Mobile Tools and Gamification as a new Language Assessment System in Tourism Erasmus Project

Project Title

Mobile Tools and Gamification as a new Language Assessment System in Tourism

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 vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Quality Improvement Institutions and/or methods (incl. school development); Key Competences (incl. mathematics and literacy) – basic skills

Project Summary

BACKGROUND
In project MOGAT some project partners had been engaged in fostering of the EU L2 standard for professionals in tourism for 15 years. Various institutions have been supporting this initiative and a significant body of courseware has been produced and implemented in educational and training institutions.
The first LdV-project “ESB”, the winner of the EU Label 2001, was followed by SLEST (www.slest-tourism.org; EU Label 2007), with which a whole two-level L2 learning courseware has been created, following the “EU Framework of Reference for Languages”. From 2013 on further L2 learning materials for the tourism sector in an e-learning format (see also www.slest2-0.eu) have been produced.

OBJECTIVES
In many European countries, the knowledge of foreign languages of people working in the tourism sector (in our specific case: professionals, students, and/or apprentices in the hotel business) is still insufficient, and that even after decades of EU co-funded projects.
The main objective of the project was to develop and promote modern and stimulating online didactic (gaming) materials, to be worked with on an internet platform, especially for professionals in the hotel business, which can motivate language learners (also persons who don’t have the possibility to or who don’t want for whatever reason follow regular classroom language courses) and enhance their capacity for language learning.
In order to achieve this, the project group explicated three specific objectives, which were:
context and content related learning,
self-directed learning without or with tutor support, and
e/u-learning (on the computer, at home or away, with the help of a smartphone, tablet, etc.

PARTNERS
The project consisted of 5 partners coming from Turkey, Germany, Italy, and the UK: municipality of Serik (TR), two vocational institutions (the UK and IT), and SNTL in DE (electronic publishing, content management systems, open-source technologies, gamification). This partnership and network guaranteed a high professional standard regarding the outcomes, and also extensive dissemination of project results.
The partnership was based on previous long-term experiences of working together. The project consortium was created by adult education providers, training centers, and public institutions. The partnership established in each partner’s country a network of cooperation with other educational institutions and organizations active in the tourist branches.

ACTIVITIES PLANNED
The following activities were carried out:
a) Publishing and maintaining the project website, also after the end of the funding period. The partners made sure that the website contained high-quality L2 learning and cross-cultural communication content for the Tourism sector. The very special feature on the website was the multi-player application on which gaming exercises for professionals and students in the EU Tourism Industry were launched.
b) Production of specific L2 e-learning contents for the online tournaments/training sessions
c) Defining and authoring the dramaturgy of the online tournaments. Organizing the online games and training sessions as a continuing learning outcome assessment in the field of Tourism
d) Organization of training activities on- and offline regarding b) and c)
e) Online assistance for all participants

METHODOLOGY USED
The project had a number of different methodologies:
– Gamification of learning and testing through the deployment of knowledge competitions in social networks with embedded psychometrics
– Self-organized learning with personalized learning tips and references based on analytics
– Learning in social networks through multi-playing
– Intercultural learning through cross-border social gaming
– online social interaction in the learning games
– Ubiquitous learning through mobile access to gaming and learning contents

RESULTS/ IMPACT ENVISAGED
– A comprehensive L2 program for the Tourism Sector using a gamified learning and testing methodology with knowledge competitions
– Creation of a framework for regular L2-knowledge competitions financed by industry and other stakeholders
– Learning analytics gave high visibility
– Relevant bodies were encouraged to develop gamification of education and training.

LONG TERM BENEFITS
We established an eLearning framework in the form of regular knowledge competitions. Users had the opportunity to improve skills in L2 and cross-cultural communication wherever and whenever they want, with or without the help of teachers/ trainers, also beyond the funding period of this project. The project created a critical mass on contents, materials, organizational infrastructure, and visibility and publicity that it approaches, methodologies and concepts produced a high degree of acceptance and permeate successfully the educational, vocational, and human resources sector.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 132902,05 Eur

Project Coordinator

municipality of Serik /Serik Belediyesi & Country: TR

Project Partners

• UET Italia srl
• European College of Business and Management
• SNTL Publishing GmbH & Co KG