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Authentic collaborative m‐learning activities were designed, developed and implemented for a computer networking course. The effect of the activities on student engagement and motivation were analyzed using a mixed method research design. Moreover, the effect of the iterative design of the content and instructional process of authentic m‐learning activities on students' engagement and motivation were analyzed in the study. The activities were implemented for two consecutive semesters and were modified based on the findings from the first semester. Student engagement survey and motivation questionnaire were used to collect quantitative data, student interview protocol was used to collect qualitative data for further investigation. The findings from the first semester indicated that the engagement categories “personal development” and “satisfaction from the course” had the highest mean scores. In the second semester, the highest mean score belonged to the “personal development” category, followed by “collaborative learning.” Comparison of the results from two semesters revealed that the improvements in the content of the activities and instructional process increased the “collaboration” among students as well as their “interaction with instructor.” Paired sample t‐tests revealed a difference in indicators of student motivation within groups in both semesters. Analysis of the interview data showed that students perceived the authentic activities as an appropriate tool for enhancement in “communication” and “collaboration” opportunities.

The aim of the current study is to compare the effect of virtual and physical manipulatives on preschool children’s understanding of geometric shapes. A quasi‐experimental research design was employed where children in the experimental group used tablet computers to access Augmented Reality (AR)‐based virtual manipulatives, while children in the control group used physical manipulatives. The instruction lasted for a period of four weeks at a public primary school in Turkey with 72 children aged five and six years old. Comparison of their understanding of geometric shapes was based on their scores from pre‐test and post‐test measures of the Geometric Shape Recognition Task instrument. Analysis of the collected data revealed no statistically significant difference between the groups in the circle recognition task, while statistically significant differences were found between the groups in the recognition tasks for triangle, rectangle, and square shapes in favour of the experimental group. In addition to this, although there was an increase in the total scores of both groups, the results showed a statistically significant difference in test scores in favour of the experimental group. The current study also showed that the children had difficulty in categorising geometric shapes when their attributes were changed, therefore providing different forms of geometric shapes to children is very important for improving their conceptual understanding.

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