Overview
AR scavenger hunt where cyber-smarts guide you to the next glowing surfboard.
Methods, Measures, & Results
1. Background:
I built this in the CyberCity Tulsa intensive workshop, under review by top professors at The University of Tulsa (TU) in their Cyber Security programs. This project was vetted for instructional best practices, as well as for meeting Computer Science content standards. It created a progressive quest to build on Cyber Safety knowledge for younger students (grades 3-5). But the idea is adaptable to any content, for any age!
2. Impact:
Students who completed the AR quest had better Cyber Safety practices than those who only took the district's online course. Data included surveys and grades. The key takeaway is that by making it into an adventure, and getting people moving and involved (immersed), they remember the experience and the knowledge/learning sinks in because it is attached to the memorable experience.
3. Development/How it Works:
I put a sample up on the Scavengar app, so you can get an idea of how it works. Just download Scavengar then search "surf" (it's the first result). You can do this anywhere (back yard, big room, etc). When it says, "get a pic of a streetsign" that would actually be on a nearby poster (this was set up with posters around a building as the "checkpoints"). Then, the poster content provides the information needed to get the questions right. This is the simplest formula to get learners up and moving, and involved. I just wanted you to see how this structure could be dressed up and deepened to bring any content alive! What is not shown here is the added bonus of AR adventures that there could be "practice it" stations added in. Then, evidence of practical application could be built in as a type of formative assessment. Further, it could be pieces of a whole process or concept, where the last trek is a summative assessment where the pieces / steps are all incorporated.
4. Takeaway:
Through this workshop and project, I learned how to procedurally create content objective-aligned AR scavenger hunts that transform the staid online curriculum (which is too often, sadly, just a binder slapped into a slide deck with some drawings/clip art) into lived learning. It's also possible on larger scales with Google Maps, or even as VR within Oculus where real world places provide the content. This AR Scavenger Hunt was a quick study, but with a week of development/design time, the possibilities for AR significantly improving measurable learning outcomes are endless.
Deep Dive
into the Endless Possibilities of AR Quests
Below: video walkthrough of lesson plan, and design notes
Whether using Scavengar app, Google Maps, or wholly online options, AR quests offer some of the most comprehensive learning experiences imaginable. Check out the lists & scroll for details on each.
Imagine these use cases
Branded Learning Content
Metaphorically Stylized
Narrative Storylines
Onboarding
Location Based Training
Remote Teams
Involvement & Active Learning
Accessibility Concerns
Even more ideas
Immersive RPG style teambuilding
Gamification
An actual metaphorical world (comprehensive)
Given a week, and clear content needs, I can create truly immersive adventures for any age, especially adults. The AR adventure can stand alone or incorporate themed graphics, external gamification, rewards, other resources, and more! I also did a concept mock of the same lesson for older students.
Imagine if:
it was all your branding?
Or if it was metaphorically stylized to match your content?
What if it was a narrative storyline paralleling the learning journey?
If you watch the video, you can start to imagine adding 3D animations, characters (like NPC's), floating glowing magical items, and more!
Imagine if done in the context of a business or school:
Do you have common buildings / grounds?
An AR adventure can be set right inside your campus. OR anywhere!
The checkpoints can be made based on actual rooms, buildings, playgrounds, parking lots, or any locations!
Whether for an"onboarding adventure" so employees get to know their way around (to train on physical location resources), or a one off training need a built in adventure keep everyone engaged & in action as they hunt for clues).
What if you have a remote or spread out team or clients with special needs?
My sample shows the "from anywhere" structure, which would be ideal for remote teams who are not all at the same building!
Instead of posters or objects at campus checkpoints, "from anywhere learners" can have links to online resources! And those can be infographics, interactives, animations, or, well, really anything!
My AR adventures can be made accessible to anyone. Learners who have physical challenges could do the AR quest from a wheelchair, a swimming pool, or simply by moving their phone to different spots around them!
Imagine your team not just training, but team-building while questing for lost arcana and treasures:
Consider a role-playing AR adventure where learners choose their character type and each character's quest takes a different route?!
They all might end up in a large room where teams of tank, healer, fighters are designated. Teams discuss the differences in their journeys and do a final "dungeon" AR quest together?
This direction combines team-building & measurable learning outcomes with multiple evidence-based instructional methodologies--plus it is so fun and never feels like PD / Training / School!
The possibilities are endless...
Tell me where you need to engage your people, and I can create the ultimate learning experience to ensure they are totally involved and experience deep learning of all the content. Whether audiences are 5 or 105, AR adventures and scavenger hunts bring out the child at heart in everyone!
** Design Notes
This was put together in short time as the final project for the Cyber City Tulsa program at TU. The graphic scheme is elementary/flat on purpose for transporting younger students into a "surfing" metaphor-- something students still remember years later. It had to be intense enough to warn them of the serious dangers lurking online without scaring them or upsetting them.
Lesson Plan Walkthrough
Concept
(undeveloped)
Below is a concept I put together for older students or adults who need to be scared to some extent in order to align their thinking with the harsh reality of cyber security threats.
I included a short interactive highlighting the powers you might wield and why. This could be as a character in a 3D online game, or in an AR adventure in a nearby natural setting.
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