The Norwegian Research Council project “ArtsApp: How technology impacts motivation and interest for learning species” recently started. The project officially started January 1st, 2018, but recently hired Lucas Jeno as the Postdoctal Fellow that will lead the research activity for the project. The project last until the end of 2021 and aims at having a fully functioning mobile application with multiple species identification keys to be used in education and for private use. Along with partners from bioCEED, SLATE, University of Stavanger, and the Centre for Science Education, we will develop and test the ArtsApp on elementary students, teachers, and higher education students.
Specifically, we will conduct qualitative interviews, observational studies, randomized experiments, learning analytics, longitudinal studies, and a systematic review. The project is guided by the motivational theory Self-Determination Theory, and much of the research on mobile learning lacks such a theoretical foundation. Thus, the aim of project is to be at the forefront of the research on motivation and mobile learning, and to provide practical guidelines for smartphone developers in how to facilitate learning and engagement