GATE:VET

GATE:VET – using GAmification in TEaching at VET schools

Game-based learning and gamification in teaching in vocational education and training

Project duration: 01 September 2019 – 31 August 2021
Funding: Erasmus+

Backround

The aim of the project is to expand the methodological repertoire of teachers at vocational schools by giving them the opportunity to enrich their lessons with game concepts. Learning should be fun. The gamification of teaching content is intended to increase the motivation and learning success of students. Through this different learning experience, positive emotions are encouraged and support the learning process.

The target group consists of teachers of all school types but especially those in vocational education. For this purpose, an online knowledge database is created, providing various training materials to develop playful teaching situations. In a training module, the teachers of the participating vocational schools learn how to use the training materials and then act as multipliers at their institutions. The materials and the training courses will also be evaluated.

Objectives

Raise awareness of gamification and game-based learning among teaching staff
Promote competence development of teaching staff
Improve teaching
Enable networking of stakeholders and exchange of experience at European level

From the outset, the results of the project were designed to be used sustainably by providing a platform which is (co-)created by the vocational school teachers themselves. The platform will be expanded with new ideas as the project progresses, a process of further use is set in motion and the continued use is facilitated.

Planned project results

IO1: Realisation of a platform that supports the process of gamification of content.
IO2: Collection of best practice examples, tutorials, didactic design patterns, etc. and creation of a guide for the use of the collection and the platform.
IO3: Curriculum for multipliers (teachers): training-of-trainers workshop (at the same time functioning as a test run of the platform and the content)

The core result of the project is a platform with content that enables the use of playful elements in the classroom (IO1). It will therefore consist of an initial content collection of best practice cases that will be made available on said platforms (IO2). For easy access and sustainable use, the platform is designed to require minimal training. A lack of user-friendliness presents a major obstacle for many teachers, as they have relatively little time at their disposal.

Building a community around the platform ensures, on the one hand, that the platform can continue to be used independently by the teachers after the end of the project and, on the other hand, that the teachers already involved can easily invite and engage other interested participants.

The third major output of the project is a curriculum to familiarise teachers with the use of the platform and the application of game-based teaching elements (IO3). For the partners involved, especially the participating vocational schools, the project offers the possibility to train their own teachers on game-based learning and enable them to act as multipliers.

For the project members, the project offers the opportunity to bring in experiences from previous gamification projects (STEAM and others) or projects to improve the user experience, to test them and to gather new knowledge that can improve future developments.