Ateneo Laboratory for the Learning Sciences

The JSET-AECT 2018 Summer International Research Symposium, to be held on September 7–9, 2018 at the Future University Hakodate and Takuboku-Tei,  aims to advance the work of researchers who are actively involved in the field of educational technology. It will bring together experienced and young researchers in this field to exchange and share their research results and engage in a lively discussion on issues related to their research topics.

At this symposium, the keynote speakers will introduce approaches to the design of learning environments in order to describe the factors in building a learning community and in cultivating their community of practice. These approaches can also be applied effectively to schools and local communities in order to identify the current issues and problems. For example, one approach, in particular, emphasizes the pedagogical concepts of “collaborative meta-learning” and “social motivation.”

During the symposium, Eric Cesar E. Vidal, Jr., ALLS Researcher and Ph.D. Student, will be presenting on his project entitled, Mobile Augmented-Reality Game Engine for jumping castle Instructional Support.

MAGIS (Mobile Augmented-Reality Game Engine for Instructional Support) is an engine for producing location-based augmented-reality (AR) educational games using a smartphone or tablet.  Augmented Reality refers to real-time superimposition of virtual objects on the real world (Azuma, 1997), such as through a smartphone camera feed augmented with 3-D graphics on the smartphone’s screen.  Location-Based AR additionally considers the user’s real-world location (Reitmayr & Schmalstieg, 2003), i.e., using the smartphone’s GPS.  Location-Based AR offers a new form of learning environment where learners physically travel to locations relevant to the learning content, such as historical monuments or museum exhibits. MAGIS facilitates the development of location-based AR educational content, using a narrative-based adventure game format (Neitzel, 2005).

MAGIS has been used in two released games, Igpaw: Intramuros (Rodrigo, Caluya, Diy, & Vidal, 2015) and Igpaw: Loyola (Vidal et al., 2018 {to be published}). MAGIS’s technical framework is composed of a game scripting language, a mapping subsystem to facilitate user location tracking, a device-sensor-based AR tracking module, and an analytics subsystem capable of monitoring users’ learning progress (Vidal, Ty, Caluya, & Rodrigo, 2016). These modules are coupled with Vuforia’s vision-based AR library and the Unity game engine.

MAGIS is currently being upgraded to support newer AR technologies such as Google ARCore and Apple ARKit, as well as integrating Hand Gesture Recognition as a novel way of interacting with AR.  Usability studies are being performed on MAGIS-powered games (e.g., Rodrigo, Vidal, Caluya, Agapito, & Diy, 2016) to measure their impact on student learning and engagement.

The Ateneo Laboratory for the Learning Sciences conducted an instructional workshop for the Mobile Augmented Reality Game Engine for Instructional Support (M.A.G.I.S.) Game Engine at the University of San Jose-Recoletos on July 27 and 28, 2018. The M.A.G.I.S. Game Engine was used to create instructional augmented reality games such as Igpaw: Intramuros and Igpaw: Loyola, both of which are available on the Google PlayStore and Apple App Store.

Melvin Luis Mendoza, Japheth Samaco, and JM Santos, three members from the MAGIS development team, conducted the workshop for a total of 17 participants composed of students and faculty from the university. Most of the participants kept up with all of the discussions. They were able to modify the sample game provided with their own content, which was the workshop’s main exercise. In addition, some of the participants were able to deploy their modified games to their phones.

Overall, the workshop was successful in sharing the MAGIS Game Engine to more aspiring augmented reality game developers. ALLS and the MAGIS team would like to thank University of San Jose-Recoletos for their participation in the workshop, and their hospitality during the team’s stay in Cebu.

The Department of Science and Technology recently concluded “Science for the People” in celebration of the National Science and Technology Week this 17th to 21st of July, 2018. The theme of “Innovation for Collective Prosperity” hosted at this platform showcased our country’s achievements in science and technology as well as their intended applications of its products and findings. The institution urged all Filipinos to apply creativity in technology as a critical factor in solving many of the country’s problems and in bouncy castle improving the lives of its citizens.

ALLS, represented by Joal Rose Lin, Jose Isidro Beraquit, Japeth Samaco, Nicole Bugayong, John Michael Santos, and Luis Raphael Tomas Lim, were assigned to exhibit the Igpaw Igpaw: Intramuros, Igpaw: Loyola, and reADMU.txt.

The Grand Challenges in Computing (GCC), held on July 27-28, 2018 at the University of the Immaculate Conception, Texas St./Bonifacio St., Davao City, is an annual conference organized annually by the CSP-SPICE. This year, in partnership with the Computing Society of the Philippines-Special Interest Group on Information and Computing Education (CSP-SPICE), the University of the Immaculate Conception had hosted GCC. The two day conference featured special lectures from prominent researchers and educators in the information and communications technology and contributed research papers on computing and ICT.

ALLS representatives, Dr. Maria Mercedes Rodrigo, Cesar Alipiz Tecson, and Michelle Banawan, were included among the panel of reactors.

The theme was “Science-based Transformations for Sustainability and Resiliency” at the 40th Annual Scientific Meeting organized by the National Academy of Science and Technology of the Philippines on July 17 – 21. The gathering seeks to help ventilate, discuss, clarify and expound science and technology issues and to use the results to formulate policies and other functions. According to the institution, the event also serves to provide analyses and science-based solutions and policy bouncy castle recommendations to the government, the private sector and society at large.

ALLS, represented by Joal Rose Lin, Jose Isidro Beraquit, Japeth Samaco, and Nicole Bugayong, was part of the Ateneo contingent.  We showed the Igpaw: Intramuros, Igpaw: Loyola, and reADMU.tx