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ThesisCC BY V4.0, Open Access
Dissertation
A Situated Learning Perspective on an Alternate Reality Game in Higher Education: Insights and Recommendations for Design
University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
Doctor of Philosophy, University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
2026
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25907/01010
Abstract
The massification of higher education has seen increased diversity in students entering tertiary study. Contemporary university students may be under-prepared for the rigour of higher education, disengaged from formal study or managing work or family responsibilities alongside their study commitments. Proponents of game-based learning suggest that playful activities with learning objectives can provide an enjoyable way of engaging some of these diverse learners. This thesis is a multi-perspective analysis of a university course with an Alternate Reality Game (ARG) embedded in its curriculum to find out how it shaped learning. An ARG is a game that blurs the line between fiction and reality. These games use the real world as a platform to engage players in solving puzzles and challenges to advance a narrative. Participants pretend to believe in the fiction. Educators can embed activities with learning objectives into the game. Within an ARG, participants use real-world technologies and locations to carry out game-world tasks, emphasising the “reality” aspect. To evaluate student learning in this course, an exploratory case study was completed over two years. It applied a framework of situated learning – a concept which posits that learning is inherently situated in physical and social contexts (Brown et al., 1989). This framework was used to define what learning would look like in practice before investigation of how the game influenced learning. Data were generated through interviews, observations, and documents to analyse how, and the extent to which, students participated in the ARG; why many students did not participate; through what alternative avenues they were learning; and what learning the game supported. The ARG proved to be a helpful tool for encouraging students to get to know one another and work together. It engaged students with course theory and provided options for the instructors to customise feedback. However, the game significantly benefited a minority of students, with others finding it neutral, or a hindrance. The inclusion of non-participating and minimally participating students highlighted tensions between the structure of an ARG and the nature of learning in higher education and revealed problematic aspects of game-based learning. The theoretical framework applied to this research and related prior research offers insights into why the ARG struggled to engage participants and provides design recommendations for integrating ARG-based learning in higher education in ways that may prove more rewarding to educators and their students.
Details
- Title
- A Situated Learning Perspective on an Alternate Reality Game in Higher Education: Insights and Recommendations for Design
- Authors
- Sandra Elsom - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Education and Tertiary Access
- Contributors
- Margaret Marshman (Principal Supervisor) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Education and Tertiary AccessColleen Stieler-Hunt (Co-Supervisor)
- Awarding institution
- University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
- Degree awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Publisher
- University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
- DOI
- 10.25907/01010
- Organisation Unit
- School of Education and Tertiary Access
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991208975402621
- Output Type
- Dissertation
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