GAMEPLAY FOR INSPIRING DIGITAL ADOPTION Erasmus Project

Project Title

GAMEPLAY FOR INSPIRING DIGITAL ADOPTION

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Access for disadvantaged

Project Summary

The GIRDA project addressed the problem of encouraging and nurturing digital take-up amongst older citizens who have not previously had access to digital technology. The target group (over 55 years and not digitally literate) typically consisted of individuals who have reached an advanced stage in their lives without learning to use any digital technology. This may be due to lack of exposure to it, bad experience in previous attempts to learn, or simply fear and reluctance.

Our approach used touch-table games to introduce such individuals to digital interaction. The approach was designed to build learner confidence and basic skills, in turn nurturing positivity, motivation, and willingness to engage in exploratory-based learning of further digital technologies. Partners piloted and validated a low-pressure social approach to learning digital skills that targets affective barriers to technology adoption as well as the cognitive and physical process of learning and skill acquisition, using a combination of playful exploration and light-touch guidance through engagement with games. Players motivated to engage with games rapidly mastered basic manipulations such as tapping, dragging and rotating objects. They were also shown to be learning about, for example, reversibility, resizing objects and degrees of movement on digital space. This helped learners with initial low self-efficacy to overcome their reluctance. This transformation was shown to be a positive effect of developing cognitive motor skills through play. The playability, engagement and sociality of games was shown to be beneficial in this process. Players learning together in our studies were shown to be mutually supporting through co-play, cooperative problem solving, verbal support and witnessing each other’s achievements. Our recruitment used a strategy of inviting people to try playing some games rather than emphasising the more stigmatising terminology such as ‘try using a computer’. Many of our learners indicated low-self-efficacy prior to trying the games and suggested the presence of a social stigma around digital technologies (where there is a sense of disenfranchisement, a sense that it is not ‘their’ technology). Therefore behavioural and attitude change were as important as acquiring skills. It was demonstrated that many participants who initially used phrases such as ‘it’s not for me and ‘I’ve no interest’ revealed an awareness of the potential usefulness of digital engagement only after they had reached a level of competence and confidence through playing the games.
Our studies engaged over 300 individuals, including learners in community centres and also residents of care homes. We performed two rounds of studies. Firstly a pilot study to demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach for learnability and retention. We then applied our strategy for mentored learning using touch-table games in extensive studies in day centre environments, and in the residential care sector. The studies established strategies for mentors to play the appropriate and constructive role in game-based sessions. This included circumstances for direct intervention, providing encouragement to explore of try repeated actions, and verbal feedback and encouragement designed to engineer the generation of positive attitudes and the negation of attitudes that may cause reluctance and withdrawal.
The studies were followed by longitudinal monitoring of their progression to use of a wider range of digital utilities. It was found that a significant number of participants had progressed to further use of digital facilities including tablets, smartphones and digital technologies in public spaces.
Two best-practice guides were produced using the findings from our studies, for promoting the project’s approach to inspiring digital adoption for older users. These were a ‘Mentor Guide’ and a Mentor Protocol’. The mentor guide took those engaged in mentoring through key aspects of the role. This included advice on interpersonal skills, choosing appropriate games, the strategic role of the mentor at various points, and moving learners on to further adoption. The mentor protocol gave specific procedural advice on running game-based tutorial sessions, including an automated tool to help choose suitable games.
The Mentor Guides were disseminated through practitioner organisations in the partner countries and to organisations representing the interests of older citizens. Further dissemination to practitioners, policy makes and academics broadened awareness of the project’s work within and beyond the partner countries, and outside Europe. Feedback confirms that the guides are already influencing practitioners approaches to helping older citizens overcome initial barriers to adoption, changing the way that they engage with new learners.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 418737 Eur

Project Coordinator

MIDDLESEX UNIVERSITY HIGHER EDUCATION CORPORATION & Country: UK

Project Partners

• Ss. CYRIL AND METHODIUS UNIVERSITY IN SKOPJE
• INSTITUT JOZEF STEFAN
• GOOD THINGS FOUNDATION
• Trajkovski i Partneri DOOEL
• UNIVERSITAT LINZ
• Andragoski zavod Ljudska univerza Velenje