[publication] Porting a Native Android App to iOS #ios #appdevelopment #tugraz

Our publication on “Porting a Native Android App to iOS” got published in the nternational Journal of Interactive Mobile Technologies (iJIM):

Abstract:
The two mobile operating systems Android and i(Pad)OS have dominated the smartphone and tablet market for years and app providers have to offer their apps for both systems in most cases in order to be competitive or to be able to reach the majority of potential customers. In native app development, separate applications have to be written and maintained for each platform. Often, apps are developed for one platform first and the second app is developed at a later stage, after some feedback could be collected. This porting from one system to the other can be either (partially) automated or manual, but in any case, it has its challenges. Both systems were designed with different approaches and differ greatly in some parts from each other – not only visually, but also in terms of the underlying structure. To illustrate the porting process, the Android app “Schoolstart Screening App”, which was developed for the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research of Austria by Graz University of Technology at the OU Educational Technology, was ported so that it can be used also on iPads. Automated approaches were discussed and the chosen process is explained to get a good overview of the topic.

[article @ journal’s homepage]
[article @ ResearchGate]

Reference: Rauter, M., Wachtler, J., & Ebner, M. (2023). Porting a Native Android App to iOS: Porting Process Shown by the Example of the “Schoolstart Screening App”. International Journal of Interactive Mobile Technologies (iJIM), 17(23), pp. 20–31. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v17i23.43829

[publication] Perceived Effects of Mixed Reality in Distance Learning for the Mining Education Sector #mixedreality #research

One of our contributions to the HCII 2023 was titled “Perceived Effects of Mixed Reality in Distance Learning for the Mining Education Sector” and it got published right now:

Abstract:
Mixed reality as a tool for teaching has made only limited use of its possibilities so far. However, it brings a plethora of new opportunities, with benefits ranging from interactivity to more vividness. These factors could improve numerous areas of teaching. The mining sector would benefit from new methods combined with mixed reality especially. Therefore, the MiReBooks project was launched: Various applications have been developed that can vividly present content using 3D models, virtual field trips and other methods. To verify and further improve these tools, an evaluation phase was conducted. During two test lectures in distance learning, a total of 23 participants answered a posttest questionnaire. The results showed that the teaching quality could be maintained well by the mixed reality application even in distance learning. Students were satisfied with the methods used, attributed good usability to the tool, and felt integrated into the classroom. At the same time, the team realized that the quality of the lesson depends heavily on the quality of the materials and the expertise of the lecturer. It also became clear that other factors, such as the technical infrastructure and support, are particularly important in this format.

[full article @ publisher’s homepage]
[draft @ ResearchGate]

Reference: Thurner, S., Schön, S., Ebner, M., Leitner, P., Daling, L. (2023). Perceived Effects of Mixed Reality in Distance Learning for the Mining Education Sector. In: Zaphiris, P., Ioannou, A. (eds) Learning and Collaboration Technologies. HCII 2023. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 14041. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-34550-0_15

[publication] Developing an Addition and Subtraction Trainer with Automated Categorization of Errors for Learners in Their First Two Years of Primary School #tugraz #research #mlearning

Our research publication titled “Developing an Addition and Subtraction Trainer with Automated Categorization of Errors for Learners in Their First Two Years of Primary School” for the EDMedia and Innovative Learning 2023 conference is published.

Abstract: This paper discusses the development and testing of a gamified mathematical learning app. Said app is designed for primary school children in their first two years of learning, so that they can practice the arithmetic operations addition and subtraction in a playful way. Predefined error categories are used to specifically eliminate weaknesses. As an incentive for the learners, mascots, stars and a child-oriented look are offered, as well as a mode in which the players can compete with others worldwide and, in the case of good performance, find themselves on the leaderboard. A test run and a subsequently conducted survey with 49 school children showed that the app generally works well and that the subjective perceptions regarding the motivational ability of the mascots correlate with the overall perception of the app.

[preprint @ ResearchGate]
[publication @ publisher’s homepage]

Reference: Zöhrer, H., Wachtler, J. & Ebner, M. (2023). Developing an Addition and Subtraction Trainer with Automated Categorization of Errors for Learners in Their First Two Years of Primary School. In T. Bastiaens (Ed.), Proceedings of EdMedia + Innovate Learning (pp. 832-843). Vienna, Austria: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Retrieved July 19, 2023 from https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/222586/.

[publication]The Development of Two Math E-Learning Systems for Primary School Children in Android #tugraz #mlearning #research

Our publication titled “The Development of Two Math E-Learning Systems for Primary School Children in Android” for the EDMedia and Innovative Learning 2023 conference is now online available:

Abstract: Electronic learning, with all its different variations, approaches and applications, is a very relevant topic in today’s education. E-Learning is a wide field, as it affects classes in school as well as training scenarios for adult persons. This work describes the development of two E-Learning systems: EinMalEins Trainer and Division Trainer. Both applications are part of the learning lab of Graz University of Technology. This document sums up the theoretical background of the development process as well as the realization. A lot of emphasis in this work laid on applying different testing methods, therefore thinking aloud testing as well as automated testing are handled more deeply. The methodology behind these methods is explained and the results are presented.

[Preprint @ ResearchGate]
[Publication @ Publisher’s homepage]

Reference: Plieschnegger, M., Wachtler, J. & Ebner, M. (2023). The Development of Two Math E-Learning Systems for Primary School Children in Android. In T. Bastiaens (Ed.), Proceedings of EdMedia + Innovate Learning (pp. 798-810). Vienna, Austria: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Retrieved July 19, 2023 from https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/222581/

[publication] Development of an Amazon Alexa App for a University Online Search #alexa #research #tugraz

Our chapter about “Development of an Amazon Alexa App for a University Online Search” for the HCII 2022 conference got published.

Abstract:
Today, our homes become smarter and smarter. We started to interact with our home with Intelligent Personal Assistants, like Amazon Alexa. In this paper we want to present and give a review on the Alexa skill developed for an online search for resources like rooms, courses, and persons. The goal is to provide the users an easy-to-use way to ask for information like phone numbers, e-mail addresses, room details, … and the Alexa Skill should provide this information also in an easy understandable way. We will describe how we solved to formulate suitable search queries from spoken Alexa commands and how we presented them to the user accordingly. Other obstacles like the presentation of the search results, due to the limited context and prioritization for individual search results, to the user will be discussed.

[full article @ book’s homepage]
[draft @ ResearchGate]

Reference: Rupitz, J., Ebner, M., Ebner, M. (2022). Development of an Amazon Alexa App for a University Online Search. In: Zaphiris, P., Ioannou, A. (eds) Learning and Collaboration Technologies. Designing the Learner and Teacher Experience. HCII 2022. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 13328. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-05657-4_10

[master] Math trainer as a chatbot via system(push) messages for Android #tugraz #research #chatbot

Mirza defended successfully his master thesis about “Math trainer as a chatbot via system(push) messages for Android”. Find here his final slides:

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[publication] Evaluation of Mixed Reality Technologies in Remote Teaching #VirtualReality #tugraz #education

Our chapter for the HCII conference 2022 about “Evaluation of Mixed Reality Technologies in Remote Teaching” got published.

Abstract:
The trend towards remote teaching is steadily increasing and intensified by the current situation of the global pandemic. This is a particular challenge for subjects with a high practical relevance, such as mining engineering education, as practical experiences and on-site excursions are an integral part of the curriculum. In face-to-face teaching settings, mixed reality technologies are already considered a promising medium for the implementation of e.g., virtual field trips. Based on this, the current study addresses the question to what extent the integration of mixed reality technologies is suitable for remote teaching and which strengths and challenges are perceived by students and teachers. For this purpose, two 60-min remote lectures in the field of mining engineering were conducted, in which the use of mixed reality was tested on the basis of shared 360° experiences and 3D models and evaluated by students and teachers. Results reveal that the use of mixed reality in remote teaching was perceived as useful, enabled a realistic experience and improved students’ understanding of presented theory compared to traditional teaching methods. In this paper, we discuss possible potentials and risks of using mixed reality in remote teaching and derive directions for further research.

[full article @ book’s homepage]
[draft @ ResearchGate]

Reference: Daling, L.M., Khoadei, S., Kalkofen, D., Thurner, S., Sieger, J., Shepel, T., Abdelrazeq, A., Ebner, Markus, Ebner, Martin & Isenhardt, I (2022). Evaluation of Mixed Reality Technologies in Remote Teaching. In: Zaphiris, P., Ioannou, A. (eds) Learning and Collaboration Technologies. Novel Technological Environments. HCII 2022. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 13329. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-05675-8_3

[publication] Math Trainer as a Chatbot Via System (Push) Messages for Android #education #TechnologyEnhancedLearning

Our research titled “Math Trainer as a Chatbot Via System (Push) Messages for Android” got published in the newest issue of the International Journal of Interactive Mobile Technologies.

Abstract:
In the recent years, as technology grew, so did the chatbot technology. More and more companies and people are using and reaping the benefits from them. This paper shows how a chatbot for mathematical tasks, named mathbot, was developed. The chatbot uses mathematical exercises from the “Schulapps” of the LearningLab of Graz, University of Technology and combines them with textual questions to provide a useful utility for practicing. It is shown that such a chatbot could be useful for pupils and teachers by evaluating a test run in an elementary school.

[publication @ journal’s homepage]
[publication @ researchgate]

Reference: Kabiljagić, M., Wachtler, J., Ebner, M., & Ebner, M. (2022). Math Trainer as a Chatbot Via System (Push) Messages for Android. International Journal of Interactive Mobile Technologies (iJIM), 16(17), pp. 75–87. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v16i17.33351

[book] micro:bit – Das Schulbuch #digitaleGrundbildung

Das “micro:bit – Das Schulbuch” ist nun in der zweiten Auflage online verfügbar und gründsätzlich auch für den Lehrplan des neuen Unterrichtsfaches “Digitale Grundbildung” geeignet:

Auf diesem WIKI finden sich Beispiele und weiteres Material zum österreichischen Schulbuch über den BBC micro:bit. Seit September 2022 gibt es eine zweite adaptierte und erweitere Auflage des Buches. Das gedruckte Buch dient dabei als Ideengeber und kann ausreichen, um alle darin vorgestellten Aufgaben zu lösen. Sollten Hinweise, Tipps oder Lösungen zu den Aufgaben gesucht werden, wird man auf dieser Webseite fündig. Die erste Auflage des Buches stellt exemplarisch 22 Projekte vor, in der zweiten Auflage finden sich 39 Beispiele, die in der Sekundarstufe I in einem fächerübergreifenden, projektorientierten Unterricht eingesetzt werden können. Es ist kein reines Informatik- oder “Programmierlernbuch”. Es verwendet den BBC micro:bit als Grundlage für spannende und kreative Projekte. Der notwendige Code kann, wenn man einmal eine Idee für den Algorithmus gefunden hat, ganz einfach direkt im Webbrowser erstellt, getestet und danach bei Bedarf heruntergeladen und auf einem realen micro:bit installiert werden.

Das ganze Buch und das Wiki findet man hier: https://microbit.eeducation.at/wiki/Hauptseite

Weiters gibt es auf iMooX.at auch einen MOOC der Lehrer:innen beim Einsatz unterstützen soll: [Link zum kostenlosen Online-Kurs]