Mobile Games for Negotiated-Play and Decision-Making in Health Literacy

The purpose of this qualitative case study study is to examine the ways in which mobile videogames can be used in non-formal educational environments, to support students to develop decision-making skills through negotiated play. In the context of this study, the health literacy mobile videogame, PlayForward: Elm City Stories developed at Yale University was implemented in an afterschool setting in southern Europe. In this study we explored how secondary school students negotiate meaning, make decisions, and interpret the consequences in a non-formal education context, through an interpretive symbolic-interactive framework. The data included individual interviews with students, field-notes, and video-based student-groups' interactions. These were analyzed with the use of open coding techniques. The analysis of the data resulted in the following three assertions: (a) The technical affordances of the game such as sound, usability, rating system, and visuals, are vital features that defined the quality of play and learning experience; (b) The narrative of the game guided the learning game-play experience of the students; and, (c) Students perceived that their engagement in the game facilitated their collaboration and decision-making. These are discussed alongside recommendations for game design for supporting negotiated play and decision-making

Opportunities, challenges, and training needs in the use of VR in higher education and SMEs : The case of Cyprus and Finland

The use and adoption of VR solutions have increased rapidly due to recent technological developments. Over the last years, there have been many initiatives to develop and adopt VR in many different fields, including education and business. This paper describes the state-of-the-art of VR use in Cyprus and Finland, focusing on the use of VR technology in Higher Education (HE) Institutions and in Small to Medium Enterprises (SME). Interview sessions were conducted with 16 expert people from Higher Education and business to firstly identify the key technologies available and secondly to analyze the opportunities, strengths, challenges, and training needs concerning the adoption of VR. The analysis revealed essential considerations and valuable insights about the development, adoption, and promotion of VR solutions in Higher Education and the business sector.acceptedVersionPeer reviewe

Educating Educators about Virtual Reality in Virtual Reality: Effective Learning Principles Operationalized in a VR Solution

Virtual Reality (VR) is transforming organizational training as users are immersed in realistic situations that may not exist yet in the physical world. The theoretical principles that make VR effective for learning in an immersive way are emerging in literature but remain poorly understood in practice nor have they been articulated in available VR solutions. This study demonstrates an IT artifact that is targeted at educators in companies and in higher education. The study synthesizes the key principles that make VR environments effective for learning, derives design principles for a corresponding artifact and demonstrates a VR solution that enables educators to absorb the principles of the power of VR by experiencing them first hand. Creating this artifact and delivering it to educators is important as they are responsible for diffusing VR to current employees in companies and future workforce in higher education.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

Needs Assessment and Gap Analysis at National and EU Level Report

Participation in adult education varies significantly across states and regions of Europe! In some countries participation is relatively low, in some countries static or dropping, and there is challenge in reaching a European average of 15% participation by 2020. Why? This report presents a needs assessment and gap analysis in the four DIMA project partner countries. The results presented arise from three data collection instruments: a web based survey, individual interviews, and focus group discussions. The report reports the outcomes of all three instruments. The first instrument, a web based survey, is presented in charts and tables which are complimented by the other two instruments. The intention of the report is to outline needs, problems, and issues in the field of adult education in each country. The findings will underpin approaches to planning, problem solving, and decision making across all partner countries. The report also outlines solutions undertaken in selected partner countries as examples of good practice. Evidence in this report suggests disparity in policy making, planning, and implementation in project partner counties mirroring similar disparity in the adult education sector across Europe. This report was prepared within the framework of the DIMA project to underpin a strategy by the project partners to provide tools to address the disparities identified Working through six (6) partners in five (5) countries over two (2) years the DIMA project seeks to provide tools that policy makers and adult education practioners can utilise to address the capacity gaps in policy making, implementation and evaluation in adult education provision. This report is in line with the Erasmus+ priority of "… contributing to the development of a European Area of Skills and Qualifications" and with the specific priorities of enhancing and aligning European adult education policies, strategies and practices. For further information on the DIMA project visit https://dima-project.eu/index.php/en/. To download the DIMA toolkit visit http://eprints.maynoothuniversity.ie/10121/ To access the DIMA project site online training course visit https://dima-project.eu/index.php/en/e-learnin

E-Learning, Multiple Intelligences Theory (MI) And Learner-Centred Instruction: Adapting MI Learning Theoretical Principles To The Instruction Of Health And Safety To Construction Managers

This paper describes an ongoing EU project concerned with developing an instructional design framework for virtual classes (VC) that is based on the theory of Multiple Intelligences (MI) (1983).  The psychological theory of Multiple Intelligences (Gardner 1983) has received much credence within instructional design since its inception and has been implemented successfully in a wide array of traditional educational settings. Nonetheless, very little research has been carried out on developing frameworks for elevating MI into an e-learning environment. Specifically, the project hopes to adapt and utilize MI theoretical learning principles to create a virtual class specifically designed for instructing health and safety to construction managers. This paper explores the emerging principles from both theory and practice in order to identify the appropriate methodology for the successful incorporation of MI based instructional techniques in the virtual class design. Guidelines are provided on how the MI concept of ‘entry points’ can best be adapted for the specific learners (in this case construction managers) and class content (in this case health and safety). Of particular concern to this papers examination of ‘entry points’ is the potential for the deployment of intelligence profiling research to create a class tailor-made for construction managers while simultaneously adaptive to each learners individual needs. Emerging from this analysis, the paper will provide core recommendations including how to create problem based instructional activities that are directly related to both the participant’s intelligence strengths and to the class content