20/06/2018

How can the use of serious game have a positive impact in behavioural changes? How can they be used in the leaning and teaching environments as a positive resource for young people, teachers, parents and carers? What innovative methodologies can be applied to develop serious games for this context? What stakeholders should be involved in this process?

The expert seminar 'Evidence-based development of serious games for the educational sector: challenges and perspectives' will take place on 12 September 2018 in the Future Classroom Lab of European Schoolnet, in Brussels.

The seminars addresses researchers in the field of social sciences and games for education, games developers, educational professionals (teachers, head of schools, didactic coordinators, school counsellors etc.) and policy makers with an interest and experience in implementing games in the school context. The contribution of one or more of the eConfidence schools involved in the pilot actions is also envisaged.

During the event, eConfidence partners and external contributors will discuss some key topics, lessons learnt and further recommendation for future projects in the field.

It aims to create an open space of exchange.

• Bringing together representatives of the multi-stakeholders vision of the project: game industry, social science researchers, education professionals and policy makers.
• Identifying some current challenges for Research and Innovation projects/initiatives aiming to develop serious games for the schools context, as well to involve social science researchers, game developers and schools (ethical aspects, alignment of methods and business processes, resistance etc.)
• Looking together at the proposed areas, with the aim to collect feedback, revise and integrate the final evaluation and lesson learnt of the eConfidence project as well as to look for further development opportunities, new partnerships and sustainability actions.

 

After a brief introduction of the scope and topics, the workshop will be carried out in the form of open discussions (in plenary and in groups), organised in three sessions around some key topics and questions.

Each participant will have the opportunity to contribute actively presenting their experience, projects and initiatives around the key topics and questions.

 

The participation in the seminar is by direct invitation.

If you are interested in participating in this event, please, contact us at info@econfidence.eu with a short note on your organisation, role and the contribution you have in mind.

 

Key discussion points

• What are the benefits for the game industry to join force with researchers in supporting their serious games' conceptual frameworks?
• How the results of social science and (in particular) behavioural science research can be implemented and applied within real contexts, for example in the development of educational games and serious games around key social issues, such as bullying? What are the benefits for researchers and research in general?
• How social science research methods and game development business process can align effectively to results in an evidence-based and time/cost efficient games development methodology?
• Which are the key methods to make such multilateral engagement sustainable and how the ‘traditional' method of social science research can be integrated with users' studies method from the IT/innovation cycles?
• What is the applicability of serious games in educational contexts? Which are the constraints, benefits and enablers in terms of policy, legal aspects, alignment between product and school curricula and programs, localization, support and training needs, (sustainable) technologies etc.?
• What are the benefits on all sides to involve directly final users and in particulars schools, teachers and students in the Research and Innovation processes? To which level of the research/development cycles schools are/should be involved (research participants, testers, evaluation etc.) and why? Which are the challenges and opportunities, enablers and obstacles?

 

Programme of the seminar

9.00-9.15          Registration and welcome coffee             

9.15-9.30          Greeting and introduction          

9.30-10.30        Parallel sessions

• Session 1 - Serious games in the school context
• Session 2 - Innovating game development methodologies
• Session 3 - Social science research results and informed game design

10.30-10.45     Coffee break     

10.45-11.45      Parallel sessions - Second part   

11.45-12.30      Presentations of the parallel sessions

12.30-13.00      Lessons learnt and recommendations for future projects