Engaging Higher Education Learners With Transmedia Play

Abstract

This article documents the application of transmedia play in a higher education business context, providing a case study of how transmedia play can be infused into an undergraduate marketing course. We share our findings regarding learner experience and engagement, detailing results from structured interviews with 22 course participants. Evidence shows that the transmedia approach has value and can be successfully enacted in an undergraduate course to create connected learning opportunities and elicit cognitive, affective, and behavioral engagement. However, we note that the participatory nature of the pedagogy did create challenges for digital novices. In order to transition digital novices from peripheral to full participants in a transmedia learning community context, further research is warranted.

Keywords

transmedia learning engagement communities of practice digital natives transmedia play

To accommodate the needs of 21st-century learners, change is happening in relation to the way education is conceived, produced, and distributed (Fleming, 2013). With easy access to instructional technologies, the way students learn has been revolutionized (Johnson, Adam, Estrada, & Freeman, 2015). While there are a multitude of available technologies, their importance to an educator lies in how they are used. Thus, educators are increasingly seeking to better understand new pedagogies that capitalize on digital interactivity and create engagement, without overwhelming and distracting learners (Arnone, Small, Chauncey, & McKenna, 2011; West, Moore, & Barry, 2015).

Transmedia play uses a student-centered social constructivist approach to learning, where learners (enabled by technology) actively engage, interact, collaborate, and co-create (Kalogeras, 2013; Moule, 2005). Learners hunt and gather information from various media sources, and even create new information to share with others (Jenkins, 2007; Rodrigues & Bidarra, 2014). Transmedia play in practice is exemplified by Story Pirates, where learners and teachers take on imaginary roles in pretend scenarios that deal with particular topics; for example, learners engage in tasks to transport Laika, the robot, back home to outer space. Physical and digital mediums such as videos, photos, and a website track Laika’s trip (Alper & Herr-Stephenson, 2013). When executed well, a transmedia learning design can lead to better retention of, and connection with content, since transmedia evokes emotions as learners become personally engaged in the story and transform into protagonists (Raybourn, 2014).

In this article, we document the application of a transmedia play learning design and provide evidence of the transmedia play experience and learner engagement in a higher education marketing context. To date, research has focused on transmedia storytelling applications in education (e.g., Alper & Herr-Stephenson, 2013; Fleming, 2013; Kalogeras, 2013; Wakefield, Mills, & Warren, 2013; Wakefield, Warren, Rankin, Mills, & Gratch, 2012), with researchers noting there is still little evidence in terms of the role of transmedia in learning (Fisch, Lesh, Motoki, Crespo, & Melfi, 2011; Scolari, 2009). Transmedia learning broadly, and transmedia play more specifically remain underresearched, yet are acknowledged as important topics. We contribute to an emerging area of research by providing a case study that is the first to document the application of transmedia play and learner engagement in a higher education context. This research aims to (1) document how transmedia play can be implemented in a higher education marketing course, (2) explore the learner transmedia play experience, and (3) explore learner engagement from a transmedia play approach.

Literature Review

Transmedia

Transmedia broadly denotes narrative and nonnarrative media elements that are spread systematically across multiple platforms (Kinder, 1991). Transmedia takes advantage of technological advancements and uses tools that afford audience participation and expression. Through multimedia and delivery channels that are relevant to its audience, decoding, remixing, creating, and circulating various media content is enabled (Alper & Herr Stephenson, 2013). In contrast to a multimedia approach, where the learner is akin to a spectator, simply accessing information across modes, transmedia learning is learner-centered, providing an active path to discovery. Learners are encouraged and motivated to hunt and gather inside and outside a classroom; this means that students can be likened to foragers—through self-directed activities, they make sense of and extract relevant resources across modalities. While many higher education courses do use a multimedia approach, a transmedia approach not only uses platforms that meet learner needs, it extends learning beyond the physical classroom and continuously engages learners through narratives (stories/events dispersed across different platforms, imaginary or real, that can be presented as words, pictures, movies, etc. to form plots to the main story).

There are several transmedia logics (Alper & Herr-Stephenson, 2013; Herr-Stephenson, Alper, Reilly, & Jenkins, 2013; Jenkins, 2011), transmedia storytelling, transmedia branding, transmedia performance, transmedia ritual, transmedia activism, and transmedia spectacle (Alper & Herr-Stephenson, 2013; Herr-Stephenson et al., 2013; Jenkins, 2011). In education, transmedia storytelling and transmedia play are of particular interest. These are related but distinct concepts. Transmedia storytelling is focused on adapting stories and characters for different mediums while maintaining a central story. For example, in Cronin (2016), students used transmedia storytelling to introduce a new IMC campaign. For the campaign, audience members could access the story over time and across multiple media; they could also enter the story through tweets and blogs. New elements to the central story were injected to drive development of the story which could also be altered. The success of the campaign was measured through the level of audience engagement. Transmedia play is more focused on developing different avenues for interactivity across multiple media and is defined as “the capacity to experiment with the surroundings as a form of problem solving” (Jenkins, Clinton, Purushotma, Robison, & Weigel, 2006, p. 35). The example of Story Pirates underscores transmedia play, where learners are not focused on adapting a story, or character, but through a series of scenarios on relevant topics, learners play, with the aim of transporting Laika, the robot to outer space, with physical and digital mediums allow them to track the trip.

Transmedia Learning in Higher Education

Transmedia in education is centered on connected and active learner participation, infused with online technologies that can lead to improvements in learning outcomes (Ito et al., 2013; Rodrigues & Bidarra, 2014). Learners engage in sense making, personal interpretations, and experimentation, often lending to the production of their own stories rather than stringing a central story (Alper & Herr-Stephenson, 2013; Jenkins, 2010; Payne, Frank, Reynolds, Tussey, & Vanderhoer, 2013).

To date, researchers have focused on the value of transmedia storytelling in higher education (e.g., Fleming, 2013; Pence, 2011; Rodrigues & Bidarra, 2014; Wakefield et al., 2012; Warren, Wakefield, & Mills, 2013), in learning contexts such as computer sciences (Wakefield et al., 2013), history (Kalogeras, 2013), and, more recently, marketing (Cronin, 2016). For example, Wakefield et al. (2012) present the design of a higher education history course whereby learners used the Second Life role play to study the Cuban revolution. The design enabled role-playing activities, the use of simulations, audios, and machinimas. The main takeaway was that the immersive learning environment allowed for deeper thinking and reflections which, according to the authors, should remain more memorable compared with formal papers and presentations.

Similarly, Wakefield et al. (2013) in the context of a graduate education course regarding computer applications to digital lifestyles provide an overview of transmedia implementation that allowed learners to use Twitter, a blog, and Facebook, while the instructor provided an Adobe Flash web experience with embedded videos, as well as face-to-face class interactions. The authors observe that transmedia storytelling can support learner engagement and increase the opportunities for immersive classroom learning that can lead to the development of higher order thinking skills; they also offer various directions to the successful implementation of transmedia which they state can be modified and adapted to the classroom topic.

The application of a transmedia play logic has to date focused on the relationship between play and media literacy education (Alper & Herr-Stephenson, 2013), with case studies focused on children’s development. Transmedia experience is seen as providing rich platforms that allow learners to explore and learn through imaginative and productive play. Therefore, transmedia experiences allow learning and play to converge. Furthermore, play within the logic of transmedia play is seen as a personally meaningful and important mode of interacting in the world. When learners exert their minds through different play behaviors, they use high-order mental functions to monitor and influence thoughts and ideas without direct and immediate reference to the real world. Consequently, play assists in the development of cognitive abilities, social, and emotional skills as well as language area (Tsao, 2008; Vygotsky, 1978)—all geared to build 21st-century literacies.

Transmedia Play and the Connected Learner

Transmedia play is based on the immersive approach of constructivism whereby knowledge and learning is acquired by learners who are engaged in the learning community (Kalogeras, 2013; Rodrigues & Bidarra, 2014). Transmedia play practices allow teachers to engage multiple intelligences and dramatize lessons that enhance interest, maintain engagement, and develop personal skills. Communities of Practice (Wenger, 1998) are enacted (Kalogeras, 2013; Rodrigues & Bidarra, 2014) and learners become “legitimate” participants in the community.

Transmedia play has five characteristics that have the potential to enhance learning (Alper & Herr-Stephenson, 2013; Herr-Stephenson et al., 2013). The first characteristic is that transmedia play encourages resourcefulness, in that learners use a mix of tools and materials to think creatively about a situation. Second, is that transmedia play enables sociality where there are conversations and connections with others, either physically or virtually. Mobility enables the learner to move across platforms, across media and within media itself, so that learning occurs across media platforms. Another quality of transmedia play is accessibility, where there are a wide number of access points so that diverse learners can grow their experience in ways that fit with their learning needs. Content across the various platforms is interconnected, however, there are alternative platforms to enable unique learning opportunities. Finally, replayability is another characteristic of transmedia play that allows the learner to have multiple entries, revisiting and constantly building and rebuilding knowledge (Alper & Herr-Stephenson, 2013; Herr-Stephenson et al., 2013).

Connected learning is activated through transmedia play. Connected learning occurs (1) where the learning is production-centered, so that learners enable production and creation of media; (2) there is shared purpose supported by connection that fosters common goals and interests; and (3) learning is openly networked where online platforms and digital tools provide abundant and diverse resources—three core properties (Pascoe, 2013, as cited in Ito et al., 2013). Transmedia learning encourages connected learning as learners create their own learning paths (Rodrigues & Bidarra, 2014), with formal and informal learning opportunities, as a result of the multi-various entry and exit points to content, learner collaboration, interaction, and co-creation (Wakefield et al., 2012).

Thus, transmedia play across modalities increases the opportunity for learners to collaborate with others, engage more deeply in their own learning, and use higher level thinking in deepening their understanding of the subject matter content, applying their knowledge, and gauging their creativity in how to articulate and present their narratives (Kalogeras, 2013; Moule, 2005; Wakefield et al., 2013).

Learner Engagement

Keeping learners engaged in technology-mediated learning is a challenge. Instructional practices that encourage greater engagement are essential to effectively use digital instructional technologies (Henrie, Halverson, & Graham, 2015). Transmedia is thought to engage learners because they receive information across modalities, wherein there is a shared narrative. These media enable wider sharing, allowing the story to alter shape and support discourse, where a learner engages in sense making and showcases his or her subjective interpretation and application through sharing in the learning community (Warren et al., 2013). Arnone et al. (2011) suggest that new media invoke collaborative curiosity and as such, enhance the learning experience.

Engagement is a desirable outcome because good learners are engaged learners. Teaching that is effective, stimulates engagement (Handelsman, Briggs, Sullivan, & Towler, 2005), and as such is considered to be malleable (Fredricks, Blumenfeld, & Paris, 2004). In this study, the research question is focused on experience and engagement from transmedia play. Broadly, transmedia learning is thought to create engagement because a learner hunts and gathers information and imbues new learnings with personal meaning and relevant contexts. Consequently, learnings become more emotionally salient, memorable, and retrievable.

Engagement is commonly conceptualized as a multidimensional construct (Handelsman et al., 2005), with cognitive, behavioral, and affective dimensions (Appelton, Christenson, Kim, & Reschly, 2006; Fredricks et al., 2004). Behavioral engagement relates to participation and contribution (Fredricks et al., 2004), affective engagement relates to positive and negative feelings (e.g., boredom, happiness, interest) (Connell & Wellborn, 1991), while cognitive engagement refers to mental willingness to engage with ideas that are complex, the effort made to master the academic work (Fredricks et al., 2004; Newmann, Wehlage, & Lamborn, 1992). Even though engagement has various definitions, and there are many measures that are designed to assess engagement (see, Taylor, Hunter, Melton, & Goodwin, 2011, for a selected review), commonalities exist; engagement refers to active, collaborative learning, participation, where a learner feels legitimated and supported by university learning communities (Coates, 2007, p. 122).

Research Approach

In this study, we document a single case study, detailing how transmedia play is implemented in an undergraduate marketing course, offered by a large Australian university. Case study research is common in education, as it allows the researcher to investigate a phenomenon in an authentic learning context, drawing clear delimitations (Merriam, 1998). This study is particularistic, studying the implementation of the transmedia pedagogy in one undergraduate course in order to provide information to other instructors who want to implement the pedagogy. The nature of the case study is descriptive in that we provide an account of the implementation of the pedagogy within the designated course of study and related insights that describe the educators’ learning and complexities of the pedagogy. The case study we document provides a heuristic quality whereby we evaluate the pedagogy from both an instructor and a learner perspective. In doing so, we conduct structured personal interviews with course participants.

Documenting a Transmedia Play Learning Design for Connected Learning

A transmedia play approach was implemented in an undergraduate course on the subject of digital communications. It has the purpose of teaching learners about shifts toward immersive co-created brand communication, and the interrelationship between paid, owned, and earned media to drive consumer engagement with brands. The starting point for infusing our course with a transmedia play approach began with the understanding that delivery was not a multimedia approach, but a transmedia play approach to enhance connected learning opportunities.

Two assessment activities fostered play; the first activity was a digital engagement activity requiring learners to create engagement among fellow course participants over 6 weeks. They were required to create and curate content on the course Google Plus page with the aim of driving engagement (comments, likes, shares, votes). The second activity was a digital branding activity that also spanned 6 weeks and required learners to apply theory to create their personal digital brand, producing content that was relevant to themselves and would attract their dream employer using owned digital assets (e.g., WordPress, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google Plus, WIX).

Across the 12 weeks of the course, we developed modalities to enable the workings of five transmedia play characteristics and connected learning. Below is an overview of how the instructors created opportunities for play enacted through the learning design in the course (Table 1). Each of the five transmedia play characteristics is outlined, and modalities to enable play are listed.

Table 1.

Transmedia Play Learning Design.

Transmedia play
Characteristics	Description	Application
Resourcefulness	Mixing tools and materials for creative thinking	Narrative media: digital episodes
		Communicative media: discussion boards, Wikis
		Adaptive media: Google Plus, Twitter
		Productive media: Google Plus, and Wordpress
Sociality	Connected learning through conversations virtually or physically	Interactive media: quizzes and polling connecting learner
		Communicative media: discussion board, wikis, face to face
		Adaptive media: Google Plus, Twitter
		Productive media: Google Plus, WordPress, LinkedIn
Mobility	Movement across platforms, across media and within media	Content management system, Google Plus, WordPress, Twitter, LinkedIn
Accessibility	Formal and informal learning through diverse access points to grow the experience and provide personalization of the learning experience	Content management system, Google Plus, WordPress, Twitter, LinkedIn
Replayability	Multiple entries to build and rebuild knowledge	Content management system, Google Plus, WordPress, Twitter, LinkedIn

Resourcefulness

Learners transitioned between media resources. They viewed narrative media which were instructor-led episodes filled with interviews, voice over slides, quizzes, embedded readings, and audiovisual resources, and linked to communicative media such as discussion boards and wikis. Learners also transitioned to productive media where they continued learning about weekly topics, contextualizing it to their own interests and experiences. These productive media included Google Plus, WordPress, LinkedIn, and interactive discussion boards.

Sociality

Learners were provided opportunities for connection both virtually and physically. Narrative media such as quizzes and polls, and communicative media such as discussion boards, and wikis encouraged basic learner interactions. Richer connections were enabled through adaptive and communicative media such as Google Plus, WordPress, and LinkedIn where learners could comment, share, like, and vote.

Mobility

Movement across platforms was enabled by ensuring learners connected in the virtual spaces they were familiar with. The Blackboard content management system was one virtual learning space, however, Google Plus, Twitter, LinkedIn, and WordPress were productive media spaces that were familiar to learners beyond just the learning context, so that mobility across these platforms was intuitive.

Accessibility

Learners were able to engage in informal learning through adaptive and productive media. Learners could grow their course experience by connecting with other learners with shared interests. Through categorizing and tagging content in these media, learners could personalize their learning by searching for learners with shared interests.

Replayability

The narrative media on the Blackboard content management system allowed learners to access content on multiple occasions, building and extending their knowledge. Learners could also see updated content from the learning community via polls, Wikis, and the discussion boards. Adaptive media such as Twitter and Google Plus had hundreds of daily content updates, so that information was growing on a daily basis and learners could enter and re-enter these virtual spaces and rebuild knowledge.

Instructor observations of connected learning as a result of transmedia play are detailed below. Connected learning occurs where the learning is production-centered, there is shared purpose, and learning is openly networked (Pascoe, 2013, as cited in Ito et al., 2013).

Production-centered learning is focused on creation and production. In the course, learners were required to produce content for the two learning assessments outlined. Learners produced content to create engagement among fellow course participants on the course Google Plus page, competing to drive engagement (likes, shares, comments). Learners posted daily or weekly, curating and creating content that related to the weekly topic, with application to a context that was of interest to themselves and their peers. Learners were in control of the storyline on Google Plus that unfolded by curating and creating content with the intention of driving engagement and learning among fellow course participants. The Google Plus community page was evolving daily, filled with examples, articles videos, and interviews sourced and valued by learners. For example, learners curated content about the cultural implications of social media with Google Plus posts such as “Kardashian Craze: Why is The World Obsessed with a Family Famous for No Reason,” “How Social Media Are Ruining Your Love Life,” and “Our Addiction to Technology, In 20 Satirical Illustrations.” Through curated content on adaptive media such as Google Plus, new contexts, new brands, new storylines were provided, so that learners could understand alternative viewpoints that may confirm or contradict content provided in the narrative media episodes by the instructor. Learners engaged in production using WordPress, for the digital branding activity where they were tasked with applying course theory to develop their personal digital footprint. To showcase their application of theory to themselves, they wrote blogs and curated content that showcased their contextual application of the course content. Essentially, learners, rather than just learning about content marketing, engaged in content marketing as was relevant to their own context. They applied their unit learnings in a way that was relevant to their own digital brand. For example, a learner who wanted to develop a digital footprint to showcase their knowledge of digital impacts on the travel industry would create content accordingly within their WordPress site, as well as their own Google Plus page, and LinkedIn page. These “owned media assets” conveyed a personal content strategy, and these media artifacts were shared with peers, inviting connection through tagging, commenting, polling, liking, and sharing functions.

Shared Purpose

The instructor observed that shared purpose was activated with the both the learning activities on a weekly basis, and this was well beyond any assessment requirements. In the digital engagement activity, learners were required to apply the course concepts to contexts that were relevant to their peers, and to drive engagement. If the weekly topic related to the digital consumer, learners were required to post content that related to that topic, in whatever context they felt would drive engagement among peers. They were motivated to champion topics, posting content that they felt would resonate with peers. A sharing culture developed with all learners participating with the purpose of helping other learners to understand topic on their own terms. Together, learners helped grow peer understanding of digital consumers, owned media, earned media, and digital reputation management. Popular application of these topics included posts about small business (e.g., “The Importance of Social Media Advertising for Small Businesses”), consumer contexts (e.g., “Consumers Trust Social Media Stars More than Celebrities or Ads”), sports marketing (e.g., “Borussia Dotmund Leads Bundesliga’s Social Media Boom”), and arts marketing (e.g., “Players Gonna Play: Swift Reply Gives Theatre Permission to Shake It Off”). This shared purpose also resulted in requests for a course Twitter account, again fostering a learning culture where learners provided updates on examples of course concepts they had seen in practice, updating fellow learners of latest brand news from accounts they were following (e.g., trending hashtags such as #greygreyfortaytay, #icebucketchallenge, and #bringbackourgirls).

Openly Networked

The range of communicative media in the unit enabled exchange between learners. This was enacted through the course content management system tools such as Wikis and discussion boards, as well face-to-face classes as well as voting mechanisms on social media such as Google Plus, LinkedIn, and WordPress. This interactivity provided opportunity for inclusivity and encouraged exchange in diverse ways. For example, on Google Plus, polls such as “Would You Care If Someone Was Texting in the Cinema?” and “Which Social Media Platform Is Most Influential When Purchasing Clothing” garnered considerable engagement, evidenced not only by voting, by likes, shares, and comments. Diverse media such as Google Plus, LinkedIn, Twitter, and WordPress not only grew learner understanding of content and fostered shared purpose but also provided affinity spaces by curating and creating more content, and engaging with peers more, irrespective of time. While narrative media on the content management system provided instructor-led knowledge, adaptive and productive media grew the range of materials to grow thinking and offered learners sociality; Google Plus and WordPress offered an affinity space where learners could re-enter and shape their knowledge.

Next, we wanted to explore the learners’ experience and engagement with the course that used a transmedia play learning design.

Method

Participants

We undertook purposive sampling to represent a variety of prior experience with digital technology, and a variety of course achievements. Of the 238 learners studying the course, 55 were e-mailed as they were identified by the instructor as representing a cross-section of learners. Sixteen learners were willing to be interviewed using a semistructured interview guide. Learners were asked to reflect on their learning experience and engagement over the course delivery. The semistructured interview framework had three key sections: background information, the transmedia play experience, and transmedia play engagement. The background information was important to ensure a variety of learner expertise with media platforms was represented. Learners were asked to describe their digital skills. Those that identified themselves as having basic skills (four learners) were labeled as being a “novice” (N). Their skills included reading, listening, watching, and rating digital content, and also maintaining a social networking profile. The next group of learners were labeled “competent” (C) (eight learners). They described more skilled digital behavior; they were avid users of social media, not only reading content but also tagging, sharing, commenting, and influencing others, and were more participative given they were rating, posting, replying, or even contributing to an established blog or forum. Proficient (P) (four learners) exhibited higher skills than competent learners where they described activities where they were not only using digital media but were also producing multiple forms of digital media. They had experience publishing their own content, uploading audio visual content, and writing original content for distribution on their own blog, forum, web page, or website.

As the conversations with learners progressed, we conducted six additional interviews to better represent the views of learners with novice and proficient digital skills. Once we reached a point of theoretical saturation (22 interviews), our conversations were completed (Strauss & Corbin, 1998). Participation was voluntary, responses were anonymized. The 22 participants included 7 novice, 8 competent, and 7 proficient digital learners. There was a relatively even gender split with 12 male and 10 female participants. The majority of participants were aged 18 to 24 (17 learners), in their third year of study (12 learners). A full description of participants is provided in Table 2.

Table 2.

Description of Participants.

Code	Age	Gender	Digital competence	Domestic/International	Year of study	Grade	Engagement (1-10)^a
N1	27	F	Novice	Domestic	Third year	Distinction	9
N2	20	F	Novice	Domestic	Third year	High distinction	9
N3	20	M	Novice	Domestic	Second year	Credit	6
N4	20	M	Novice	Domestic	Second year	Credit	10
N5	25	M	Novice	Domestic	Third year	Credit	7
N6	19	M	Novice	International	Second year	Distinction	8
N7	20	F	Novice	International	Second year	Distinction	7
C1	21	M	Competent	Domestic	Third year	Distinction	9
C2	19	F	Competent	Domestic	Second year	Distinction	9
C3	21	F	Competent	Domestic	Second year	Distinction	8
C4	21	M	Competent	International	Third year	Credit	9
C5	21	F	Competent	Domestic	Third year	Distinction	7
C6	24	F	Competent	Domestic	Third year	High distinction	8.5
C7	19	M	Competent	Domestic	Second year	Credit	7
C8	23	M	Competent	Domestic	Third year	High distinction	8
P1	28	M	Proficient	Domestic	Third year	Distinction	8
P2	24	F	Proficient	International	Second year	Distinction	7
P3	19	M	Proficient	International	Third year	Credit	7
P4	22	F	Proficient	Domestic	Third year	High distinction	8
P5	20	M	Proficient	International	Second year	Distinction	8
P6	22	F	Proficient	International	Third year	Credit	8
P7	19	M	Proficient	Domestic	Second year	Credit	9

Engagement: 1 = very low engagement; 10 = very high engagement.

Procedure

At the end of the semester, learners were invited to participate in an interview. The first part of the interview examined learners’ self-perceived capabilities in the digital space. We then sought to understand the learners’ transmedia play experience, exploring how they used the various media to create and connect with the content and other learners. We asked learners about how they proceeded through the various media, to understand their play experiences. Finally, participants answered questions that elicited response about their engagement from transmedia play.

To avoid informant bias, interviews were not conducted by the instructor, however they were conducted by one individual. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using iterative coding processes, whereby the authors developed theoretical categories, and progressed out understanding through open and axial coding, tacking between literature and the data (Strauss & Corbin, 1998).

Results

What Is the Learner Experience With a Transmedia Learning Approach?

Learners, when describing their learning experience were able to articulate how they played and how they felt about the experience. There were clear themes around the five dimensions of transmedia play. What is noteworthy, is that across all interviews, the overall play experience was positive.

First, we consistently found that learners enjoyed mixing and matching tools and materials by hunting, gathering, and creating information. There were clear themes around the value in terms of mobility and resourcefulness offered through play. Self-perceived digital ability representing no barrier to mobility nor resourcefulness.

And I found it valuable, I didn’t know much about Google Plus before this so that intrigued me. And I just think the more media platforms we are exposed to the better. [N2].

I’m just used to technology, so clicking on another Window to do something else was second nature. Sort of just transitioning between information sources . . . because we pretty much use it [digital technologies] every day it was pretty easy. [P3]

I remember watching a video about this creative advertisement for a supermarket in South Korea and I was like, WHOA! I really wanted to learn more. So I went on Google+ and connected with others. [C4]

Competent and proficient learners in particular extolled the benefit in the approach, and were drawn into the immersive, creative, transmedia learning approach. Learners seemed engaged by moving across media platforms, entering and re-entering due to the growing content and connection they sought with other learners. The transmedia play characteristic of accessibility was identifiable in the interviews with learners. Learners noted their positive play experiences derived from formal and informal learning opportunities, accessing information in ways that were personalized. They also discussed opportunities for replayability. Learners identified strong links between replayability and personalization of their learning experience where the opportunity to enter and re-enter media to produce or consume more content was valued:

It wasn’t textbook stuff. It wasn’t black and white. You could choose your own path. You could design your own way of finding information. We were given an outline and a path, but you could make it your own, and I really liked it. [C1]

You weren’t limited or structured in exactly what you needed to access or create, but were quite flexible. [N6]

It let me interpret stuff the way I wanted to do rather than a structured approach. It gave me the ability to create my own interpretations. I wasn’t told what to do. I could create what I felt was more appropriate to my personality and the aims of my degree. [C2]

I personally felt it gave me choice. It was straight forward how to navigate across the media. I had to go searching for more materials to support what I wanted to know. [P2]

It definitely allowed me to be creative. Creating content meant that I became able to go through different resources online and find stuff that was relevant to me. I could search for whatever was happening that I was interested in. Everyone these days’ uses social media so what I was doing guided me to be creative and I then used it for myself personally. I applied it for my own benefit. [C3]

I felt it was really good that we can actually go out in the internet, find really good stuff and post it there [Google+]. And then other people are commenting and then we comment back. And it was an external learning but it was helpful for [learning in] our unit. [P2]

There was evidence of transmedia play extending learning with learners engaged in curation and creation of content that they went on to share (sociality) with their peers. In turn, the additional content created by learners seemed to provide some further opportunities for resourcefulness in relation to the topics across the 12 weeks:

. . . it [Google Plus] was actually enjoyable and people were replying via comments and stuff like that. And at first it felt a bit forced, but then once you get into it it’s actually not as bad as you thought it would be. You actually kind of find enjoyment out of it. Well for me anyway, I’m not sure about everyone else. [C5]

Through Google Plus I had to curate content and also engage with other peoples’ posts. It was eye opening as I could see what others had posted content wise. I learned heaps. Also when someone responds and gets involved in what content you put up, it’s great as you get involved. It sort of like shows or makes you know that you are being heard. [C3]

And the way the unit was designed was really—I think we could learn so much more without being pressured to do one exact thing. So that’s the good thing about the unit. [P2]

It was interesting to see what others reacted to and engaged with. [N1]

While the learners overall had a positive learning experience through play opportunities, novice learners did not appear to always have the same holistic learning experience as those who were competent or proficient with digital media. Novice learners were more reticent regarding the virtues of sociality.

This was new for me, I am not an extrovert. Putting my views out there and having others read them was different. [N1]

I could do everything, but I felt kind of exposed by sharing and worried what others would think, but I did like that it wasn’t in class. You are sort of hidden. Plus other people were open and sharing stuff, so it did make me get more confidence. Sort of like it was a comfort to see others thought the same as what I was thinking, so after a while it became okay to join in, even though it wasn’t something I would normally do. [N6]

At first I was a bit shy and I would say [instructor name], do you think this is appropriate? And she would say it’s really relevant. Every week I just kept posting and posting and posting. [N4]

I really like the units (courses) like this, but I understand how people tend to feel lost because you have to do for or 5 things, and if you’re not comfortable with the platform it is on, it’s going to be hard. [C6]

Does Transmedia Play Affect Learner Engagement in a Higher Education Setting?

There were clear themes around engagement, evidencing behavioral, affective, and cognitive engagement among all learners. When asked to elaborate about their experience, the word “engaged” was used frequently by learners. They indicated behavioral engagement, characterized by action, participation, and contribution:

I was really active. I was really active. I kept posting really random and interesting stuff. [C4]

It drew me in. A lot of interesting other things I could access, articles, readings, interviews. It’s just, really, I find it more interesting compared to other normal [traditional delivery] units. [C4]

. . . in the learning process it requires you to go that next step I think, which is what I like when it’s sort of just an assignment that you hand in, it’s something that you put in there and you can curate it and receiving the feedback and then sort of yeah, moving forward on the next. And I like that we started off in WordPress, then we went to something else, and then we came back to WordPress after doing something on Google Plus or in class or the discussion board. They were all a bit different. [C6]

Learners also had affective engagement, often relaying their positive feelings about ideas of fun, enjoyment, and excitement:

I have enjoyed it. [N3]

I liked having a broad range of things I could do. I loved the episodes. I liked that I could have whatever content I wanted. The episodes were like pick-a-path. I could choose how deep I wanted to go and we didn’t all have to do the same thing. [C2]

Learners exhibited cognitive engagement. They had a willingness to engage with ideas that are complex, and they made an effort to master the academic work:

It really opened up my mind. We really get to show what we really are and who we are. [C4]

I would say it was really interesting but really interesting in a way that uses my creativity and at the same time my thinking. [C4]

The episodes engaged me. That definitely engaged me, and it was really interesting to hear the story and stuff like that. [C8]

At first it was all new, going here and there [into different media] but I really learnt a lot. Maybe it was just because it was so visual. I just really paid more attention. It definitely stuck in my mind more. [N3]

Finally, learners were asked to provide an overall summation of their engagement relative to other courses they were enrolled in, using a scale from 1 to 10 (1 = not engaged; 10 = highly engaged). There was evidence of very high levels of overall engagement among all participants. Half of the learners rated their course engagement as being “very high” (8+) relative to other courses they were currently enrolled in (Table 2), supporting the idea that learners, irrespective of digital competence were engaged by a transmedia play learning design implemented.

Discussion and Conclusion

As we continue into the 21st-century learning environment, the importance of new pedagogies that create engagement, and enable higher education institutions to attract and retain learners will remain a priority (Fleming, 2013; Kalogeras, 2013; Wakefield et al., 2013). In this article, we document a case study of a marketing unit that is underpinned by a transmedia play learning design. This information improves educator understanding of the complexities of transmedia learning implementation. Through our experience, we add strength to what is known from previous research, and while contextual in nature, it does provide the basis for further application of transmedia learning in higher education.

Insights gained from this exploratory research suggest that a transmedia play approach offers value. We saw evidence that transmedia play can be successfully enacted in an undergraduate course context over a prolonged period, garnering engagement among undergraduates. Learner responses to transmedia elements were mostly positive; competent and proficient digital learners appeared to have the most immersive learning experience compared with novices. There seems to be some relationship between digital competence and the richness of the learning experience. Those who judged themselves as novices, while still positive about their learning experience, did seem to find the community-based nature of transmedia learning more of a challenge. They did not appear to be challenged by accessing multivarious media but were challenged by sociality. Novices appear to exhibit insecurities regarding learning, where they move beyond being a spectator to a creator and connected learner. This has potential implications given that a significant number of learners (who are “digital natives”) have lower level skills than might be expected (Kennedy, Krause, Judd, Churchward, & Gray, 2006). Competent and proficient digital learners are skilled with socialization based on their digital behavior that sees them comment, contribute, post, update, publish, and upload. A digital novice does not appear to exhibit these sharing, and creation behaviors. Their skills relate to listening and watching, rather than participating. Lave and Wenger (1991) recognize that the importance of low-risk tasks in encouraging newcomers to a community of practice develop slowly and the process of moving from peripheral participation to full participation (where novices eventually become experienced members) occurs. This should be a consideration with implementation of a transmedia play design and warrants further research attention.

All learners indicated that they were engaged by the course. Our findings are in line with studies that have investigated the transmedia storytelling logic (Kalogeras, 2013; Wakefield et al., 2013) whose higher education students found connected learning through transmedia learning, valuable. While these researchers provide anecdotal evidence or their own reflection, they are quite assured that the outcomes from implementation of the transmedia design were positive. We find evidence of this, both broadly with regard to data about general learning experience, as well as the data supporting behavioral, affective, and cognitive engagement outcomes. Learners were motivated to participate, and explore materials deeply, outside the classroom. Learners showed emotion, which remains an important factor in engaged learners (Kalogeras, 2013). Finally, learners (particularly competent and proficient learners) who had the opportunity to be creative, spoke highly regarding the critical thinking skills they received, demonstrating cognitive engagement.

From an instructor perspective, the learning design added considerable value to learners. Learners could personalize their learning and could identify other learners who had a shared interest and connect with them in virtual spaces. Learner were able to learn in spaces outside a formal university content management system, and outside a formal classroom environment. They could connect 24/7 about the things that interested them in relation to the course. Learners who had high level of digital competency engaged novices to connect. Finally, the learning design provided feedback to the instructor about the types of content of interest to learners. Adaptive and productive media such as Google plus, Twitter, and WordPress in particular, provided an insight into the learning contexts that captivated learners. This provided an opportunity to refine narrative media, and communication media, and align the in-class experience with the contexts trending in the virtual spaces.

This research, although exploratory, provides evidence of how the use of Transmedia play approach in this program can expand the reach of these connected learners, irrespective of their levels of digital competence, provide opportunities to connect recreational/social learning to more structured academic content, and promote equity and inclusion.

Implementation Challenges

From an educator’s perspective, the implementation of transmedia play in higher education raises some key issues:

Extensive planning is required; infusing a course with transmedia play across a 12-week period requires that the instructor needs to plan opportunities for learners to play across modalities and collaborate with others.

Additional costs are associated with a transmedia play delivery, including software, filming, and additional hours required to monitor the interactive elements that enable the learning.

Logistical aspects warrant educator attention. Access to the modalities and equity issues related to accessing technology requires planning.

Learner diversity needs to be recognized. While the transmedia play allows for choice, diversity regarding digital competency, how novice learners in particular learn using a less rigid approach to disseminating knowledge should be a priority.

Limitations and Future Research

This article is a case study regarding transmedia play in a higher education marketing course, at a large Australian university. The findings are exploratory; future case studies provide an opportunity to explore transmedia play in higher education further. In this article, we have used Alper and Herr-Stephenson’s five characteristics of transmedia play to as the basis for transmedia play in a higher education setting. Future research needs to better establish what constitutes transmedia play in a learning context and develop a templatable learning design. Finally, more structured research that offers rigor and objectivity is encouraged, to improve knowledge regarding learner outcomes from transmedia play. Learner digital proficiency should be treated as an individual difference variable when measuring learner outcomes, so that there is an improved understanding of nuances in the learning experience that may be attributed to self-perceived competency and the implications for community of practice. Understanding how transmedia play facilitates learner participation in communities of practices and movement from peripheral to full participation would also add value.

Footnotes

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding

The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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