Yu-Chang Hsu presented on his experiences teaching mobile app design using App Inventor through both online and in-person formats. He discussed an online, quest-based learning camp for adult learners that took place over 3 weeks. He also discussed a 5-day in-person camp for high school students where they built practice apps over the first few days and then designed their own apps. Students created a variety of apps, and feedback was very positive. Hsu emphasized the benefits of App Inventor's interface for focusing on tasks as well as the game-like elements of the quest-based format. He also discussed some challenges faced and lessons learned from the different programs.

1. Yu-Chang Hsu, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Educational Technology
Boise State University
App Inventor Summit 2013
@ MIT Media Lab
Cambridge, MA
A Tale of Two Camps on App Inventor:
Online Quest-based Learning for Adult Learners and
F2F Mentoring with High School Students

2. Teaching Mobile App Design with
AI
• 6-week online PD Workshop (Summer 2011)
• 16-week online Graduate Course (Fall 2011, 2012, 2013)
• 3-week online quest-based learning Teacher Camp
(Summer 2012)
• 5-day F2F High School Summer Camp (Summer
2012)
• 2-week online quest-based learning Teacher Camp (Spring 2012)
• 1.5-hour BSU Faculty Workshop (Fall 2012)
• 5-day F2F High School Summer Camp (Summer 2013)

3. Quest-based Learning Camp for
Adult Learners
• Summer 2012
• 3 weeks
• 10 quests
• 3D GameLab
• Live meeting via Adobe Connect
• 34 Adult Learners

4. Quest-based Learning on
3D GameLab

5. List of Quests in Portal

6. Prerequisites and
Standards Mapping

7. Forums on the Guild Site

8. Benefits
• AI's separate windows help students focus on individual
tasks (interface or coding)
• Quest-based learning
o Self-paced and flexible
o No pressure
• 3D GameLab Environment
o Prerequisite setup
o Convenient for teacher to map content with standards
o Consistent interface design
o Game-like environment
o Built-in game elements (XP, badges)
o Quest (product) rating by players (consumers)

9. Quests Completion
Summer Camp (2012) + Winter Camp (2013)
Q1 : 51 (setup)
Q2 : 22 (intro)
Q3: 16 (practice)
Q4: 10 (practice)
Q5: 8 (practice)
Q6: 8 (practice)
Q7: 3 (proposal)
Q8: 2 (interface)
Q9: 2 (blocks/programming)
Q10: 2 (completed apps)

10. Issues and Implications--
Infrastructure
• Separate Sites instead of All-in-One
o Portal for Quests
o Guild Site for Discussions
o Adobe Connect for Live Meeting
Proximity and Integration
Matters

11. Issues and Implications--
Consequences and Requirement
• Quest-based learning not tied with
"consequences"
o No sense of "failing", no pressure on completing all
quests
 Can always come back within a year
 Simply quit when it's getting more difficult.
• "Okay, I got the idea. I'll try it later."
• You need a push sometimes to get through the bottleneck.
o No requirement on providing peer feedback
 Solution: Build in requirement of and encourage
providing peer review

12. Issues and Implications--
Incentives and Motivation (system level)
• XP's or Badges do not matter that much--
in this case
o Adult learners care about what they actually learn
o Incentives have no practical values, unless tied to
actual PD credits
 Solution: Get buy-in from schools and make it
acknowledged PD curriculum/content
• Other candies (strands of quests) in the
shop
o Solution: Focused offering of one strand and then
move on to the other

13. F2F Mentoring with High
School Students

14. TRiO Upward Bound Students
• Qualifications:
o First-generation college bound, limited income, first
generation and college bound, and are in need of
assistance to expand their educational opportunities.
• General profile: Hispanic, native American,
refugees
• 13 high school students--6 girls and 7 boys

15. Activities
• 5-day class as part of Exploratory Class or Digital Technology
Class
• Hands-on/Tutorial/Facilitation/Mentoring
• Assistants
o CS major college student
o Tech Coordinator
o TRiO UB Academic Mentor (college student from past TRiO
UB)
• Day 1-3: Build 3 to 5 Practice Apps
• Day 4: Design and Build their own apps
• Day 5: Presentation
o Interface
o Prototype
o Completed Apps

16. CT and Mentoring
• Model Design Problem Decomposition
• Emphasize major concepts and components in AI
• Actively respond to students' need in class and
teachable moment
o Where are the blocks?
• Actively prompt about design consideration (button
size, usability, playability etc.)
• Provide Design Challenge by CS students
o Encourage CS students' engagement in the
curriculum
o Encourage high school students to seek for
challenge

17. High School Students' Apps

18. VF Drum

19. Snake

20. SNAP The Music Player

21. Mood Finder-1

22. Mood Finder-2

23. Nursery Rhyme-1

24. Testimonials
"Very fun and helpful"
"organized and had a positive attitude"
"great teacher"
"I learned new things"
"I loved making apps. I might continue doing them"

25. Final Thoughts
• Online and F2F
• Adult and Teenagers
• Tutorial and Build from Scratch
• Mentors/Tutors
o CS Majors
o Seniors from past classes

26. Q&A

27. More about My Work with AI in Education
Graduate Course:
EDTECH 597: Mobile App Design for Teaching and Learning
http://edtech.boisestate.edu/docs/teaching/syllabi/fall12/EDTECH597-appdesign_fall2012.pdf
Story: Teaching Mobile App Design with App Inventor at Boise State University
http://appinventor.mit.edu/explore/stories/teaching-mobile-app-design-app-inventor-boise-state-university.htm
In the News:
Idaho High School Students Get a Taste of College Life
http://news.boisestate.edu/update/2013/07/15/yu-chang-hsu-5/
Boise State Students Win First and Second in MIT App Contest (students from my app design
course)
http://news.boisestate.edu/update/2013/01/09/boise-state-students-win-first-and-second-at-mit-app-contest
/
Academic Paper:
Empowering educators with Google’s Android App Inventor: An online workshop in mobile app
design (published in British Journal of Educational Technology, 2012)
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-8535.2011.01241.x/abstract
Mobile app design for teaching and learning: Educator’s experiences in an online graduate course
(accepted; The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning)

28. Image Credit
• Android on Skateboard: http://www.techdrivein.com/2010/06/15-beautiful-
android-wallpapers-for.html

29. Thank You