Introducing pre-service education students to university experiences through an augmented reality game

Augmented reality has come into its own recently due to the advent of Pokemon Go. However, this technology has been around for several years and there is an increasing body of knowledge available. This study reports on an augmented reality game (ARG), called the UQ Amazing Race, that was developed for a first year education course for students studying to be teachers. Students had the opportunity to complete the UQ Amazing Race in class tutorials and then report on their experiences by completing a survey a week later. Students’ experiences were investigated particularly regarding how the experience is different by gender and comfort with technology. Results suggest the game was engaging for all students but particularly positive for female students. Students with more comfort with technology reported significantly higher participation in the ARG.