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

RECOVEU Policy and Practice Review: Work Package 3 - Establishing context. Grundtvig Multilateral - EU Lifelong Learning Programme. Project Number: 538955-LLP-1-2013-1-UK-GRUNDTVIG-GMP

A review of the policy relating to drug addiction and treatment in the UK, Ireland, Cyprus, Romania and Italy. This document provides the contextual background for the RECOVEU project : A participative approach to curriculum development for adults in addiction recovery across the European Union. The project has brought together partners from the UK, Ireland, Cyprus, Romania and Italy with the aim of developing access to learning resources for people in addiction recover. The review draws on existing data (for example, from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction) and the experiential knowledge of the five partner organisations working in the field of addiction

Work Package 4 - Focus Group Overview. Grundtvig Multilateral - EU Lifelong Learning Programme. Project Number: 538955-LLP-1-2013-1-UK-GRUNDTVIG-GMP

During the first year of the RECOVEU project, the Consortium collected data regarding the policy and practice in the field of addiction treatment, education and social reintegration in all five countries.One of the major issues confronting policy makers and practitioners in the field of addiction and recovery is the lack of specific data concerning the access of adults in recovery to learning resources that enable them to recover and re‐integrate into society. Consulting with both adults in recovery and service providers will support awareness of the issues prevalent in recovering addicts’ lives and lead to the development of adult education which is responsive to the specific barriers this may raise. This will ensure that the adult education curriculum developed during the project will meet the needs of people in recovery, thereby increasing the potential for successful engagement and retention. Work Package 4 – Focus Group Phase has supported an understanding of the part played by adult education in an individual’s recovery process and provides a way in which people in recovery could be supported to engage in adult education opportunities. Each of the five partners delivered three to five focus groups, either with service users or service providers. The total number of participants was 92 (44 service users and 48 service providers), with a total number of 20 groups delivered across all partners. This review outlines the key findings from these focus groups

Intercultural Mentoring tools to support migrant integration at school (INTO)

[ES] Within the scope of European policies and to combat educational disadvantages for migrant children, numerous actions have been taken to improve the position of migrant children in education. In secondary education the emphasis lies on diversification of the offered teaching methods and extra guidance of the pupils. Some schools in Europe have set up measures to increase the continuity of the educational support in terms of migrant pupil inclusion and orientation. Despite these measures, dropout rates are still high among migrant youth and compared to their native peers a disproportionately large number attend the lowest levels of secondary school after completing primary school. The disappointing results of regular guidance are partly the reason for the development of more innovative forms of guidance. The project aims to promote strategies and methods that help students with a migrant background at risk of ESL to maintain their motivation through the development, testing and validation of an Intercultural Mentoring Programme based on the empowered peer education methodology.The Intercultural mentor profile will be adapted to different European contexts, developed in collaboration with at least 100 school staff members (headmaster and secondary school teachers from 5 different European countries) and tested with at least 50 students with a migrant background trained as Intercultural Mentors. The impact of the project will be sustained thanks to its outcomes: (i) Didactic Kit: conceived as self-teaching materials will contain the training framework to directly implement the model of intervention in secondary schools system; (ii) Guideline Handbook: support the future implementation of training courses – by other education organizations and secondary school, (iii) Project website: it will include not only the results and materials of the project (handbooks, e-learning platform, reports, etc.) but will also include updated information on young migrants

De la revolución del software a la del hardware en educación superior

La revolución que supuso la democratización del software se amplía al hardware. Nos encontramos ante un nuevo escenario que incorpora hardware barato y de fácil acceso que posibilita el diseño y la creación de objetos reales. Ante esta nueva realidad los contextos educativos deben reflexionar sobre su práctica, adaptarse y rediseñar sus espacios de aprendizaje tanto digitales como presenciales. En este trabajo repasamos las aportaciones que realiza el e-learning 2.0 a la educación en su conjunto. Presentamos un recorrido por las diversas y complejas oportunidades educativas que presenta el desarrollo del blended learning y de las metodologías activas combinadas con tecnologías emergentes. Esto es, analizamos las aportaciones a la educación y la situación a la que instituciones educativas se enfrentan desde la revolución de la Web 2.0 hasta los actuales contextos de aprendizaje híbridos y los espacios de creación o FabLabs que contribuyen a la difusión de la tenue frontera entre aprendizaje formal e informal. La evolución de la tecnología conlleva la adaptación de los procesos de aprendizaje a metodologías innovadoras para el desarrollo de las competencias en la resolución de problemas. En conclusión, diseñar contextos de aprendizaje basados en la horizontalidad de la transmisión y construcción del conocimiento para contribuir, de esta manera, al desarrollo de la propia tecnología

De la revolución del software a la del hardware en educación superior

La revolución que supuso la democratización del software se amplía al hardware. Nos encontramos ante un nuevo escenario que incorpora hardware barato y de fácil acceso que posibilita el diseño y la creación de objetos reales. Ante esta nueva realidad los contextos educativos deben reflexionar sobre su práctica, adaptarse y rediseñar sus espacios de aprendizaje tanto digitales como presenciales. En este trabajo repasamos las aportaciones que realiza el e-learning 2.0 a la educación en su conjunto. Presentamos un recorrido por las diversas y complejas oportunidades educativas que presenta el desarrollo del blended learning y de las metodologías activas combinadas con tecnologías emergentes. Esto es, analizamos las aportaciones a la educación y la situación a la que instituciones educativas se enfrentan desde la revolución de la Web 2.0 hasta los actuales contextos de aprendizaje híbridos y los espacios de creación o FabLabs que contribuyen a la difusión de la tenue frontera entre aprendizaje formal e informal. La evolución de la tecnología conlleva la adaptación de los procesos de aprendizaje a metodologías innovadoras para el desarrollo de las competencias en la resolución de problemas. En conclusión, diseñar contextos de aprendizaje basados en la horizontalidad de la transmisión y construcción del conocimiento para contribuir, de esta manera, al desarrollo de la propia tecnología

Science Fiction in Education: Case Studies from Classroom Implementations

This manuscript reports on findings from the implementation of the EU project “Science Fiction in Education” (Sci-Fi-Ed). The project provides teachers with tools, training, and guidance that will assist them in enhancing their teaching, making science more attractive to students, connecting it with real-life issues such as the environment, and providing girls and other marginalised groups with access to science resources, material, and learning opportunities. The central project idea is to achieve this by incorporating science fiction (Sci-Fi) in science teaching. The aim of this paper is to present the framework and the lessons learned from designing and implementing the project. We focus on the following topics: (1) theoretical and empirical underpinnings of Sci-Fi narratives in education: the importance of narratives in education, their benefits, and challenges; (2) interdisciplinary teaching and learning: the interdisciplinary approach, its benefits, and challenges; (3) practical guidelines and innovative teaching ideas: introducing Sci-Fi-Ed; and (4) briefly discuss the lesson learned from the implementation of the project in classrooms in five countries

Physician-patient communication: a qualitative study of perceptions, barriers, and needs in four European member states

Background: Good physician-patient communication is an important aspect of patient-centered care and contributes to positive health outcomes, however, there is a lack of standard European Union (EU) communication training policies for physicians. This study explores the barriers to good communication for both physicians and patients across four EU countries as part of the EU-funded project, Health Communication Training for Health Professionals–H-COM. Method: Focus groups were conducted with 31 patients and 38 physicians from Germany, Greece, Spain, and Cyprus. Two separate discussion guides were constructed for each target group around three themes: perceptions of, barriers to, and needs for health communication. Thematic analysis was used. Results: Commonalities and differences between countries and target groups were identified, with participants discussing attitudinal, emotional, educational, and systemic barriers to good communication. Participants indicated a significant gap in health communication knowledge, skills, and training for physicians, with regional differences. Conclusion: The results imply that there is a need for EU-wide communication training for physicians that would be best addressed by common themes and tailoring to specific regional differences. The results also imply that effective training should encompass a blend of theory and practical methods, and should be delivered via an e-learning platform for maximum accessibility. Training programs that adhere to these suggestions can begin to address the gaps in patient-centered care in the EU

Essential Skills for Health Communication, Barriers, Facilitators and the Need for Training: Perceptions of Healthcare Professionals from Seven European Countries

Many healthcare professionals are unaware of the necessary skills and barriers hindering interpersonal health communication. This study aimed to evaluate the healthcare professional's perception regarding health communication training's necessity, barriers, facilitators and critical skills in health communication. Data from a cross-sectional online survey in the framework of the H-Com project were utilized. The study included 691 healthcare professionals (physicians, nurses, students and allied health professionals) from seven European countries. Only 57% of participants had participated in health communication training, while 88.1% of them indicated a willingness to be trained in health communication. Nurses were more likely (OR = 1.84; 95% CI 1.16, 2.91) to have received such training, compared to physicians. Most examined communication skills, barriers and facilitators of effective communication, and perceived outcomes of successful communication were considered crucial for most participants, although physicians overall seemed to be less concerned. Most agreed perceived outcomes were improved professional-patient relations, patient and professional satisfaction, physical and psychological health amelioration and patients' trust. Nurses evaluated the importance of these communication skills and communication barriers, facilitators and outcomes higher than physicians. Physicians may underestimate the importance of communication skills more than nurses. Health communication should become an integral part of training for all health professionals