Through a previous grant award from the U.S. Department of Education, researchers developed Read for Success, an intervention designed to stem the summer slide among struggling readers. This project will develop a prototype of Mix Libris, an Augmented Reality (AR) enhanced mobile literacy platform designed to support and motivate grade 3 students in acquiring and improving literacy skills. Mix Libris includes interactive books embedded in an immersive digital game that brings text and images off the page and into the real world in ways designed to enhance key literacy skills. The prototype will include mini-games linked to selected books where players earn rewards, and level up to new areas, powers, features, and characters. At the end of Phase I, in a pilot study with two grade school classrooms, the researchers will examine whether the prototype functions as planned, and whether teachers believe that the full product concept could be implemented as part of a classroom intervention, and if the prototype shows promise for improving student outcomes.
