Innovation in project management education - let’s get serious!

More educators use serious games (e.g., games where the primary objective is learning rather than enjoyment) to enhance learning due to benefits such as improved understanding and engagement. However, using serious games within project management education is not well understood. The aim of this research is to investigate project management serious games in higher education: i) determine the extent of gamification in PMI-accredited project management programs, and ii) survey university students about their experiences playing project management serious games. Two separate mixed-method studies reveal insights about serious games in higher education and where innovations may be leveraged. Traditional statistics were used to analyze quantitative data, and coding was used to analyze the qualitative data. The results from a global survey of ten PMI-accredited university programs suggest that serious games are embryonic but promising. A case study at one university reveals that students enjoy learning through games but caution against using games to formally assess students’ learning. The paper concludes with recommendations for further research and development

Are Behaviour Change Approaches Incorporated Within Digital Technology-Based Physical Rehabilitation Interventions Following Stroke? A Scoping Review

Background: Digital health technologies (DHTs) are increasingly used in physical stroke rehabilitation to support individuals to successfully engage with the frequent, intensive, and lengthy activities required to optimise recovery. Despite this, little is known about behaviour change within these interventions. Objective: This scoping review aimed to identify if, and how behaviour change approaches (i.e., theories, models and frameworks, and techniques to influence behaviour) are incorporated within physical stroke rehabilitation interventions that include a DHT. Methods: Databases (Embase, Medline, PyscINFO, CINAHL, Cochrane Library and AMED) were searched using keywords relating to behaviour change, DHT, physical rehabilitation and stroke. Results were independently screened by 2 reviewers. Sources were included if they reported a completed primary research study in which a behaviour change approach could be identified within a physical stroke rehabilitation intervention that included a DHT. Data including the study design, DHT utilised, and behaviour change approaches were charted. Specific behaviour change techniques were coded to the behaviour change technique taxonomy version 1 (BCTTv1). Results: From a total of 1973 identified sources, 103 studies (5%) were included for data charting. The most common reason for exclusion at full text screening, was the absence of an explicit approach to behaviour change (165/245, 67%). Almost half of the included studies (45/103, 44%) were described as pilot or feasibility studies. Virtual reality (VR) was the most frequently identified DHT type (58/103, 56%) and almost two-thirds of studies focused on upper limb rehabilitation (65/103, 63%). Only a limited number of studies (18/103, 17%) included a theory, model, or framework for behaviour change. The most frequently used BCTTv1 clusters were feedback and monitoring (88/103, 85%), reward and threat (56, 54%), goals and planning (33, 32%), and shaping knowledge (33, 32%). Relationships between feedback and monitoring, and reward and threat were identified using a relationship map with prominent use of both these clusters in interventions which included VR. Conclusions: Despite an assumption that DHTs can promote engagement in rehabilitation, this scoping review demonstrates that very few studies of physical stroke rehabilitation which include a DHT, overtly utilised any form of behaviour change approach. From those studies that did consider behaviour change, most did not report robust underpinning theory. Future development and research need to explicitly articulate how including DHTs within an intervention may support the behaviour change required for optimal engagement in physical rehabilitation following stroke, as well as establish their effectiveness. This understanding is likely to support the realisation of the transformative potential of DHTs in stroke rehabilitation

Reducing Compensatory Motions in Motion-Based Video Games for Stroke Rehabilitation

<div><p>Stroke survivors’ unsupervised therapeutic exercise motions are often accompanied by harmful compensatory motions that prevent proper motor recovery and introduce additional health issues. These compensatory motions are often performed unconsciously and are difficult to prevent. Motion-based games show promise for motivating patients to perform stroke rehabilitation exercises at home by themselves. Currently, exercises with these games are likely to contain undesired compensatory motions. In this article, we provide the design and empirical evaluation of a motion-based game system that addresses the issue of compensation in therapeutic games. We introduce a technique to identify and measure compensation, develop a game that meaningfully uses exercise and compensation as inputs, and use incentives and disincentives to reduce compensation. We show that this technique outperforms existing approaches by significantly reducing compensatory motions during therapeutic exercise. This has important implications for therapeutic games, which can use our findings to improve the quality of motions to be closer to therapist-supervised motions. Our techniques can increase the effectiveness of therapeutic games and reduce the possibility that they may cause harm in long-term use.</p></div