s need o use a sma phone wi h he AR applica ion (app) ha will guide hem du ing he game. When hey s a he app, hei posi ion in he eal wo ld has a coo dina e ha ep esen s he s a o he plane a y sys em. Nex , hey need o walk in he eal en i onmen o ind he o bi s o he plane a y sys ems and he plane s, in he leas possible ime, answe ing ques ions conce ning each o he celes ial bodies hey encoun e . In his ega d, Plane a ySys emGO may be included in he pe asi e games’ pa adigm because i p o ides in e ac ion wi h he eal wo ld. Pe asi e games a e becoming mo e popula because hey may p o ide he use s wi h physical mo emen and social in e ac ion in he eal wo ld while playing he game [9]. Du ing he design o he game, se e al implemen a ion es s o he mobile app ook place wi h p ima y school s uden s in in o mal and o mal lea ning en i onmen s, such as school holidays and p ima y school classes. In his con ex , ques ionnai es we e applied o s uden s and hei eache s. Also, a quali a i e analysis and an in e p e a i e app oach was used [ 10 ]. In his ega d, da a collec ion also includes pa icipan obse a ion and in o mal in e iews o he pa icipan s (child en aged 7 o 14 yea s old who played he MAR game). The ocus o his pape is o discuss he Plane a ySys emGO game in he amewo k o game-based lea ning. In his ega d, ou esea ch con ibu es o he li e a u e because his pla o m may be used as a esou ce o be used in in o mal and o mal lea ning en i onmen s. Conside ing ha he majo i y o he s udies a ge ed o eaching and lea ning pu poses use ma ke -based echnology [ 8 ], ou sys em ea u es an inno a i e con ibu ion, in he sense ha i p o ides an AR loca ion-based applica ion o educa ional pu poses. In he ollowing sec ions, we p esen he backg ound o his s udy and li e a u e e iew. Nex , we desc ibe he a chi ec u e o he mobile augmen ed eali y pla o m and he impac o se e al implemen a ions es in he ield, wi h p ima y school s uden s, ollowed by discussion. Finally, conclusions and implica ions o he u u e a e p esen ed. 2. Backg ound and Con ex o he S udy Plane a ySys emGO is a mobile augmen ed eali y pla o m ha is being de eloped by unde g adua e highe educa ion s uden s unde he supe ision o highe educa ion eache s om a Po uguese poly echnic ins i u e as pa o hei inal g adua ion p ojec . The game may be played wi h a sma phone ha includes came a, GPS, accele ome e , and gy oscope. The mobile app consis s o a kind o plane ’s hun , whe e he playe s, s a ing om a gi en coo dina e ( he S a ), and guided by an AR applica ion (app), y o ind he o bi s and he plane s in he leas possible ime gaining poin s a each s age o he game. When he plane is ound, in o ma ion abou i s cha ac e is ic may be p o ided by ouching he plane on he sma phone sc een. Also, when i is cap u ed, a mul iple-choice ques ion needs o be answe ed. A each s age ( inding he o bi , “hun ing” he plane , and answe ing he ques ion) he playe s gain poin s (Figu es 1and 2). The playe wi h he bes sco e and he bes ime wins he game [ 11 ]. These cha ac e is ics a e ela ed o gami ica ion ha p omo e he playe ’s engagemen and mo i a ion p o ided by he compe i ion among he pee s [12]. In o ma ion 2020,xx, 5 3 o 20 Figu e 1. Sa u n. This playe has ou poin s. Figu e 2. Nep une’s ques ion: Blue is my colo . How long does my day las ? Since 2016, e e y school yea , a g oup o highe educa ion s uden s akes he challenge o de eloping he mobile augmen ed eali y pla o m o p omo e STEAM (Science, Technology, Enginee ing, A s and Ma hema ics) educa ion. In he school yea 2016/2017, he challenge was o explo e he concep o ha ing i ual objec s (plane s) mo ing in he eal en i onmen isualized in a sma phone sc een. To achie e his goal, i was necessa y o design a mobile app wi h he aim o explo ing ou Sola Sys em. This i s e sion only included he eigh plane s o ou Sola Sys em and a se o a mul iple-choice ques ions ha d-coded on he app. In he school yea 2017/2018, an in o ma ion sys em was designed o include any plane a y sys em o he uni e se and o include in o ma ion abou he celes ial bodies and mo e se s o mul iple-choice ques ions. In 2018/2019, he back-o ice was imp o ed in o de o be mo e use - iendly o p ima y school eache s. The nex challenge is o implemen he Plane a ySys emGO pla o m in any le el o educa ion om p ima y school o Uni e si y. While de eloping he applica ion, in a i s s age, se e al implemen a ion es s we e pe o med wi h p ima y school s uden s in in o mal lea ning en i onmen s in o de o diagnose any p oblems ela ed o i s pe o mance and o assess hei in e es o play he game. The i s e sion o he game s a ed o be designed in 2016 by wo s uden s om Digi al Con en P oduc ion (Mas e ’s deg ee) and Compu e Enginee ing (Bachelo s’ deg ee). This e sion consis ed o a mobile applica ion a ge ed o p omo e lea ning abou ou Sola Sys em and o his eason i was called Sola Sys emGO [ 11 ]. The Sola Sys emGO game was implemen ed in in o mal lea ning en i onmen s, du ing s uden s’ school holidays in he Poly echnic’s campus. A e he las expe ience ha occu ed in he 2017 summe school holidays, he au ho s concluded ha he game engaged s uden s o play i and p omo ed lea ning abou he Sola Sys em [ 11 ]. Because o hese good p elimina y esul s, we decided o keep upg ading he game in o de o p o ide he use s wi h mo e di e si ied expe iences. Wi h he aim o imp o ing he game, a new challenge was p oposed o compu e enginee ing s uden s. In he school yea 2017/2018, he supe iso s o he p ojec asked he s uden s o include new ea u es on he mobile applica ion (app). This challenge eques ed he de elopmen o an in o ma ion In o ma ion 2020,xx, 5 4 o 20 sys em ha communica es wi h he mobile app in o de o p o ide he playe wi h di e en expe iences e e y ime he plays he game. Also, because o he exis ence o exoplane s and hei plane a y sys ems in he uni e se, i was decided o ex end he expe ience o any plane a y sys em o he uni e se. Th ee compu e enginee ing s uden s chose his challenge as hei inal p ojec be o e g adua ion. These p ojec s used p oblem-based lea ning me hodology, which is ecommended in he enginee ing cu iculum o acili a e lea ning and enable s uden s o achie e 21s cen u y skills [ 13 ]. The p ojec p o ided o he inclusion o a back-o ice ha allows eache s o in oduce con en s acco ding o he g ade le el hey each. Cu en ly, he pla o m con inues o be imp o ed by ano he g oup o compu e enginee ing s uden s wi h he objec i e o p o iding he use wi h mo e expe iences and imp o e i s pe o mance. 3. Li e a u e Re iew: MAR in Educa ion Because o he inc easing pe o mance o mobile echnologies augmen ed eali y is becoming mobile (Huang e al., 2013). In ac , buil -in came a, senso s, compu a ional esou ces, and powe o cloud-sou ced in o ma ion a e esou ces ha allows he use o AR in mobile de ices [ 7 ]. In addi ion, no ma e some cons ain s ela ed o ha dwa e, i s po abili y makes he use o MAR mo e popula han on adi ional desk op compu e s. This leads o he inc easing use o MAR in se e al a eas. Fo example, se e al au ho s de eloped esea ch ela ed o ma ke ing [ 14 ], ou ism [ 15 ], indus y [ 16 ], na iga ion [17], o medical aining [18], among o he s. This sec ion discusses he impo ance and impac o MAR in educa ion. In ac , he li e a u e p esen s se e al s udies ha ad oca e he in oduc ion o AR and MAR in educa ion. In his ega d, in [ 19 ], he au ho s de eloped a hema ic e iew o he li e a u e ega ding Mobile Technologies and Augmen ed Reali y in K-12 educa ion. Based on hei s udy, hey conclude ha he e a e se e al bene i s in using hese ools in educa ion. Fo example, hey s a e ha “AR is a ool ha can be used o suppo s uden s in becoming 21s cen u y hinke s and p oblem sol e s” (p. 288). In addi ion, hey a gue ha AR “can ex end and enhance eaching and lea ning” by highligh ing ou a o dances such as “au hen ic lea ning, s uden -cen e ed lea ning, con ex ualized lea ning, and isualize subjec con en ” (p. 288). In his line, some e iews ha e been unde aken by se e al au ho s [ 3 , 8 ]. In he con ex o o mal educa ion, Sal an and A slan conclude ha AR may imp o e s uden s’ academic pe o mance and inc ease hei engagemen and mo i a ion o lea n [ 8 ]. Conce ning p ima y educa ion (6–13 yea s old), a sys ema ic e iew ela ed o augmen ed eali y game-based lea ning is p o ided by some au ho s, who conclude abou se e al ad an ages b ough by his app oach: knowledge gain, inc eased mo i a ion, augmen ed in e ac ion, and enhanced collabo a ion [ 3 ]. Mo eo e , hey a gue ha AR echnology p o okes posi i e a i udes on s uden s owa ds he lea ning p ocess, and hus imp o ed lea ning pe o mance. Ano he example is a gaming app oach o suppo AR-based lea ning ac i i ies ela ed o ecology conduc ed in eal-wo ld con ex s [ 2 ]. Based on an expe ience conduc ed on an elemen a y school, hey conclude ha his app oach can imp o e s uden s lea ning a i udes and hei lea ning pe o mance in he ield. In ac , “Empi ical e idence shows ha AR can posi i ely make a di e ence o how s uden s lea n and he e is p omise and po en ial o he u u e o AR” [ 19 , p. 288]. Ozdemi , Sahin, A cagok, and Demi ca ied ou a s udy based on me a-analysis in ended o de e mine he e ec o AR in he lea ning p ocess [ 20 ]. In his s udy, he au ho s conclude ha “AR applica ions inc ease s uden s’ academic achie emen in he lea ning p ocess compa ed wi h he use o adi ional lea ning me hods” (p. 177). Because o he inc easing pe o mance o mobile echnologies, augmen ed eali y is becoming mobile [ 7 ]. Acco ding o he au ho s, buil -in came a, senso s, compu a ional esou ces, and powe o cloud-sou ced in o ma ion a e esou ces ha pe mi he use o AR in mobile de ices. In addi ion, no ma e some cons ains ela ed o ha dwa e, i s po abili y makes he use o MAR mo e popula han on adi ional desk op compu e s. Al hough he e a e se e al e e ences ad oca ing he in oduc ion o MAR in educa ion, he u h is ha hey also men ion p oblems in i s implemen a ion, especially in o mal lea ning en i onmen s. Fo example, based on a sys ema ic e iew o li e a u e, Akçayı In o ma ion 2020,xx, 5 5 o 20 and Akçayı [ 21 ] a gue ha he e a e se e al challenges ega ding AR, namely usabili y issues and echnical p oblems. Fu he mo e, Fo a is e al. [ 3 ] e e lack o esea ch in p ima y educa ion ega ding he educa ional po en ial and a o dances o AR echnology. Also, hey e i ied ha mo e han 50 % o he s udies used ma ke -based AR, which seems o indica e ha mos educa ional applica ions use his echnology. Fo example, he gaming app oach p oposed by Hwang e al. [ 2 ] o suppo AR-based lea ning ac i i ies was based on QR code echnology. An explana ion o he p e e ence on ma ke -based AR may be ela ed o he ac ha he acking p ocess o ma ke s is mo e e ec i e and s able compa ing wi h o he acking echniques [ 3 ]. Howe e , some au ho s ecognize ha “ his is an old and ma u e me hod in cu en AR echnology” (p. 1903), and, o his eason, hey ecommend he use o o he acking echnology in o de o o e mo e in e ac ions wi h he eal en i onmen [2]. Conce ning o he acking echnologies, loca ion-based AR applica ions a e inc easing due o he a ailabili y o senso s in mobile de ices such as accele ome e , compass, and in eg a ed GPS [ 3 ]. Technically, a playe ’s posi ion in a loca ion-awa e game is ei he de e mined by GPS sa elli e signals, WiFi, o GSM signal s eng h and/ o cell ID, o by using sho ange p oximi y-sensing echnologies such as RFID, in a ed beacons, o ul asonic emi e s [ 9 ]. The same au ho s e e ha loca ion-based games may be an oppo uni y o b ing mo e physical mo emen and social in e ac ion in o games. Howe e , he e a e se e al issues ha may comp omise he game’s pe o mance ela ed o he unp edic able na u e o loca ion-based games [22]. The Plane a ySys emGO pla o m includes a loca ion-based MAR app ha p o ides he use s wi h physical mo emen and social in e ac ion in he eal wo ld while playing he game and o his eason i is included in he pe asi e games’ pa adigm. 4. A chi ec u es Rela ed o MAR Pla o ms MAR applica ion can use di e en a chi ec u es [ 23 ]. I may un on a handheld sys em such as a sma phone o in a de ice connec ed o a emo e se e , i may un as a Web Augmen ed Reali y applica ion (WebAR) [ 24 ], i may un on a cloud wi h a hin clien , o i may e en p o i o combina ions o local and emo e sys em. Excep o he i s possibili y, all he o he mobile a chi ec u es equi e some ype o ne wo k connec i i y. This does no mean ha a pe manen In e ne connec ion is necessa y—some MAR applica ions only need o be connec ed o he In e ne o he pu pose o con en managemen and/o addi ional compu a ional powe and memo y. Ano he key issue on MAR applica ions is he p esence (o absence) o ma ke s. This allows he di ision o MAR applica ions in wo b oad ca ego ies: ma ke -based and loca ion-based applica ions. The i s ype o sys em elies on p ede ined ma ke s o igge he display o AR o e lays on he op o he image. Loca ion-based apps use se e al posi ion senso s (e.g., GPS) o display AR objec s on op o physical ones. Ma ke -based apps a e based on image ecogni ion— hey use black and whi e ma ke s as igge s o display AR con en . To see he augmen ed con en , he use poin s he de ice came a on a ma ke posi ion anywhe e a ound him. Once he de ice ecognizes he ma ke , he MAR app o e lays he digi al da a on his ma ke . On he o he hand, loca ion-based applica ions wo k wi hou ma ke s. They de ec he use posi ion wi h he help o senso s such as GPS o accele ome e , among o he s, and o e lay he augmen ed eali y objec s on op o eal physical places. Some known MAR loca ion-based applica ions a e Pokemon GO [ 25 ] and Geocaching [ 26 ]. These apps can send no i ica ions o he use based on hei loca ion o p o ide new AR con en ela ed o a gi en place. Fo example, “Le Ba Guide” (h ps:// i unes.apple.com/us/app/s ella-a ois-le-ba -guide/id335624129) p o ides ecommenda ions abou he bes ba s nea by, and “Find You Ca wi h AR”(h ps://www.augmen edwo ks.com/ ind-you- ca -wi h-a /) allows he use o e ie e his ehicle inside a huge pa king lo using GPS. In wha a ge pla o ms a e conce ned, he wo cu en majo playe s a e iOS and And oid, and he choice o he bes one be ween bo h will always be he subjec o some con o e sy [ 27 ]. The i s one—iOS—is a p op ie a y mobile ope a ing sys em c ea ed and de eloped by Apple Inc. exclusi ely In o ma ion 2020,xx, 5 6 o 20 o i s ha dwa e. Apple iOS is based on he Mac OS X ope a ing sys em o desk op and lap op compu e s. The iOS de elope ki p o ides ools ha allow o iOS app de elopmen . The And oid pla o m o mobile de ices uses a modi ied e sion o he Linux ke nel, was in oduced in 2007 by he Open Handse Alliance, and uns in a e y wide a ay o de ices om di e en manu ac u e s. This allowed he c ea ion o se e al de elopmen amewo ks o his pla o m, such as Co doba SDK, Xama in, JQue y Mobile, Reac JS, and Uni y3D, among o he s. The la e also ac s as a game engine e y well known in he game de elopmen communi y, and he e o e includes game- ela ed ea u es use ul o he de elopmen o isual and in e ac i e sys ems such as MAR applica ions. The de elopmen o a MAR sys em may no simply ely on he use /game in e ac ion componen . Key aspec s such as gami ica ion o s uden and eache engagemen — equi ing access o u he in o ma ion in a pe sis en way, such as playe sco es o gaming objec s—may lead o he in eg a ion o MAR applica ions in a cloud o se e ecosys em comp ising elemen s such as Web and Da abase se e s and a se o Web applica ions and se ices, ha manage he low o in o ma ion among he o he elemen s, as a pa o he Web o Things [ 28 ]. As a as MAR sys ems a e conce ned, he a chi ec u es ha e been ollowing he ends o gene al mobile and web de elopmen . Mos mobile a chi ec u es ely on web se ices as a s anda d medium o p opaga e communica ion be ween he clien and se e applica ions on he Web [ 29 ]. A web se ice is a so wa e module which is designed o pe o m a ce ain se o asks, is sea chable o e he ne wo k and can be in oked. I s ole is o p o ide unc ionali y o he clien ha in okes he web se ice. The unde lying a chi ec u e o web se ices consis s o h ee dis inc oles: he p o ide , which c ea es he web se ice and makes i a ailable o he clien applica ion ha will use i , he clien applica ion ( he eques o ) ha looks o some so o unc ionali y ia a web se ice, and he b oke , which is he middle agen ha enables he clien applica ion o loca e he web se ice. The e a e wo majo APIs o deploy web se ices: SOAP and REST. Simple Objec Access P o ocol (SOAP) was he i s o eme ge and p o ided a s anda d o ensu e ha p og ams buil on di e en pla o ms and p og amming languages could exchange da a in an easy and anspa en manne . Rep esen a ional S a e T ans e (REST) was designed speci ically o wo king wi h componen s such as media componen s, iles, o e en objec s on a ha dwa e de ice, making i pa icula ly ad isable o MAR applica ions. Any web se ice ha is de ined on he p inciples o REST can be called a Res Ful web se ice. As REST is simply an a chi ec u al pa e n, i can make use o SOAP as he unde lying p o ocol o web se ices. 5. Resul s and Discussion In his sec ion, we gi e an accoun o he a chi ec u e o he Plane a ySys emGO pla o m and p esen he implemen a ion es s o he game ha we e pe o med wi h he a ge ed public and hei esul s. 5.1. Plane a ySys emGO Pla o m The a chi ec u e o he Plane a ySys emGO pla o m is ep esen ed in Figu e 3and is di ided in o h ee componen s: Pla o m se e , Web applica ion, and Mobile app. Pla o m se e includes da abase ha is esponsible o managing all da a in he sys em. The e a e h ee ypes o da a: da a managemen , which includes he adminis a ion o use s ( eache s and s uden s) and e en s; lea ning objec s such as plane a y sys ems; and he esul s abou he implemen a ion o he game on he s uden s. In o ma ion 2020,xx, 5 7 o 20 Figu e 3. The back-end a chi ec u e o Plane a ySys emGO. Lea ning objec s and da a managemen is adminis e ed by a back-o ice h ough a web applica ion unning in a web b owse . Lea ning da a is managed by he mobile app h ough he web se ices. The mobile app was de eloped in Uni y3D ha p o ides a ich en i onmen o de elop AR con en s. Table 1 ep esen s he model o plane a y sys ems. I is iden i ied by a name, which in he case o ou plane a y sys em is he Sola Sys em. In addi ion, he posi ion o he s a , which is loca ed a a ocus o an ellipse, co esponds o he GPS coo dina es in he eal wo ld. The scale ep esen s he o bi al ay o he las plane o he plane a y sys em. Finally, he e is a lis o celes ial bodies. Table 1. Model o plane a y sys ems Plane a ySys em + Name: s ing + S a Posi ion: poin + Scale: loa + Objec s: lis <Celes ialObjec s > In ou sys em, celes ial bodies include s a and plane s (Table 2). Each celes ial body has a name; in o ma ion abou i s cha ac e is ics; i s ex u e, which consis s o he skin o he objec ; and dis ance o he s a (Dis anceToS a ), which is a p opo ion o he plane a y sys em scale and he dimension o he body. In he case o plane s, hey mo e in an ellip ical o bi wi h wo oci. Focus 1 ep esen s he s a posi ion o he plane a y sys em and he second, ocus 2, oge he wi h he dis ance o he s a and eloci y, p o ides he loca ion o he plane s in he eal wo ld. The inclusion o he second ocus allows he inclusion o moons o plane s. In his case, he wo oci a e in he posi ion o he plane . Finally, i includes a lis o mul iple-choice ques ions ela ed o each celes ial body. In o ma ion 2020,xx, 5 8 o 20 Table 2. Model o celes ial objec s Celes ialObjec s + Name: s ing + In o ma ion: s ing + Tex u e: image + Dis anceToS a : loa + Dimension: loa + Foco1: poin + Foco2: poin + Veloci y: loa + Ques ions: lis <Ques ion> Each ques ion has con en , a se o ou answe s and in o ma ion abou he co ec answe (Table 3). Table 3. Model o ques ions. Ques ion + Con en: s ing + Righ Answe : s ing + Answe : s ing[4] The lea ning objec s a e managed by eache s h ough he Web applica ion. In his en i onmen , hey may c ea e plane s and g oup hem in a plane a y sys em. This p ocess may be om sc a ch o by cloning exis ing models o celes ial bodies. Also, hey may use in o ma ion and ques ions al eady exis ing in he sys em o include mo e in o ma ion and ques ions abou he celes ial bodies. An E en is de ined by a plane a y sys em ha is pa ame ized o be played in he eal wo ld. In his ega d, i is necessa y o p o ide he GPS coo dina es o he s a and o bi al adius o he las plane (scale). Each E en is associa ed o a code ha may be used by he mobile app o download da a om he game. The game may be played in online o o line mode. In e ne is only necessa y o download he E en and o send da a om he game o da abase h ough Web se ices. When he game is played in o line mode, he in o ma ion is s o ed in he de ice and sen o he se e when i ge s online. 5.2. Implemen a ion Tes s o he Game As men ioned be o e, he MAR pla o m has been in de elopmen since 2016 by highe educa ion s uden s supe ised by highe educa ion eache s in he con ex o hei inal p ojec be o e g adua ion. Th oughou he pla o m de elopmen , se e al implemen a ion es s we e pe o med wi h he a ge ed public o e alua e i s impac and iden i y any pe o mance p oblems (Table 4). Table 4. Implemen a ion es s o he game. E en Da e Loca ion Child en Teache s Ch is mas holidays 2016 2016, 21 Decembe Poly echnic campus 16 - Summe holidays 2017 2017, 26 June Poly echnic campus 17 - In e na ional Child en’s Day 2018, 1 June Ma a dos Se e Mon es 76 11 Summe holidays 2018 2018, 26 June Poly echnic campus 20 - P ima y school class (Pilo ) 2018, Oc obe San a em dis ic 20 1 P ima y school classes 2018-2019 San a em dis ic 102 10 In o ma ion 2020,xx, 5 9 o 20 This esea ch is inse ed on a b oade p ojec o in e en ion a ge ed o p omo e STEAM hands-on expe imen s in p ima y schools. Du ing s uden s’ holidays in he poly echnic campus, child en’s pa en s signed a documen abou ag eemen o no ela ed o da a collec ion. In p ima y school classes, he school leade s au ho ized he s udy and in o med he pa en s abou i . When we go o p ima y school classes, he eache s always ha e he documen s signed by he child en’s pa en s, and da a is only collec ed om he child en whose pa en s au ho ized. In a i s s age, he game’s a ge audience was p ima y school s uden s and he i s e sion aimed a explo ing ou Sola Sys em. In he school yea 2016/2017, wo implemen a ion es s ook place on he campus o he Ins i u o Poli écnico de Toma du ing Ch is mas 2016 and Summe 2017 holidays. In his e sion, i was possible o isualize he plane s on he sma phone bu , because his was an incomple e e sion, QR code-based ma ke s we e used o gi e in o ma ion abou he plane s o he Sola Sys em [11]. Also, we used di e en models o sma phones acco ding o hei a ailabili y, and concluded ha low le el models may se iously comp omise he game pe o mance. This p elimina y s udy allowed he au ho s o conclude ha his app oach was e icien o ca ch child en’s a en ion and p omo e lea ning abou he plane s o he Sola Sys em. Fo his eason, i was decided o upg ade he game in he ollowing school yea s. In he school yea 2017/2018, an in o ma ion sys em ha communica es wi h he app (Figu e 3) was de eloped and may p o ide he playe wi h di e en expe iences e e y ime he plays he game. Fo example, i is possible o c ea e pedagogical e en s wi h o he plane a y sys ems o he Uni e se besides ou Sola Sys em. In addi ion, he back-o ice allows eache s and ins uc o s o in oduce con en s acco ding o he g ade le el hey each and, o his eason, i is possible o ex end he expe ience o any g ade le el [ 30 ]. Fu he mo e, he mobile app in o ms he Pla o m se e abou he esul s o he pedagogical e en , namely he sco es o he playe s. To implemen he game on he ield, we decided o buy 6 medium-le el sma phones ha gua an ee a good expe ience wi h he app. A e some es s, he sys em chosen was he sma phone SAMSUNG Galaxy J5 2017 16 GB model. This de ice made possible o begin deploying he game ou side he poly echnic campus. On he In e na ional Child en’s Day (2018 1s June), an expe ience ook place a Ma a dos Se e Mon es wi h 76 child en (Figu es 4and 5) wi h he suppo o Toma Ci y Council. Figu e 4. Expe ience wi h 76 child en in 2017 child en’s day. In o ma ion 2020,xx, 5 16 o 20 Du ing he implemen a ion o he game, i was obse ed he g ea en husiasm o he child en. F om he beginning, hey we e e y in e es ed in he opic and showed g ea commi men o play he game. In addi ion, he spi i o mu ual help and communica ion be ween pee s was obse ed, o example o choose he co ec answe o he ques ion displayed in he sma phone sc een. A e playing he game in p ima y schools, ocus g oup was pe o med be ween he s uden s, he eache s and wo o he esea che s ( i s wo au ho s o his pape ). As well as a ious mani es a ions o en husiasm abou he game, sugges ions o imp o emen a e also made, such as he in oduc ion o as e oids, among o he celes ial bodies. Almos all s uden s end up exp essing in e es in con inuing o play by asking how hey can ins all he game on hei sma phone o able . Teache s also pa icipa e by ein o cing he impo ance o in oducing hese app oaches o mo i a e child en o lea n. A e he good expe ience wi h s uden s and eache s, he p io i y was o p o ide a back-o ice ha would be use - iendly o p ima y school eache s, because ou inal goal is ha hey may implemen he game wi h hei s uden s adap ing he in o ma ion abou he plane s and ques ions o he g ade le el hey each. The celes ial objec s and he plane a y sys ems ha g oup hem oge he a e s o ed in eposi o ies ha may allow he sha ing o pedagogical con en s among eache s. Figu e 15 is an example o ou Sola Sys em ha is included in he public eposi o y. Figu e 15. Exce p o he eposi o y ha includes he Sola Sys em. Figu e 16 gi es an example o a webpage whe e ques ions abou he plane s may be in oduced. In his pa icula case, he mul iple-choice ques ion is ela ed o Ma s. O he webpages wi h ques ions abou o he plane s ha e a simila image. In o ma ion 2020,xx, 5 17 o 20 Figu e 16. Example o a webpage wi h a ques ion abou Ma s. Menus a e s ill in Po uguese bu ou nex p io i y is o in oduce mul i-language suppo in he nex e sion o Plane a ySys emGO, allowing ins uc o s o se in o ma ion and ques ionnai es in hei own language, hus eaching audiences a a mo e global le el (h p://Plane a ySys emGO.ip .p ). In summa y, he game consis s o disco e ing a plane a y sys em ha includes a se o celes ial objec s and is pa ame ized o be played in a eal en i onmen in he con ex o augmen ed eali y p o ided by he applica ion in a sma phone. The back-o ice is s ill unde de elopmen bu i al eady allows eache s o in oduce in o ma ion abou he plane s and ques ions o assess s uden s’ knowledge abou he con en s hey in oduce. 6. Conclusions AR is an eme ging opic ha has been gaining p ominence in o educa ion due o i s po en ial o engage s uden s in p ac ice-based ac i i ies [ 3 ]. In addi ion, he inc easing imp o emen in mobile de ices allows he use o AR applica ions, which gi es an easie access o his ool [ 7 ]. Howe e , despi e hese ecommenda ions, he li e a u e con inues o iden i y a lack o s udies ela ed o game-based lea ning, namely, abou he design o MAR applica ions a ge ed o o mal lea ning en i onmen s [ 8 ] and in pa icula loca ion-based games [3]. This pape p esen s a mobile augmen ed eali y pla o m called Plane a ySys emGO, wi h lea ning pu poses in ended o p omo ing lea ning abou plane a y sys ems. The Plane a ySys emGO pla o m includes h ee componen s: Web pla o m, da abase se e , and mobile app. The mobile app, which may be used in sma phones, consis s o a loca ion-based game ha equi es GPS and consequen ly is an ou doo e sion. When he playe s a s he app, his posi ion in he eal wo ld has a coo dina e ha ep esen s he s a o he plane a y sys em. Nex , guided by he app, hey need o walk in he eal en i onmen o ind he o bi s and he plane s o he plane a y sys em. A each s age o he game ( inding he o bi , “hun ing” he plane and answe ing he ques ion) he playe s gain poin s (Figu e 1). The playe wi h he bes sco e and he bes ime wins he game, which p omo es he playe ’s engagemen and mo i a ion p o ided by he compe i ion among he pee s [ 12 ]. Also, because i p o ides in e ac ion wi h he eal wo ld wi h physical mo emen and social in e ac ion, i may be included in he pe asi e games’ pa adigm [9]. The MAR app has been he subjec o se e al implemen a ion es s in he ield wi h he a ge ed public ha demons a ed he game can engage child en o play i and o lea n abou he Sola Sys em. Also, ques ionnai es we e applied o p ima y eache s who conside ed ha he game is adequa e o he school cu iculum and p omo es s uden s’ in e es o lea n. In o ma ion 2020,xx, 5 18 o 20 The back-o ice allows eache s o in oduce in o ma ion abou celes ial bodies and, also, de elop a se o mul iple-choice ques ions o assess s uden ’s lea ning abou he subjec ma e s hey each. In addi ion, i gi es access o he sco es o he playe s and he answe s each playe ga e o ques ions. Fo his eason, we a gue he Plane a ySys emGO pla o m may be implemen ed in o mal lea ning en i onmen s and can be adap ed by he eache o any le el o school cu iculum. Fu he mo e, he in oduc ion o mul i-language suppo in u u e e sions allows he implemen a ion o he pla o m in any coun y o he wo ld. Ou nex s ep is o de elop implemen a ion es s abou he use o he back-o ice by eache s o assess i s usabili y and p o ide imp o emen s whene e necessa y acco ding o eache s needs and sugges ions. Howe e , due o he posi i e opinions o eache s abou he implemen a ion o he game in in o mal and o mal lea ning en i onmen s, we belie e his s age will be success ul. In summa y, he MAR game has been he subjec o se e al implemen a ion es s wi h p ima y school s uden s in in o mal and o mal lea ning en i onmen s. Also, p ima y school eache s answe ed ques ionnai es ela ed o he impac o he game on hei s uden s. Based on he esul s, we conclude ha he game p omo es s uden s’ in e es and engagemen o play i and o lea n abou he Sola Sys em. Finally, we a gue ha his pla o m may be used as a esou ce o be implemen ed in in o mal and o mal lea ning en i onmen s. 7. Limi a ions o he S udy and Wo k o he Fu u e As men ioned be o e, he Plane a ySys emGO pla o m is s ill unde de elopmen wi h he aim o imp o ing i and in oduce new ea u es. Fo example, he implemen a ion es s occu ed wi h he Sola Sys em, and we in end o in oduce o he plane a y sys ems o he Uni e se. In addi ion, we in en o include moons, as e oids, and o he celes ial bodies in he nex i e a ions o he game which is al eady being upg aded. Mo eo e , he e is he need o imp o e he game pe o mance in wha conce ns i s s abili y ela ed o sma phone senso s such as GPS, accele ome e and gy oscope. In ac , he e a e some echnological di icul ies ela ed o he game pe o mance such as ins abili y p o oked by GPS and inco ec gy oscope eading. Fu he mo e, i is necessa y o de elop implemen a ion es s wi h di e en models o sma phones o assess i s pe o mance on di e en models. We al eady obse ed ha low le el models may se iously comp omise game pe o mance bu mo e esea ch is necessa y in his ma e . In addi ion, o p omo e he in e na ionaliza ion o he pla o m, he in oduc ion o a mul i-language suppo in u u e e sions o Plane a ySys emGO is a p io i y. This ool allows ins uc o s o any coun y o p o ide in o ma ion abou he celes ial bodies and o se ques ionnai es in hei own language. Also, ou goal is o publish he so wa e sys em (e.g., h ough he And oid s o e). The globaliza ion o his p oduc will ha e, as a consequence he collec ion o se e al pe o mance indica o s, such as he numbe o downloads, ac i e use s, use ime, among o he ele an s a is ics. Finally, we in en o in oduce a be e e alua ion o he game using mo e sound ins umen s o measu emen o p o ide mo e in o ma ion abou i s impac on he s uden s. Ou inal goal is o include he Plane a ySys emGO pla o m in a con inuing eache s’ p o essional de elopmen p og am in he con ex o ou STEAM b oade p ojec . Au ho Con ibu ions: Concep ualiza ion, M.C., A.M., and J.P.; me hodology, M.C. and A.M.; so wa e, A.M.; alida ion, M.C., A.M., and J.P.; o mal analysis, M.C. and J.P.; in es iga ion, M.C., A.M., and J.P.; esou ces, M.C., A.M., and J.P.; da a cu a ion, M.C. and A.M.; w i ing—o iginal d a p epa a ion, M.C.; w i ing— e iew and edi ing, M.C., A.M., and J.P.; isualiza ion, M.C. and A.M; p ojec adminis a ion, M.C. and J.P.; unding acquisi ion, M.C. The o al con ibu ions o he au ho s a e as ollows: M.C.–0.6, A.M. –0.3, J.P.–0.1 Funding: This wo k is suppo ed by na ional unds h ough FCT - Founda ion o Science and Technology, I. P., in he con ex o he p ojec PTDC/CED-EDG/32422/2017, and h ough he Médio Tejo In e municipal Communi y, unde p ojec “Ciências nas Escolas”. In o ma ion 2020,xx, 5 19 o 20 Acknowledgmen s: The au ho s wish o hank he Compu e Enginee ing Teache And é Ca alho, and he Compu e Enginee ing BSc s uden s o Ins i u o Poli écnico de Toma , Miguel Sil a, Ra ael Lopes, Telmo Fa ia and Be na do Aleg ia, o hei e o on he de elopmen o he Plane a ySys em pla o m. Con lic s o In e es : The au ho s decla e no con lic s o in e es . Re e ences 1. Azuma, R.T. A su ey o augmen ed eali y. P esence: Teleope a o . Vi ual En i on. 1997,6, 355–385. 2. Hwang, G.J.; Wu, P.H.; Chen, C.C.; Tu, N.T. E ec s o an augmen ed eali y-based educa ional game on s uden s’ lea ning achie emen s and a i udes in eal-wo ld obse a ions. In e ac . Lea n. 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