Game Changer: Investing in Digital Play to Advance Children's Learning and Health

Based on a literature review and interviews with digital learning experts, explores how digital games can foster skills and knowledge for better academic performance and health. Makes recommendations for government research, partnerships, and media

The use of virtual world platforms for supporting an emergency response training exercise

The development of a computer-based simulation for emergency response exercise training to facilitate trainees' learning activities and learning outcomes is proposed. Some limitations in using these simulations in emergency services include a focus on small-scaled individual task training and highly controlled environments designed to measure trainees' performance. These problems decrease the realism of the simulation which should represent more diverse, open-ended, counter-intuitive and unpredictable environmental conditions. These problems could reduce learning outcomes brought about by allowing open-ended discussions and team working. Virtual worlds provide a new methodological framework for conducting emergency response exercises. This paper describes a research agenda for the development of a virtual training exercise for emergency response. It has three objectives: firstly, it highlights the issues of validity of exercises for emergency events; secondly, it reviews possible virtual worlds which could be deployed as test bed environments and presents methodologies for their evaluation. Lastly, it suggests a future development of a virtual environment that may be used to support the emergency planning community by considering an existing similar project

Immersive multi-user decision training games with ARLearn

Serious gaming approaches so far focus mainly on skill development, motivational aspects or providing immersive learning situations. Little work has been reported to foster awareness and decision competencies in complex deci-sion situations involving incomplete information and multiple stakeholders. We address this issue exploring the technical requirements and possibilities to de-sign games for such situations in three case studies: a hostage taking situation, a multi-stakeholder logistics case, and a health-care related emergency case. To implement the games, we use a multi-user enabled mobile game development platform (ARLearn). We describe the underlying real world situations and edu-cational challenges and analyse how these are reflected in the ARLearn games realized. Based on these cases we propose a way to increase the immersiveness of mobile learning games.SALOM

Questioning, exploring, narrating and playing in the control room to maintain system safety

Systems whose design is primarily aimed at ensuring efficient, effective and safe working, such as control rooms, have traditionally been evaluated in terms of criteria that correspond directly to those values: functional correctness, time to complete tasks, etc. This paper reports on a study of control room working that identified other factors that contributed directly to overall system safety. These factors included the ability of staff to manage uncertainty, to learn in an exploratory way, to reflect on their actions, and to engage in problem-solving that has many of the hallmarks of playing puzzles which, in turn, supports exploratory learning. These factors, while currently difficult to measure or explicitly design for, must be recognized and valued in design

E-learning in a rural context : alternative media and contemporary applications

This report has been written as part of the E-ruralnet –project that addresses e-learning as a means for enhancing lifelong learning opportunities in rural areas, with emphasis on SMEs, micro-enterprises, self-employed and persons seeking employment. E-ruralnet is a European network project part-funded by the European Commission in the context of the Lifelong Learning Programme, Transversal projects-ICT. This report aims to address two issues identified as requiring attention in the previous Observatory study: firstly, access to e-learning for rural areas that have not adequate ICT infrastructure; and secondly new learning approaches introduced through new interactive ICT tools such as web 2.0., wikis, podcasts etc. The possibility of using alternative technology in addition to computers is examined (mobile telephones, DVDs) as well as new approaches to learning (simulation, serious games). The first part of the report examines existing literature on e-learning and what e-learning is all about. Institutional users, learners and instructors/teachers are all looked at separately. We then turn to the implementation of e-learning from the organizational point of view and focus on quality issues related to e-learning. The report includes a separate chapter or e-learning from the rural perspective since most of Europe is geographically speaking rural and the population in those areas is that which could most benefit from the possibilities introduced by the e-learning development. The section titled “Alternative media”, in accordance with the project terminology, looks at standalone technology that is of particular use to rural areas without proper internet connection. It also evaluates the use of new tools and media in e-learning and takes a look at m-learning. Finally, the use of games, serious games and simulations in learning is considered. Practical examples and cases are displayed in a box to facilitate pleasant reading