Snow's division between cultures is visible in scientific literacy (SL) research: there is a gap between the science education and the science communication fields. We reflect on a way to end this critical disparity. The case of climate change was used as a situational prototype that helps to unite broad communication issues and established knowledge. The choice of this case is justified by the current international interest and calls for the development of a climate-literate public. Research has shown that misunderstandings about climate change can persist even after instruction and that some scepticism emerged in several developed countries. A literature review of climate literacy was conducted. The analysis resulted in a new integrative model for understanding literacy. We hope that the proposed model can be the basis for the re-emergence of science literacy as a key concept, of well-grounded practices and of accurate measurement tools.

Ongoing technology progress sustains innovative teaching approaches. Mobile devices, augmented reality (AR), and games are a few of the new resources that teachers have at their disposal to promote student learning. However, their effective integration into practices requires training, so there is a need to analyze the impact of training initiatives on teacher professional development. A case study is being conducted on the development process of mobile AR games for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) learning by 14 Portuguese in-service teachers in a 50 h workshop. This contribution refers to the analysis of this training’s impact on teacher professional development through a questionnaire filled in at the beginning and end of the workshop. This study registered a higher impact on teachers’ understanding of AR educative use, the less-known approach, compared to mobile and game-based learning. Moreover, teachers became more experienced with these approaches as learners, and reported having explored them with their students during the workshop period. Teacher ability to identify benefits and barriers in these approaches increased with the workshop, particularly the learning that could be promoted with mobile AR games. The presented set of barriers to implementation is relevant to future teacher professional-development initiatives.

New teaching methodologies are nowadays integrating mobile devices, augmented reality (AR), and game-based learning in educational contexts. The combination of these three elements is considered highly innovative, and it allows learning to move beyond traditional classroom environments to nature spaces that students can physically explore. The literature does not present many studies of this approach’s educational value. The purpose of the study is to present an illustrative case of a mobile AR game in order to analyse its educational value based on the users’ opinion, both teachers and students, and on logs of game results. Through a mixed method approach, the educational value scale was applied to 924 users after playing the EduPARK app in a Green City Park. Results revealed high educational value scores, especially among teachers and students of 2nd and 3rd Cycles of Basic Education (83.0 for both). Hence, this particular software seems to be more suitable for 10–15 years-old students who highlighted motivational features, such as treasure hunting, points gathering, the use of mobile devices in nature settings, and AR features to learn. This study empirically revealed that mobile AR games have educational value, so these specific game features might be useful for those who are interested in creating or using games supported by apps for educational purposes.

Aim/Purpose: From an idea of lifelong-learning-for-all to a phenomenon affecting higher education, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) can be the next step to a truly universal education. Indeed, MOOC enrolment rates can be astoundingly high; still, their completion rates are frequently disappointingly low. Nevertheless, as courses, the participants’ enrolment and learning within the MOOCs must be considered when assessing their success. In this paper, the authors’ aim is to reflect on what makes a MOOC successful to propose an analysis framework of MOOC success factors. Background: A literature review was conducted to identify reported MOOC success factors and to propose an analysis framework. Methodology: This literature-based framework was tested against data of a specific MOOC and refined, within a qualitative interpretivist methodology. The data were collected from the ‘As alterações climáticas nos média escolares - Clima@EduMedia’ course, which was developed by the project Clima@EduMedia and was submitted to content analysis. This MOOC aimed to support science and school media teachers in the use of media to teach climate change Contribution: By proposing a MOOC success factors framework the authors are attempting to contribute to fill in a literature gap regarding what concerns criteria to consider a specific MOOC successful. Findings: This work major finding is a literature-based and empirically-refined MOOC success factors analysis framework. Recommendations for Practitioners: The proposed framework is also a set of best practices relevant to MOOC developers, particularly when targeting teachers as potential participants. Recommendation for Researchers: This work’s relevance is also based on its contribution to increasing empirical research on MOOCs. Impact on Society: By providing a proposal of a framework on factors to make a MOOC successful, the authors hope to contribute to the quality of MOOCs. Future Research: Future work should refine further the proposed framework, by in testing it against data collected in other MOOCs.

Mobile augmented reality games (MARGs) can be leveraged for educational purposes, as there are several examples in the literature revealing their educational value. The supporting technologies for MARGs’ implementation in education are increasingly pervasive and popular, so it is time for their adoption in teacher practices. However, the integration of new practices in schools, with an impact on students’ learning, requires teacher training. For that, a 50 h workshop was con-ducted to promote the collaborative development of MARGs for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics learning, which was attended by 16 in-service teachers, in Portugal. The aim of this study is to propose a set of guidelines for teacher training on MARGs, emergent from the perspectives of teachers who participated in the workshop. This is a descriptive qualitative study focusing on documental analysis of the individual final reflections of the participating teachers. The results showed that the workshop answered teachers’ personal and professional needs, with an impact on their practices, in what concerns the integration of mobile and AR technology, and of games. Producing a new game during training and making it freely available for others to use seemed to be very satisfactory for teachers, and a good practice to follow. From teachers’ reflections, it was possible to propose a set of guidelines useful for international readership, both researchers and teacher trainers, who aim to conceive and develop continuous professional development initiatives for MARGs’ integration in teacher practices.

There is a discussion on the potential of augmented reality (AR), mobile technologies to enhance learning. This article presents: 1) the EduPARK project's first cycle of design-based research for the development of a mobile AR game-like app that aims to promote learning in an urban park, and 2) an experience of students using it in loco. The focus is the students' perceptions regarding the usability and functionality of the app. Data collection involved focus groups, questionnaires and app usage information. Data was submitted to content analysis and descriptive statistics. Results revealed an excellent usability of the EduPARK app, with an average system usability scale of 85.6. Overall, students reported that the app was enjoyable, easy to use and promoted learning; however, improvements and more evaluation experiences are needed to better understand mobile AR game-like learning in urban parks.