Using ClassCraft to Improve Primary School Students´ Knowledge and Interest in Sustainable Mobility

ABSTARCT: Teaching students awareness about sustainable mobility has been lacking to date. There is a need to expand the themes being addressed in order to achieve a change in attitude. Society needs to design a curriculum that teaches about sustainable mobility to guarantee a better environment for future generations. This article presents the most important results of an experiment based on gamification to promote the education of sustainable mobility in primary school classrooms. This new teaching method, aimed at children aged 10?12 years old, applies non-gambling play metaphors to real-life tasks to motivate a change in attitude. The didactic approach was developed using the ClassCraft platform to create specific activities that consider the environmental, economic, and social aspects of sustainable mobility. The initial analysis revealed a perception about sustainable mobility that focused on environmental problems with very little input on the economic and social aspects. The experience has shown that by using the gamified ClassCraft tool applying structured activities about all aspects of sustainable mobility, the pupils acquired new concepts that clarified the social and economic components and began to develop a conscience about how to become an active part in behavioural change

Study of the Training of Environmentalists through Gamification as A University Course

The United Nations Agenda for 2030 lists Sustainable Development Goals which include quality education, which we have pursued in the Undergraduate Final Project of the Environmental Sciences Degree at the University of Granada (Spain). This entailed designing sustainable cities, including the management of natural hazards. We created an innovative didactic model using gamification, in which the student adopted the researcher role using the computer game Cities: Skylines as a simulation tool. Using a design-based method, we conducted a qualitative single-case study in which the professor observed the process and guided the student’s self-learning in a fun way. Under this guidance, the student made decisions alone in order to simulate a sustainable city, and afterwards to analyse the findings. Three variables were considered in order to evaluate the results concerning the quality of the student’s learning: (1) the experiment using the game, (2) motivation, and (3) the skills acquired. In all three, the student earned a high score. Of the 12 skills established as the specific goals of the teaching plan, the student reached a very high level in 10, and a high level in two, implying the overall success of the learning process. The study achieved its main goal, as an innovative didactic methodology was established based on student’s research, using gamification and simulation with a technological tool. Moreover, the case study gave positive results, with the student proving capable of developing scientific and professional competencies at an optimal level

Interactive virtual method applied in urban design education. Mixed Approach

La memòria d'aquesta tesi tracta sobre l'ús de la transformació digital en l'ensenyament i els processos de disseny urbà, a través de conceptes innovadors i metodologies pràctiques. L'objectiu és promoure l'ús de tecnologies digitals, en particular per avaluar la inclusió de la realitat virtual en diversos entorns d'ensenyament formals i informals del disseny urbà col·laboratiu, per tal de millorar, accelerar i augmentar el seu impacte social de forma positiva i millorar l'ensenyament universitària ajudant al fet que els estudiants consolidin amb major efectivitat les seves habilitats. Amb les característiques d’un sistema de realitat virtual, podem provar la nostra hipòtesi en funció de demostrar: (1) La implementació d'estratègies virtuals gamificades en el camp del disseny urbà generarà una millora i motivació en la participació ciutadana i dels estudiants, ja que l’entorn és més dinàmic, real i permet un disseny col·laboratiu àgil gràcies a les tecnologies visuals immersives, mentre avaluen críticament el resultat d'un disseny urbà i prenen decisions. (2) L'ús de sistemes virtuals interactius per a la comprensió de l'espai tridimensional millora en els estudiants i professionals la percepció de la comprensió de l'espai, generant major enteniment de les condicions d'ubicació, dimensions i relacions dels espais urbans, i defensar els arguments de projectes urbans i propostes urbanes definides interactivament que proven diverses estratègies d'acció. Per provar les nostres hipòtesis, fem servir un mètode quantitatiu i qualitatiu aplicat en diferents escenaris i als diferents perfils d'usuaris, estudiants, professionals i usuaris finals. Els resultats mostraran que és possible potenciar la transformació digital, millorar la motivació pública, la implicació i la satisfacció en els processos de presa de decisions urbanes, així com complementar l'adquisició de competències urbanes específiques necessàries per a la professió en estudiants d'Arquitectura.La memoria de esta tesis trata sobre el uso de la transformación digital en la enseñanza y los procesos de diseño urbano, a través de conceptos innovadores y metodologías prácticas. El objetivo es promover el uso de tecnologías digitales, en particular para evaluar la inclusión de la realidad virtual en diversos entornos de enseñanza formales e informales del diseño urbano colaborativo, con el fin de mejorarlo, acelerar y aumentar su impacto social positivo y mejorar la enseñanza universitaria ayudando a que los estudiantes consoliden con mayor efectividad sus habilidades. Con las características de un sistema de realidad virtual, podemos probar nuestra hipótesis en función de demostrar: (1) El uso de sistemas virtuales interactivos para la comprensión del espacio tridimensional mejora en los estudiantes y profesionales la percepción de la comprensión del espacio, generando mayor entendimiento de las condiciones de ubicación, dimensiones y relaciones de los espacios urbanos, y defender los argumentos de proyectos urbanos y propuestas urbanas definidas interactivamente que ensayan diversas estrategias de acción. (2) La implementación de estrategias virtuales gamificadas en el campo del diseño urbano generará una mejora y motivación en la participación ciudadana y en los estudiantes, ya que es un entorno de colaboración más dinámico, real y ágil gracias a las tecnologías visuales inmersivas, mientras evalúan críticamente el resultado de un diseño urbano y toman decisiones. Para probar nuestras hipótesis, utilizamos un método cuantitativo y cualitativo aplicado en diferentes escenarios y a diferentes perfiles de usuarios, estudiantes, profesionales y usuarios finales. Los resultados mostrarán que es posible potenciar la transformación digital, mejorar la motivación pública, la implicación y la satisfacción en los procesos de toma de decisiones urbanas, así como complementar la adquisición de competencias urbanas específicas necesarias para la profesión en estudiantes de Arquitectura.The memory of this thesis deals with the use of digital transformation in the teaching and processes of urban design, through innovative concepts and practical methodologies. The objective is to promote the use of digital technologies, in particular, to evaluate the inclusion of virtual reality in various formal and informal teaching environments of collaborative urban design, in order to improve it, speed up, and increase its positive social impact and improve university teaching by helping students consolidate their skills more effectively. With the characteristics of the VR system, we can test our hypothesis based on demonstrating: (1) The use of virtual-interactive systems for the understanding of three- dimensional space improve in students and professionals the perception of the comprehension of the space, generating a greater understanding of the location conditions, dimensions and relationships of urban spaces, and defend the arguments of urban projects and interactively defined urban proposals rehearsing various strategies of action. (2) The implementation of virtual gamified strategies in the field of urban design will generate improvement and motivation in citizen participation and students as it is a more dynamic, real and agile collaborative environment thanks to the immersive visual technologies as they critically evaluate the result of the urban design and make decisions. To validate our hypothesis, we use a quantitative and qualitative method applied in different scenarios and to a different profile of users, students, professionals and end users. The results will show that it is possible to empower digital transformation, to improve public motivation, implication, and satisfaction in urban decision-making processes as well as complementing the improvement of the perception of the comprehension of the space needed for the profession in Architecture students

Digitized Local Folklores in EFL Reading Classroom

This study aimed at reporting the implementation of the use of digitized local folklores to empower reading comprehension skills of junior high school students. This classroom action study was applied to a number of grade VII junior high school students. It engaged two stories about Palembang City - the Origin of Musi River and the History of Ikan Belido (Chitala Lopis). Both stories were “packaged” digitally by the use of video, and extended with guided ICT based post-reading activities. Video as one medium of the learning activities could confidently intensify students’ interest in learning due to the fact that most students tend to be more visualized. The result revealed that the use of this digitized media positively enhanced the students on the extent of the pleasure, imaginative visual learning aids, and the involvement and touched upon cultural aspects of the students

Smart urban freight planning process: integrating desk, living lab and modelling approaches in decision-making

Abstract Purpose This paper proposes an innovative approach to decision-making processes for urban freight planning that could easily be transferred across cities while capable of jointly taking into account: (1) all the conceivable and updated urban freight transport (UFT) measures that should apply to the specific city culture, structure and evolution, (2) all the relevant stakeholders and successfully involve them from the beginning, (3) behavioural, technical, operational, organisational and financial issues. Methods The methodology is organised and deployed in three phases, following three different approaches, i.e.: a "desk approach" for data acquisition and knowledge-based policy rankings; a "living lab approach" to foster stakeholders' engagement in co-creating policies; a "modelling approach" to evaluate policies and find/define an optimised mix of shared applicable/effective policies. Results The three-phase methodology supports public authorities in: (a) increasing knowledge and understanding of the most innovative context-specific UFT policies; (b) integrating UFT policies in strategic urban planning via collaborative participation/governance processes; (c) developing an ex-ante behaviourally consistent, financially robust and technically compatible assessment of shared UFT policy mixes while providing appropriate instruments to facilitate policy adoption and deployment. Conclusions The proposed methodology contributes to the identification and development of effective UFT solutions. Bringing together knowledge acquisition, policy co-creation, behaviour change analysis within a single methodological approach, aimed at identifying an optimised policy package, is both new and needed

Citizen engagement through city apps: Technology adoption approach

Metropolitan areas are constantly evolving, and the smart city concept is gaining traction throughout local governance. The new paradigm for cities lands on an organic, efficient and interconnected structure, where the citizen is placed at the centre. Information and communication technologies (ICT) are the main technological enablers for this change and for citizen engagement, city services and applications (Apps) as one of the channels possible to use. The main objective of the present study is to find the key determinants that enable the adoption of city mobile apps. A theoretical model was created, and an online survey conducted to gather insights of the citizens' perspectives regarding the city apps. The results indicate the model is valid and that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use are important components to the adoption of city apps. In addition, it was possible to identify some organizational and individual impacts recurring from the use of these apps. This study contributes to a new model of city apps adoption and provides evidence to organisms involved on the implementation and development of these apps.As áreas metropolitanas estão em constante desenvolvimento e o conceito de smart cities tem vindo a ganhar força entre organismos de governação local. Este novo paradigma para as cidades assenta numa estrutura orgânica, interconectada e eficiente, onde o cidadão é colocado no centro. As tecnologias de comunicação e informação são consideradas os principais facilitadores para esta mudança e envolvimento do cidadão, sendo os serviços e aplicações (apps) disponíveis um dos canais utilizados. O objectivo principal do presente estudo é determinar o que proporciona adopção de apps citadinas. Um modelo teórico foi desenhado e um questionário online realizado, de modo a recolher as percepções dos cidadãos, relativamente ao uso destas aplicações mobile. Os resultados indicam que o modelo é válido e que a percepção de utilidade e de facilidade de utilização são importantes componentes na adopção de apps citadinas. Adicionalmente, foi possível identificar algum impacto individual e organizacional promovido pelo uso destas apps. Este estudo vem contribuir para um novo modelo de adopção a apps citadinas e facilitar informação aos organismos envolvidos no desenvolvimento e implementação das mesmas

Exploring Design Seeds for Urban Transformation

There is a growing interest in considering interaction aspects for the design of urban public places. Emerging approaches present different frames inherent to the interplay among people and information between us and address the role of urban infrastructures and technologies in encouraging interactions. In this paper we use the concept of Urban Interaction Design to provide a framework for understanding transformations due to urban design, while bringing new values and perspectives into the design process itself. This framework is a product of three design seeds: participatory urbanism, urban data visualization and urban gamification. Each one of them contributes with specific insights and mechanics to re-defining urban interaction. We use three design cases to illustrate how Urban Interaction Design is a promising path to follow in the context of sustainable HCI. The concepts are discussed highlighting the main assets for future development

Promoting Sustainable Mobility: To What Extent Is “Health” Considered by Mobility App Studies? A Review and a Conceptual Framework

Promoting cycling and walking in cities improves individual health and wellbeing and, together with public transport, promotes societal sustainability patterns. Recently, smartphone apps informing and motivating sustainable mobility usage have increased. Current research has applied and investigated these apps; however, none have specifically considered mobility-related health components within mobility apps. The aim of this study is to examine the (potential) role of health-related information provided in mobility apps to influence mobility behavior. Following a systematic literature review of empirical studies applying mobility apps, this paper (1) investigates the studies and mobility apps regarding communicated information, strategies, and effects on mobility behavior and (2) explores how, and to what extent, health and its components are addressed. The reviewed studies focus on environmental information, especially CO2-emissions. Health is represented by physical activity or calories burned. The self-exposure to air pollution, noise, heat, traffic injuries or green spaces is rarely addressed. We propose a conceptual framework based on protection motivation theory to include health in mobility apps for sustainable mobility behavior change. Addressing people’s self-protective motivation could empower mobility app users. It might be a possible trigger for behavior change, leading towards healthy and sustainable mobility and thus, have individual and societal benefits.Peer Reviewe