Investigating Learners' Technology Engagement - A Perspective From Ubiquitous Game-Based Learning in Smart Campus

With the increasing development of information technology and emerging of modern mobile devices, researchers have been shedding light on the integration of ubiquitous learning and online games in the construction of smart campus, aiming to enhance the online users' learning performance and perceptions. However, challenges of such blend learning model, for example, how to avoid the learners' distraction from online games, triggered many concerns from software engineers and educators. This paper investigated the factors and driving mechanism to construct a learner's technology engagement (TE) model towards ubiquitous game-based learning (UGL) in the smart campus context. Based on the technology acceptance model and the media system dependency theory, this paper identified the relationships among individual expectation (IE), facility environment, social environment (SE), and TE. A total of 168 participants, who were randomly assigned in the UGL settings, took part in the investigation. SPSS 19.0 was employed to analyze factorial validity, internal consistency reliability, correlation, and multiple regression analyses. The result shows that learners' TE toward UGL was influenced directly by IE (including fragmented learning and infotainment learning) and SE (including peer coaching and parental supports). In addition, the ease of use significantly moderated the fragmented learning and TE in the context of smart campus, while it was an insignificant moderator of infotainment. Besides, the ease of use significantly moderated the coaching of peers and TE, while it failed to moderate the parental supports and TEs. The theoretical and practical implications are finally discussed in terms of the development tendency of the construction of smart campus with UGL model.