About

Priority

Addressing digital transformation through development of digital readiness, resilience and capacity

Priority

Stimulating innovative learning and teaching practices

Priority

Digital content, technologies and practices

Priority

Teaching and learning of foreign languages

Priority

Overcoming skills mismatch and addressing the needs of the labour market

Addressing digital transformation through development of digital readiness, ...

Stimulating innovative learning and teaching practices

GAMEland Project aims to prepare future university graduates for entry into the European labour market which will be achieved by:

developing and popularising a model of increasing language competences sought by employers developed by introduction of gamification approach
promoting new innovative educational practices, including in particular the use of the latest technological advances in the process of acquiring language skills
developing and making available an attractive, intuitive, multilingual and engaging tool, which will be accessible without restrictions free of charge due to, among others, age, place of residence, wealth, mode of education, etc.

At the heart of the project is the conviction that the aim of university education should not only be to respond to the current needs of the labour market in terms of the skills of graduates, but above all to shape such skills that will prove useful in the long term.
Due to changes in the modern globalised world (international projects, new media, migration), mastering a set of soft skills seems to be one of the obligatory requirements — next to professional expertise — that can enhance the efficacy and quality of the teaching outcomes. However, the need to implement soft skills in an educational environment is not always accompanied by training. The existing demand for acquiring a set of prerequisite qualifications can be satisfied by offering soft skills practice training, either within the academic curriculum, or through a synergetic combination of soft skills development with other forms of training. The design and implementation of soft skills training methods that can be offered as part of the curriculum seem to be a solution to the existing demand.

The project aims to improve/integrate the teaching methodology in language teaching centres at universities in 5 countries (Poland, Italy, France, Ukraine and Turkey) with the needs of the labour market by developing innovative and inclusive learning tools based on the Mobile Learning paradigm and Game-Based Learning methodology. These activities are intended to prepare students to enter foreign labour markets and/or take up employment in an international, multicultural and multilingual environment.
GAMEland aims to:

to develop a methodology (WP1) for students to learn a foreign language (and in particular elements of a specialised language) using inclusive and multisensory methodologies based on Mobile Learning;
to develop an engaging, autonomous tool including Artificial Intelligence modules, in form of a serious game (WP2) that can be used in the future for self-learning without the support of a tutor, providing an online tool for teachers and lecturers employed at university language centres in terms of integrating the innovative tool in the education process and preparing them to conduct language education taking into account the needs of the labour market;
to involve lecturers in LSP and students in co-creation process (WP3), building hybrid games (physical and digital) in a foreign language, building profiles of protagonists and storyline, designing real-life situations, challenges and feedback;
to produce guidelines and recommendations (WP4), aimed at strengthening cooperation between people teaching languages at university level and the labour market (companies, enterprises, high-level staff, HR departments), which will increase the effectiveness and attractiveness of language courses
As indirect aims we foresee:
to support the European labour market through the preparation of a comprehensive training course designed to prepare young people to take up professional challenges in different cultural contexts.
to strengthen cooperation between representatives of university environments and representatives of labour markets in the field of improving language and soft skills of future graduates.

The project is innovative and complementary for 2 main reasons:

GAMEland addresses an issue that is generally left by the wayside: although Languages for Special Purposes (LSP) represents the majority of language courses at university, research and projects on teacher needs and teacher education in this specific field are rare or fragmented. Project deals directly with diverse settings and will result in focus on the use of ICT in classroom and blended learning and teaching. Complementary European projects dealing with languages can be mentioned such as LILAMA which links language competence and employability.

GAMEland adopts a comprehensive and innovative approach: a co-construction methodology based on a collaborative approach to foster high quality teaching (which in turn will impact the learning experience and achievements of students) to overcome skills mismatch in HE language teaching. Drawing on the complementarity of the partners involved in the project (Higher institutions LSP specialists, Teacher Training Institutions), the project will proceed step by step, starting with a survey of needed competences, then putting in perspective actual practices and needs in questionnaires and interviews, with a view to design and implement an innovative tool, in form of a serious game and escape rooms, to meet the challenges and needs identified. The collaborative process will also apply in the synergies which will be offered to the direct users of the developed game, both the students and the LSP teachers. The collaborative approach applies also to the involvement of the stakeholders (sectorial associations, scholarly institutions, policy makers) who will be invited to contribute to the discussion. Another important methodological concept connected with the remote teaching (CCAF, Action Mapping, ADDIE).