Code RED – Co-design to Re-Engage the Disengaged
AGREEMENT NUMBER - UK/13/LLP-LdV/TOI-678
PROJECT NUMBER - 2013-1-GB2-LEO05-10789
Code RED Curriculum and Learning Material
1
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements......................................................................................................................... 6
Few words about the Code RED project and the developed Curriculum ....................................... 6
Category: General Soft Employability Skills ............................................................................................ 8
1
Personal Development (Unit 1) ...................................................................................................... 8
1.1
1.1.1
Summary of planning ...................................................................................................... 8
1.1.2
Description and Analysis ................................................................................................. 8
1.2
Summary of planning .................................................................................................... 10
1.2.2
Description and Analysis ............................................................................................... 10
Summary of planning .................................................................................................... 12
1.3.2
Description and Analysis ............................................................................................... 12
Responding to Peer Pressure, Bullying and Abuse (Unit 1.4) ............................................... 14
1.4.1
Summary of planning .................................................................................................... 14
1.4.2
Description and Analysis ............................................................................................... 15
Personal Hygiene (Unit 2) ............................................................................................................. 17
2.1.1
Summary of planning .................................................................................................... 17
2.1.2
Description and Analysis ............................................................................................... 17
Basic Skills (Unit 3) ........................................................................................................................ 20
3.1
Language Skills (Unit 3.1) ...................................................................................................... 20
3.1.1
Summary of planning .................................................................................................... 20
3.1.2
Description and Analysis ............................................................................................... 20
3.2
Numbers and Money (Unit 3.2) ............................................................................................ 22
3.2.1
Summary of planning .................................................................................................... 22
3.2.2
Description and Analysis ............................................................................................... 22
3.3
4
Problems and Stress (Unit 1.3) ............................................................................................. 12
1.3.1
1.4
3
Managing Aggression (Unit 1.2) ............................................................................................ 10
1.2.1
1.3
2
Self-esteem and Self-confidence (Unit 1.1) ............................................................................ 8
Understanding Wages (Unit 3.3)........................................................................................... 24
3.3.1
Summary of planning .................................................................................................... 24
3.3.2
Description and Analysis ............................................................................................... 24
Work Preparation and Sustainability (Unit 4) ............................................................................... 26
4.1
Looking for Work (Unit 4.1) .................................................................................................. 26
4.1.1
Summary of planning .................................................................................................... 26
2
4.1.2
4.2
Summary of planning .................................................................................................... 29
4.2.2
Description and Analysis ............................................................................................... 29
Job Interviews (Unit 4.3) ....................................................................................................... 32
4.3.1
Summary of planning .................................................................................................... 32
4.3.2
Description and Analysis ............................................................................................... 33
4.4
Your Rights and Legislation (Unit 4.4) ................................................................................... 34
4.4.1
Summary of planning .................................................................................................... 34
4.4.2
Description and Analysis ............................................................................................... 35
Keeping Your Job (Unit 5).............................................................................................................. 38
5.1
Appropriate Language (Unit 5.1) .......................................................................................... 38
5.1.1
Summary of planning .................................................................................................... 38
5.1.2
Description and Analysis ............................................................................................... 39
5.2
Appropriate Behaviour (Unit 5.2) ......................................................................................... 41
5.2.1
Summary of planning .................................................................................................... 41
5.2.2
Description and Analysis ............................................................................................... 42
5.3
Time Keeping (Unit 5.3) ........................................................................................................ 43
5.3.1
Summary of planning .................................................................................................... 43
5.3.2
Description and Analysis ............................................................................................... 44
5.4
6
Applying for a Job (Unit 4.2) ................................................................................................. 29
4.2.1
4.3
5
Description and Analysis ............................................................................................... 26
Commitment (Unit 5.4) ......................................................................................................... 48
5.4.1
Summary of planning .................................................................................................... 48
5.4.2
Description and Analysis ............................................................................................... 49
Starting work (Unit 6).................................................................................................................... 52
6.1
Facing Concerns About Starting Work (Unit 6.1) .................................................................. 52
6.1.1
Summary of planning .................................................................................................... 52
6.1.2
Description and Analysis ............................................................................................... 52
6.2
Working With Others (Unit 6.2) ............................................................................................ 54
6.2.1
Summary of planning .................................................................................................... 54
6.2.2
Description and Analysis ............................................................................................... 55
6.3
Your Responsibilities in the Workplace (Unit 6.3) ................................................................ 59
6.3.1
Summary of planning .................................................................................................... 59
6.3.2
Description and Analysis ............................................................................................... 59
6.4
Managing your Workload (Unit 6.4) ..................................................................................... 62
3
6.4.1
Summary of planning .................................................................................................... 62
6.4.2
Description and Analysis ............................................................................................... 63
Category: ICT Skills ................................................................................................................................ 66
7
Participatory digital (educational) games’ design (Unit 7) ........................................................... 66
Phase A - Introducing the co-design methodology and the cooperative learning in general .............. 66
7.1
Understand the importance and advantages of co-operative learning (Unit 7.1) ............... 66
7.1.1
Summary of planning .................................................................................................... 66
7.1.2
Description and Analysis ............................................................................................... 67
7.2
Introduction to games’ co-design methodology (Unit 7.2) .................................................. 74
7.2.1
Summary of planning .................................................................................................... 74
7.2.2
Description and Analysis ............................................................................................... 74
Phase B - Support the tutor in executing the games’ co-design methodology .................................... 81
7.3
Game Design Foundations (Unit 7.3) .................................................................................... 81
7.3.1
Summary of planning .................................................................................................... 81
7.3.2
Description and Analysis ............................................................................................... 81
7.4
Experimentation (Unit 7.4) ................................................................................................... 89
7.4.1
Summary of planning .................................................................................................... 89
7.4.2
Description and Analysis ............................................................................................... 89
7.5
Idea creation (Unit 7.5) ......................................................................................................... 96
7.5.1
Summary of planning .................................................................................................... 96
7.5.2
Description and Analysis ............................................................................................... 97
7.6
Idea Recording (Unit 7.6) .................................................................................................... 108
7.6.1
Summary of planning .................................................................................................. 108
7.6.2
Description and Analysis ............................................................................................. 109
7.7
Games’ Prototypes presentation (Unit 7.7) ........................................................................ 114
7.7.1
Summary of planning .................................................................................................. 114
7.7.2
Description and Analysis ............................................................................................. 115
Phase C - Hard skills on well-known game authoring and other supportive software....................... 119
7.8
Introduction to “Stencyl” (http://www.stencyl.com/) (Unit 7.8) ....................................... 119
7.8.1
Summary of planning .................................................................................................. 119
7.8.2
Description and Analysis ............................................................................................. 120
7.9
7.9)
Introduction to “Game-Maker” (www.yoyogames.com/gamemaker/studio/standard) (Unit
123
7.9.1
Summary of planning .................................................................................................. 123
4
7.9.2
7.10
Description and analysis ............................................................................................. 124
Introduction to “ARIS” (http://arisgames.org/) (Unit 7.10) ................................................ 129
7.10.1
Summary of planning .................................................................................................. 129
7.10.2
Description and Analysis ............................................................................................. 130
7.11
Introduction to “Chat Mapper” (http://www.chatmapper.com/) (Unit 7.11) ................... 138
7.11.1
Summary of planning .................................................................................................. 138
7.11.2
Description and Analysis ............................................................................................. 139
5
The Code RED project (UK/13/LLP-LdV/TOI-678) has been partially funded under the Lifelong Learning
program, sub-programme Leonardo Da Vinci, TOI of the European Commission. This publication
reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use
which may be made of the information contained herein.
Acknowledgements
This
Curriculum
has
been
transferred
from
the
GOET
project
(http://www.ntu.ac.uk/apps/research/groups/9/home.aspx/project/149614/overview/goet_%E2%8
0%93_game_on_extra_time), with appropriate revision, merging and refinement of existing Units and
additional Units in “ICT Skills / Participatory digital educational games co-design” added as clear
contribution under Code RED. Special thanks go to all GOET partners, as well as partners of other
previous projects the results of which have been used and transferred by GOET, for their contributions
to the earlier work.
We would also like to deeply thank the stakeholders from Cyprus, Greece, Italy and the UK, for their
valuable feedback and suggestions throughout the development of the curriculum Units. Provisions
have been made so as the outline of the curriculum to be compatible with a variety of accredited
courses in the partners’ countries.
Few words about the Code RED project and the developed Curriculum
The aim of the Code RED project was to address Early School Leaving (ESL) and drop-out from
education, by applying and testing a digital games’ co-design methodology through a series of informal
workshops in partner-countries, and then transform the methodology and the overall experience into
a structured curriculum unit that will support improving engagement of young people to education
and transferring and formalising the relevant employability skills-set.
The Code RED Course Curriculum Unit has been designed as to extent and transfer the existing Units
of GOET employability curriculum, by adding a “Participatory digital (educational) games’ design” Unit,
within a broader “ICT Skills” module and selecting and reviewing the existing Units to fit Code RED
users’ needs. The rationale behind this decision is the following:
Employability skills comprise a wide variety and diversity of skills, including both soft skills - related to
team working, behaviour, problem solving, etc., and hard skills on specific subject areas expected by
employers and widely recognised as key skills in approaching the labour market. Lack of either of the
two types of skills, will increase the likelihood of rejection and unemployment and subsequently to
other societal issues. Therefore, an employability curriculum should be as complete as possible, and
offer the variety of units required to address the former range of skills. The GOET Curriculum has been
reviewed by Code RED consortium and it has been confirmed that the GOET Curriculum already offers
a good variety of basic and soft skills concerning personal development (e.g. self-esteem and selfconfidence), personal safety and health (hygiene, self-organization, etc.), basic language and
arithmetic skills, skills for preparing for interviews and work, skills required to behave properly on the
job giving job sustainability, skills required when stating work, general communication skills, planning
skills, etc.
A combination of soft and hard skills Units are provided, since the development of hard skills can be
achieved through methodologies and tools which also enhance soft skills. Digital skills are essential in
today’s labour market, therefore a general Unit on “ICT Skills” is of value to a person looking for
employability skills. Within this general Unit, Code RED contributes a detailed series of courses on
6
digital games’ co-designing, which combines the hard skills of designing and developing digital games,
with soft skills of group working, problem solving, etc.
In summary, the Code RED project contributes as follows:




Review of already existing employability curriculums and selections of the most appropriate
one, or combination of them, to work with and extend. For Code RED stakeholders, this task
has revealed, the use and extensions of the GOET curriculum to combine the soft
employability skills with hard ICT skills necessary in labour market to be most beneficial.
Where deemed necessary, refinement of GOET curriculum units to better address the needs
of the Code RED stakeholders (refinement and update of timings, structure, selection of units,
etc.)
Transfer of a selected set of units into the e-Learning platform, in combination with the Code
RED unit contribution.
Preparation of a trainers’ handbook to support the trainers in how to combine the resources
to deliver effective employability-related courses.
Specifically the Code RED Units cover two courses that help introducing the co-design methodology
and cooperative learning in general (Phase A), five courses that support the tutor in executing the
games’ co-design methodology (Phase B) and four final courses that offer hard skills about well-known
game authoring and other supportive software (Phase C).
In “Annex I - CodeRED-Trainers-Handbook-v1.0”, you may find a relevant Trainers Handbook providing
instructions on how to use the curriculum in combination with the rest of the online resources and
digital games
The suggested lesson plans and timings contained within this curriculum are
given as an approximate guide only. The content is intended to be used flexibly in
order to meet the individual needs, prior skills, knowledge and learning styles of
subject students.
7
Category: General Soft Employability Skills
1
Personal Development (Unit 1)
1.1 Self-esteem and Self-confidence (Unit 1.1)
1.1.1
Summary of planning
Unit 1
Personal Development
1.1
Self-esteem and Self-confidence
Indicative Activity (hours)
Indicative student
activity (hours)
Learning
Objectives
Develop Skills and Qualities to
Build Self-esteem
2 x 2 hours
Indicative tutor activity
(hours)
Lesson planning
Resource development
for 4 hours
Develop skills and qualities to
build your own self-esteem.
Develop skills at supporting other
people to build their self-esteem.
Sub total
Recap of
learning
Reinforcement of learning
objectives
4 hours
4 hours
Student recap skills
Tutor some 1:1 support
with students where
needed to check
learning
Taught in sessions 1
hour per unit (2hours)
Assessment
of skills
taught
Preparation for and conducting
assessment
Practical/portfolio
based assessments or
tests against
assessment criteria
1 hour assessment per
unit (2 hours)
(2 hours)
Tutor preparation
planning of
assessments
(2 hours approx
Sub total
4 hours
4 hours
Total workload
8 hours
8 hours
1.1.2
Description and Analysis
Summary:
Through discussion, role play, and hand-outs (targets set) students should have more
understanding of abilities and/or skills achieved and new ones set. A review/follow up session
needs to be provided so that new targets can be reviewed.
Aims:
This unit will help you to identify ways to improve your levels of confidence and self-esteem
Learning Objectives:
 Develop skills and qualities to build your own self-esteem.
8

Develop skills at supporting other people to build their self-esteem.
Learning Activities:
 Ensure all pupils take part may need to consider working in small groups
 Show wide range of situations that may have an impact on people
 Stimulate group discussion where appropriate
Content recommendation:
To help you recognise your own skills and abilities:



Learn to know when you have done something well and be proud of yourself.
Set targets and be determined to meet them.
If you’re not able to do something right the first time, don’t give up and try again.
To help you help others to build your self-esteem:



Offer encouragement
Tell them when they’ve done well
Offer support when they’re finding things difficult
Teaching Strategies:
 Discussion on skills and abilities (recap previous skills development 1.2).
 Target sheet hand-out to identify new skills to develop.
 Role play scenarios.
Previous knowledge:
N/A
Resources:
 Flip chart
 Pens
 Hand-outs
Assessment criteria:
 Describe something that you have done well or that you are proud of achieving.


List 3 things you can do to help you recognise your skills and abilities.
List 3 things you can do to help other people feel good about themselves.
Enhanced Skills:
Category: Employability pre-conditions / life-skills
Improved self esteem
Improved self confidence
Teamwork
Glossary:
Be determined: make your mind up that you’re definitely going to do something.
9
1.2 Managing Aggression (Unit 1.2)
1.2.1
Summary of planning
Unit 1
Personal Development
1.2
Managing Aggression
Indicative Activity (hours)
Indicative student
activity (hours)
Learning
Objectives
1.Managing your own anger and
aggression
4 hours = 2 × 2 hour
sessions
2.Manage the aggression of
another person
4 hours =2 × 2hour
sessions
Resource development
for × 4 sessions = 8
hours
8 hours
Approx 8 hours
Student recap skills
Tutor some 1:1 support
with students where
needed to check
learning ( 2 hours)
Sub total
Recap of
learning
Reinforcement of learning
objectives
Taught in sessions 1
hour per unit (2 hours)
Assessment
of skills
taught
Indicative tutor activity
(hours)
Preparation for and conducting
assessment
Students assessment
portfolio based
(evidence) and test
based assessments
against assessment
criteria
Lesson planning
Tutor preparation
planning of
assessments
(2 hours approx)
1 hour assessment per
unit (2 hours
Sub total
4 hours
4 hours
Total workload
12 hours
12 hours
1.2.2
Description and Analysis
Summary:
Through group discussion, picture recognition and case discussion, students should be able to
identify aggression and its triggers more easily.
Aims:
This unit will help you to develop positive strategies for managing your own anger and
aggression and for managing them in other people.
Learning Objectives:
 Be able to identify strategies to manage your own aggression.
 Be able to identify strategies to cope with aggression in others.
Learning Activities:
 Ensure all pupils take part may need to consider working in small groups
 Show wide range of situations that may have an impact on people
10

Stimulate group discussion where appropriate
Content recommendation:
To manage your own aggression you might try the following ideas:






Relaxing your shoulders
Taking deep breaths to slow down your heart beat
Counting to 10 to give you time to think
Walking away and doing something else you enjoy
Find a way to burn off that energy that won’t hurt anybody else – punch a pillow not
another person
Practice saying no when the other person is pushing you to do something you don’t
want to do.
To manage the aggression of another person you might try:


Find out what each of you wants to happen
Important to do something before things get too bad

People who are trying to help stop a fight or argument have to keep their opinions to
themselves
Don’t take sides

Teaching Strategies:
 DVD
 Picture game consisting of aggression triggers
 Group discussion/role play of containment of own aggression tactics
 Hand-outs
Previous knowledge:
N/A
Resources:
 Flipchart and pens
 Game cards
 Hand-outs
Assessment criteria:
 List 3 things you can do to manage your own aggression.
 List 3 things you can do to manage aggression in others
Enhanced Skills:
Category: Employability pre-conditions / life-skills
Direct: Improved self esteem, Improved self confidence, Teamwork, Problem solving
Glossary:
N/A
11
1.3 Problems and Stress (Unit 1.3)
1.3.1
Summary of planning
Unit 1
Personal Development
1.3
Problems and Stress
Managing Stress
Learning
Objectives
Examine a range of ideas for
coping with stress.
Indicative Activity (hours)
Indicative student
activity (hours)
4 hours = 2 × 2 hour
sessions
Recap of
learning
Reinforcement of learning
objectives
4 hours
4 hours
Student recap skills
Tutor some 1:1 support
with students where
needed to check
learning 4 hrs
Taught in sessions 1
hour per unit (4 hours)
Assessment
of skills
taught
Preparation for and conducting
assessment
Lesson planning
Resource development
for 2 sessions = 4 hours
Be able to identify possible
strategies to manage your own
problems and stress
Sub total
Indicative tutor activity
(hours)
Students assessment
portfolio based
(evidence) and test
based assessments
against assessment
criteria
Tutor preparation
planning of
assessments
(4 hours approx)
1 hour assessment per
unit (4 hours)
Sub total
8 hours
8hours
Total workload
12 hours
12 hours
1.3.2
Description and Analysis
Summary:
Through focus on self-help and how to build a network of support, students should be able to
list how to manage stress
Aims:
This unit will help you to manage stress better.
Learning Objectives:
 Examine a range of ideas for coping with stress.
 Be able to identify possible strategies to manage your own problems and stress.
Learning Activities:
 Ensure all pupils take part may need to consider working in small groups
 Show wide range of situations that may have an impact on people
 Stimulate group discussion where appropriate
12

If appropriate let pupils explain how they have managed stress/difficulties in the past.
Content recommendation:
Try some of these ideas to help you cope with stress:








Exercise - it develops and maintains a healthy body which directly reduces stress
Healthy Eating– lots of fruit, vegetables and water.
Managing Anger
Doing something you enjoy
Find other people who can help
Find someone to talk to you feel comfortable with
Ask for help if you need it
If you drink or smoke try to cut down because it might make you feel worse.
Be able to identify possible strategies to manage your own problems and stress



Consider what you learned about your own sources and levels of stress.
Now look at some of the ideas for coping with stress we’ve just learned and choose
which ones you think will suit you best.
Develop a plan for yourself to help you feel calmer when you become stressed.
Teaching Strategies:
 Group discussion and information on points, how to maintain a network of support
would also be useful.
 Articles and resources on healthy eating or session with facilitator.
 Cooking session to try healthy foods.
 Resources on relaxation technique.
 Exercise session with facilitator.
 Yoga and relaxation sessions with facilitator.
 Relaxation sessions with expert facilitator.
Previous knowledge:
N/A
Resources:
 Flip chart and pens
 Leaflets on criteria points
 Sessions with expert facilitators
 Sports equipment and venue
 Cookery equipment, venue and healthy foods
 Relaxation CDs
Assessment criteria:
 List 5 things you can try to help you to manage stress.
 Write a plan for managing your own stress
Enhanced Skills:
Category: Employability pre-conditions / life-skills
13
Improved self esteem
Improved self confidence
Teamwork
Problem solving
Glossary:
Yoga: An activity that uses movement, breathing, posture, relaxation and meditation in order
to establish a healthy, lively and balanced approach to life.
Facilitator: A person who leads an activity, making sure that it is carried out safely and properly
to a plan.
1.4 Responding to Peer Pressure, Bullying and Abuse (Unit 1.4)
1.4.1
Summary of planning
Unit 1
Personal Development
1.4
Responding to Peer Pressure,
Bullying and Abuse
Indicative Activity (hours)
Indicative student
activity (hours)
Learning
Objectives
To understand the meaning of
“peer pressure”, “bullying” and
“abuse” and be able to recognise
them.
Resource development
for 3 × 3 hr sessions
Preparation for
practical sessions
To develop strategies for
responding appropriately to peer
pressure, bullying and abuse.
9 hours
Recap of Learning objectives
9 hours
9 hours
Student recap skills
Tutor some 1:1 support
with students where
needed to check
learning approx. 3hrs
2h × 3 units = 6h
Assessment
of skills
taught
Lesson planning
To understand the effects of peer
pressure, bullying and abuse.
Sub total
Recap of
learning
3 × 3hr sessions = 9
hours
Indicative tutor activity
(hours)
Informal assessment by
discussion and formal
assessments
Students assessment
portfolio based
(evidence) and test
based assessments 3
hrs
Tutor preparation
planning and reviewing
of assessments
(6 hours approx)
Sub total
9 hours
9 hours
Total workload
18 hours
18 hours
14
1.4.2
Description and Analysis
Summary:
Through discussion and sharing of examples and ideas, students will learn to recognise peer
pressure, bullying or abuse and be able to develop strategies to report or manage it.
Aims:
This unit will help you to recognise when others are putting pressure on you to do the wrong
thing or when you are being bullied or abused and to respond appropriately.
Learning Objectives:
 To understand the meaning of “peer pressure”, “bullying” and “abuse” and be able to
recognise them.
 To understand the effects of peer pressure, bullying and abuse.
 To develop strategies for responding appropriately to peer pressure, bullying and
abuse.
Learning Activities:
 Ensure all pupils take part may need to consider working in small groups
 Show wide range of situations that may have an impact on people
 Stimulate group discussion where appropriate
 If appropriate let pupils explain how they have managed stress/difficulties in the past
Content recommendation:
To understand the meaning of “peer pressure”, bullying and abuse and be able to
recognise them





Your peers are people around your age, who you might go to school or college with, or
hang out with.
Your peers might look out for you, keep you out of trouble, or even lead you into
trouble.
If your peers try to make you do something against your will or better judgement, this
is called “peer pressure”.
When someone deliberately threatens, frightens, abuses or hurts another person
repeatedly this is called bullying.
Abuse is a pattern of behaviour in which physical violence and/or emotional pressure is
used to gain or maintain power or control in a relationship.
To understand the effects of peer pressure




Being made to do something against your will can make you feel bad about yourself
It can get you and them into trouble
It can spoil your friendship
It can make you lose respect for each other
To develop strategies for responding appropriately to peer pressure



It will take some courage to do the right thing if you think it might make you look silly
in front of your friends.
Think about what you might be able to say to a friend if they try and make you do
something you don’t want to
You could point out the consequences of doing that thing
15





You could try and get them to do something else
You could tell them you don’t feel comfortable
You could tell them you feel bullied and remind them that friends should be supportive
not bullying
If you are being bullied or abused you should report it
If you feel that a friend wants you to do something that you feel is bad or wrong you
could tell a responsible adult in confidence
Teaching Strategies:
 Discussion where students give examples of experiences
 Discussion on the consequences of peer pressure
 Extracts from stories or articles on the consequences of peer pressure
 Role play situations to highlight differences in peer group pressure
Previous knowledge:
N/A
Resources:
 The facilitator should be trained and experienced in working with students who have
been bullied or abused.
 Articles and stories on peer pressure and bullying
 Flip chart and pens
Assessment criteria:
 Describe what the word “peer” means.
 Describe what the terms “peer pressure”, “bullying” and “abuse” mean.
 Explain what you could do if you are being pressured to do something you don’t want
to do or that you think is wrong.
Enhanced Skills:
Category: Employability pre-conditions / life-skills
Direct: Improved self-esteem, Improved self-confidence, Teamwork, Problem solving
Glossary:
Peer: Your peers are people around your age, who you might go to school or college with, or
hang out with.
Peer Pressure: social pressure on somebody to adopt a type of behaviour, dress, or attitude in
order to be accepted as part of a group.
Bullying: When someone deliberately threatens, frightens abuses or hurts another person.
Abuse: is a pattern of behaviour in which physical violence and/or emotional pressure is used to
gain or maintain power or control in a relationship.
Consequences: Something that logically or naturally follows as a result of an action or condition.
16
2
Personal Hygiene (Unit 2)
2.1.1
Summary of planning
Unit 2
Personal Hygiene
Indicative Activity (hours)
Indicative student
activity (hours)
Learning
Objectives
To recognise, identify and
demonstrate reasons for good
personal hygiene.
Indicative tutor activity
(hours)
2h × 5 wks = 10 h
Lesson preparation and
resource gathering,
arranging of external
facilitators etc
Sub total
10 hours
10 hours
Recap of
learning
Student recap skills 2h
Tutor some 1:1 support
with students where
needed to check
learning approx. 2hr
To understand the consequences
of not keeping clean
To demonstrate knowledge of
hygiene routines
To show a knowledge of what you
need to use to keep yourself clean
Assessment
of skills
taught
Practical assessment on unit 1,
Tests against assessment criteria
Practical assessment 1
hr, Tests 1 hour = 2
hours
Tutor preparation
planning and reviewing
of assessments
(2 hours approx)
Sub total
4 hours
4 hours
Total workload
14 hours
14 hours
2.1.2
Description and Analysis
Summary:
Personal hygiene comprises an important factor of our daily lives and highly influences our
personal and interpersonal relations. In this unit personal hygiene is highlighted and analyzed to
great extent, with the purpose of emphasising its importance both for our presentation and selfesteem. The course demonstrates the importance of personal hygiene mainly through
brainstorming, demonstrations, role – playing and practical examples. The main content
concentrates respectively on the reasons for keeping ourselves clean, the consequences if we do
not, the personal hygiene routine and finally the material products, which help us to keep clean
and healthy.
Aims:
17
To create an awareness of the importance of personal hygiene in relation to personal
presentation.
Learning Objectives:
 To recognise, identify and demonstrate reasons for good personal hygiene.
 To understand the consequences of not keeping clean
 To demonstrate knowledge of hygiene routines
 To show a knowledge of what you need to use to keep yourself clean
Learning Activities:
 Introduce module so that all people are aware of why this is important and how it links
to their ability to gain employment
 Use group activities where appropriate
 Be aware not to embarrass or single out individuals due to sensitive nature of module
Content recommendation:
Reasons for importance of personal hygiene:






Understand the importance of personal appearance in the workplace.
Understand the importance of good personal hygiene and cleanliness.
To understand the consequences of not keeping clean.
Health – understanding bacteria, infections, etc.
Personal freshness – body odour
Appearance – personal attractiveness, professionalism
Consequences of not keeping clean:



Getting sick
Looking dirty and unkempt
Being smelly – people not wanting to be close to you
Personal hygiene routines:








Washing hands before touching food/eating, when dirty, after going to the toilet
Frequency of bath/shower/strip wash
Paying particular attention to washing hands, underarms, genital area, feet
Availability of clean clothes and change of underwear
Teeth cleaning, dental check-ups
Hair wash/cut/choice of style
Shaving
Cleaning off make-up
What helps us keep ourselves clean?





Soap, flannel, towel
Nail brush
Toothbrush (replaced regularly), toothpaste, dental floss
Deodorants, talcum powder, aftershave
Hair brush, comb, appropriate shampoo.
Teaching Strategies:
18





Brainstorming session, followed by discussion of reasons for personal hygiene, routines
and equipment.
Show slides or pictures of personal hygiene routines.
Ask students to bring examples of what they use to keep themselves clean and fresh.
Role-play sitting next to someone who is smelly and dirty.
Eat food – use disclosing tablets to show effects on teeth.
Previous knowledge:
N/A
Resources:
 External facilitators on personal hygiene, including dental hygiene
 A range of products for personal hygiene
 Flip chart and pens
 Hand-outs
Assessment criteria:
 Based on assessing the completion of distinct activities presented and testing retention
of knowledge.
Enhanced Skills:
Category: Employability pre-conditions / life-skills
Improved Self Esteem
Glossary:
N/A
19
3
Basic Skills (Unit 3)
3.1 Language Skills (Unit 3.1)
3.1.1
Summary of planning
Unit 3
Basic Skills
3.1
Language Skills
Indicative Activity (hours)
Indicative student
activity (hours)
Learning
Objectives
To recognise, identify and
demonstrate the importance of
developing good language skills.
1h × 3 wks = 3 h
Indicative tutor activity
(hours)
Lesson preparation and
resource gathering, etc
To understand communication
body language.
To know important vocational
terms.
Sub total
Recap of
learning
3h
Reinforcement of learning
objectives
Student recap skills
1h × 2 units
Assessment
of skills
taught
Preparation for and conducting of
assessments, practical and
2h × 1 units = 2 h
theory.
5h
Tutor some 1:1 support
with students where
needed to check
learning approx. 2hr
Tutor preparation
planning and reviewing
of assessments
(5 hours approx)
Sub total
4h
7h
Total workload
7h
12 h
3.1.2
Description and Analysis
Summary:
The limits of our language form the limits of our world according to a saying. These courses aim
primarily to clarify the importance of language skills and their swift effect on communication.
As about 90% of communication uses body language and only 10% is spoken, the unit focuses
on our body language as a starting point. Also, it emphasises the equal importance of eye
contact establishment for improved communication. Finally, through the use of a wide variety
of activities (like role-playing, interactive communication, helpful visual means, card games,
computer games), this unit teaches vocational language and communication skills in a natural
way.
Aims:
To create an awareness of the importance of improving communication by a better
understanding of language with a focus on vocational skills.
Learning Objectives:
20



To recognise, identify and demonstrate the importance of developing good language
and communication skills.
Understanding communication body language
To be aware of terminology relating to employment.
Learning Activities:
•
Establishing eye contact in order to communicate
•
Body language during communication
•
Vocational language
Content recommendation:
Not detailed
Teaching Strategies:
 Focus on the understanding of the language as well as on expression, as understanding
gives a reliable basis for language skills.
 Involve role playing to enhance the understanding of communication.
 Involve interactive communication. In this way, the student is not only a passive
receiver but realises that language can affect the behaviour of others.
 Use games and entertainment to increase motivation and engagement.
 Support language with visual means if necessary (symbols, photos, pictures etc).
 Use of simple and short sentences.
 For learning disability use of sketches and symbols like Widgit, MAKATON, MayerJohnson etc.
 Finish the activity before the trainee gets bored or tired.
 Avoid music or other distractions that may affect concentration.
 Ensure good eye contact and same level of positioning.
 Repeat the activities yourself first in front of the trainee.
Previous knowledge:
N/A
Resources:
 Visual aids
 Range of daily items
 Hand-outs
 Flip chart and pens
 Symbols, icons, photos, pictures etc
 Selected computer games
Assessment criteria:
 Knowledge of vocational language.
 Ability to communicate effectively.
 Establishing eye contact and body language.
 Game scores if relevant
Enhanced Skills:
Category: Employability pre-conditions / life-skills
Direct: Communication and language.
Glossary:
N/A
21
3.2 Numbers and Money (Unit 3.2)
3.2.1
Summary of planning
Unit 3
Basic Skills
3.2
Numbers and Money
Indicative Activity (hours)
Indicative student
activity (hours)
Learning
Objectives
Numeracy skills – use of number
and money.
2 h × 5 wks = 10 h
Indicative tutor activity
(hours)
Lesson preparation and
resource gathering, etc
Understanding simple vocational
terms relating to money.
Sub total
Recap of
learning
10h
Reinforcement of learning
objectives
Student recap skills
2h × 1 units = 2h
Assessment
of skills
taught
Preparation for and conducting
assessments – practical and
theory
2h × 1 units = 2 h
10h
Tutor some 1:1 support
with students where
needed to check
learning approx. 2hr
Tutor preparation
planning and reviewing
of assessments
(5 hours approx)
Sub total
4h
7h
Total workload
14h
17h
3.2.2
Description and Analysis
Summary:
Aimed at students with intellectual disability this unit introduces monetary arithmetic,
understanding of currency, and understanding of simple terms relating to wages.
The use of number and the handling of money are vital components of our daily lives.
Comparisons, numbers, currency are just some of many things, which are crucial for our
survival and quality of life. This course aims to familiarise trainees with numbers, calculations
comparisons and many more number related subjects through the use of simple and short
sentences, simple arithmetic figures, games, visual symbols and sketches, coins etc.
The unit also introduces terminology relating to vocational economics such as wages, tax, bank
account etc.
Aims:
Students should learn to calculate and make simple calculations in addition and subtraction.
Students should understand simple vocational terms relating to wages.
Learning Objectives:
 Understanding numbers, quantities, calculations relating to money and earning.
22
Learning Activities:
 Practical activities involving role play using a selection of notes and coins.
Dependent on level:

For intellectual disability:
 Numbers presentation
 Number comparison (greater, less than)
 Presentation of simple calculations
 Activities using objects or cards for performing the calculations
 Activities on using money to perform calculations
o
o
o

Step 1 Understanding notes and coins.
Step 2: Calculations with a mixture of coins.
Step 3: Change Roles or assign specific tasks eg providing students with
specific amounts of money and ordering items to be bought.
Step 4: The above can then be developed into further buying and selling activities
Content recommendation:
Not detailed.
Teaching Strategies:
 Finish the game before the trainee gets bored or tired.
 Avoid music or other distractions that may affect concentration.
 Apply one game each time.
 Ensure good eye contact and same level of positioning.
 Repeat the activities yourself first in front of the trainee.
Previous knowledge:
N/A
Resources:
 Everyday objects for counting
 Cards showing everyday objects
 Games (physical or computer based)
 Coins and mock notes
 Items for mock up selling and buying transactions in the role playing
Assessment criteria:
 Observations by the trainer on the step by step activities.
 Ability to compare numbers.
 Complexity of numbers handled and calculations performed (e.g. size of numbers).
 Ability to perform calculations with coins.
Enhanced Skills:
Category: Employability pre-conditions / life-skills
Direct: Practical skills about money management
Glossary:
23
3.3 Understanding Wages (Unit 3.3)
3.3.1
Summary of planning
Unit 3
Basic Skills
3.2
Numbers and Money
Indicative Activity (hours)
Indicative student
activity (hours)
Learning
Objectives
Understanding vocational terms
relating to money.
Sub total
Recap of
learning
Reinforcement of learning
objectives
2 h × 1 wks = 2h
Lesson preparation and
resource gathering,
etc.
2h
2h
Student recap skills
Tutor some 1:1 support
with students where
needed to check
learning approx. 1hr
1h × 1 units = 2h
Assessment
of skills
taught
Preparation for and conducting
assessments – practical and
theory
Indicative tutor activity
(hours)
2h × 1 units = 1 h
Tutor preparation
planning and reviewing
of assessments
(2 hours approx)
Sub total
2h
3h
Total workload
4h
5h
3.3.2
Description and Analysis
Summary:
The use of number and the handling of money are vital components of our daily lives.
Comparisons, numbers, currency are just some of many things, which are crucial for our
survival and quality of life. This course aims to familiarise trainees with financial matters of
employment such as understanding bank accounts, wage slips, taxation, and the importance of
saving for later.
Aims:
Students should learn to understand wage slips, bills and bank statements.
Students should understand vocational terms relating to wages and their personal finances.
Learning Objectives:
 Understanding numbers, quantities, calculations relating to money and earning.
 Understanding terminology relating to wages and payment
Learning Activities:
 Understanding terms relating to:
o Wages
o Banking
o Taxation
24
o
Billing
Content recommendation:
Not detailed.
Teaching Strategies:
 Finish the training before the trainee gets bored or tired.
 Avoid music or other distractions that may affect concentration.
 Use games where appropriate.
 Ensure good eye contact and same level of positioning.
 Repeat the activities yourself first in front of the trainee.
Previous knowledge:
N/A
Resources:
 Example (mocked) documents
Assessment criteria:
 Understanding of the key vocabulary by multiple choice test or game
Enhanced Skills:
Category: Employability pre-conditions / life-skills
Direct: Practical skills about understanding remunerations and employer/employee obligations
and benefits in terms of social security and taxes.
Glossary:
N/A
25
4
Work Preparation and Sustainability (Unit 4)
4.1 Looking for Work (Unit 4.1)
4.1.1
Summary of planning
Unit 4
Work Preparation and Sustainability
4.1
Looking for Work
Indicative Activity (hours)
Indicative student Indicative tutor activity (hours)
activity (hours)
Learning
Objectives
Be aware of what a job
2h × 5 wks = 10 h
search activity means and
which attitudes, tools and
techniques are needed to
accomplish this complex
task.
Lesson preparation and resource
gathering, etc
10 hours
Looking for work –
deciding which jobs
might suit you.
Getting to know your
strengths and
weaknesses.
Reading job adverts
thoroughly.
Sub total
10 hours
10 hours
Recap of
learning
Reinforcement of
learning objectives
Student recall
skills
Tutor some 1:1 support/ job
coaching and job matching with
students where needed to check
learning.
Assessmen
t of skills
taught
Preparation for
assessment
Practical tests
5 hours
Assessment
Tutor preparation planning and
reviewing of assessments
(5 hours approx)
Sub total
10 hours approx
Total workload
20 hours approx
4.1.2
Description and Analysis
Summary:
26
Through examining a range of options and discussion and completing devoted exercises,
students will have:
- been aware of their own characteristics (personality, skills, previous experiences),
- considered a range of employment options,
- identified whether these are realistic options for them and
- set themselves achievable goals towards their set career goals.
Aims:
 Creating a job outline for the requirements and specifications of what “you” want from
a job. Outline the main steps in preparation of job searching process (no matter if it’s a
first interview or not).


Finding an appropriate job position by taking into consideration personal
strengths and aspirations. Assess what job will best suit you, in combination
with a good understanding of one’s positive characteristics and areas for
development.
Identifying job advertisements that match one’s personal profile.
Learning Objectives:








To have a good understanding of what one’s strengths and areas for
development are, and to be able to apply this knowledge into practice.
To identify a range of potential job options.
To understand job advertisements and assess their suitability against the
candidate’s personal profile and capabilities.
To understand what is involved in working in different jobs.
To identify the skills needed for a range of job options.
To recognise which of the jobs you are interested in you have the skills for.
To be able to accept which of the jobs you are interested in, you are unlikely to
gain the skills or qualifications for.
To learn how to set yourself achievable goals towards a job you feel you will
realistically be able to achieve.
Learning Activities:








Getting to know your strengths and weaknesses
Looking for work – deciding which jobs might suit you
Reading job adverts thoroughly
It is important to find a job that you will enjoy.
You need to be realistic about the kind of job you are going to be able to do.
It is helpful to set goals so that so you are clear what you want to achieve.
It is important that these goals are realistic too, because if you are too
ambitious you may not succeed and then you might be disappointed or feel bad
about yourself.
If you set small steps towards your goal you can feel success at every step and
feel good about what you have achieved.
Content recommendation:
Approaching job. A set of tools and exercises devoted to job seekers. (see Annex II-Approaching
Job_Tools)
27
Applying the suggested tools – or similar - can help the teacher/trainer introduce to the
complex topics involved with job search.
Most of the suggested exercises can be done alone or in a small group of students.
Teaching Strategies:












Use of newspapers “jobs vacant” sections
Use online websites of Job Agencies and matching
Visit to the job centre to understand their vacancies information and how to use
it
Sessions led by Job Centre and Connexions/Careers Advisers, where this can be
arranged
Interviews with workers in specific areas
Reviewing resources on a range of different types of job
Group and one-to one- discussions, underlining personal skills and how further
development is key to job prospects.
Identify realistic job opportunities and targets.
Set targets for improvement.
Use forms and exercises which help students dealing with their own ideas,
emotions, beliefs and limits.
Suggest proper language and words which refer to the “real” world, avoiding to
refer to “dreams”.
Make the students write their own exercises, signed and dated.
Previous knowledge:


Basic ICT skills
Being able to work with a word processor (MS Word, LibreOffice, etc.)
Resources:






Computer and Internet
Newspaper cuttings
External facilitators/testimonials/visits to job centres
Flip chart and pens
Careers resources on different types of job
Worksheets
Assessment criteria:






Assessment is accomplished both through role play where relevant or by trainer
/ teacher / facilitator involvement if applicable. The following tasks require
participants’ involvement in the self-assessment and evaluation of the other
participants:
Relevance of self-perception: Individuals self-description
Reasoned description of strengths and weaknesses
Selection of appropriate job advertisements
Description of the importance of setting realistic goals when choosing a job
List 5 small step targets towards your chosen career goal
Enhanced Skills:
Category: Supportive tools and techniques for job seekers
28
Direct: Job searching skills; Self-consciousness; self-analysis.
Indirect: communication (verbal, written, formal and informal), social inclusion, time
management.
Glossary:
Assessment: the process of documenting, usually in measurable terms, knowledge,
skills, attitudes and beliefs.
4.2 Applying for a Job (Unit 4.2)
4.2.1
Summary of planning
Unit 4
Work Preparation and Sustainability
4.2
Applying for a Job
Learning
Objectives
Writing a CV (Curriculum Vitae)
Indicative Activity (hours)
Indicative student
activity (hours)
Indicative tutor
activity (hours)
3 × 2 hour sessions
Lesson planning
Writing a covering letter
Resource
development for
sessions
Writing a job application
4 hours
Sub total
Recap of
learning
Recap of skills required for
application and CV preparation
6 hours
4 hours
Reinforcement
sessions
Tutor 1:1 support
2 hours
With individual
students 1 hour per
student
Assessment Preparation for and conducting Practical assessments:
6 hours (will vary)
of skills
practical assessment
Application form
taught
completed
Tutor preparation
planning of
CV completed
assessments
2 hours planning
Sub total
Total workload
4.2.2
6 hours plus 1:1
support of students
dependant on
numbers in group
15 hours
10 hours (approx.)
Description and Analysis
Summary:
29
The students will get their own CV and the cover letter.
Aims:
This unit will help you to learn how to write a job application or curriculum vitae that
meets the requirements of the potential employer and highlight your suitability for the
job.
Learning Objectives:





To be able to prepare an application package consisting of documents needed
for the employer: curriculum vitae and cover letter
Learn how to interpret a job description or person specification to understand
the requirements of a job
To understand how to write a job application to match the job description and
person specification
To highlight your strengths to demonstrate your suitability for the job
To learn how to write a curriculum vitae to demonstrate your capacity for
employment
Learning Activities:
a) Learn how to interpret a job description or person specification to understand the
requirements of a job





Review a number of job descriptions and person specifications so students can learn how
to interpret them against their own skills, knowledge and experience.
Review a number of job descriptions and person specifications so students can learn how
to interpret them to understand the details of the relevant job.
Writing a covering letter
Choosing your referees
Declaring difficulties – why and how you should declare your disabilities and difficulties.
b) To understand how to write a job application to match the job description and
person specification


Review a range of application forms and discuss what the employer is looking for by use
of the job description and person specification
Practice completing application forms, discussing issues as they arise
c) To highlight your strengths to demonstrate your suitability for the job


Review the application forms the students have completed and discuss whether the
content fully demonstrates the strengths of the student.
Demonstrate how employers might interpret the content of application forms
d) To learn how to write a curriculum vitae to demonstrate your capacity for
employment



Understand what is meant by a CV and what it should include to demonstrate your
capacity for work
Understand how CVs that have been well written can demonstrate the subject’s
capacity for work
Understand how badly written CVS can lead to doubts about the subject’s capacity for
work
30




Understand the differences between good and poor examples of CVs and how an
employer might interpret both.
Presenting your experience to highlight your skills, knowledge and experience
appropriately.
What should you include in your CV?
What should you exclude from your CV?
Content recommendation:
Approaching job. A set of tools and exercises devoted to job seekers. (see Annex II)
Applying the suggested tools – or similar - can help the teacher/trainer introduce to the
complex topics involved with job search.
Most of the suggested exercises can be done alone or in a small group of students.
Teaching Strategies:




Individual preparation of the application pack documents: the cover letter and
the curriculum vitae.
Group discussion of the prepared documents.
Use of a range of example job descriptions, person specifications, application
forms and CVs.
Role play to demonstrate how employers might interpret applications and CVs.
Previous knowledge:
Unit 4.1 Looking for a job
Resources:



Facilitated session with connexions
Flip chart and pens
Range of example application packs and CVs
Assessment criteria:




Demonstrate an understanding of the requirements of a job from the
interpretation of a job description and person specification
Write an application form from the job description and person specification
provided
Write your curriculum vitae to present to an employer for the type of work
suggested.
Prepare a list of positive and negative approaches in writing an application
form. Participants have to be ready to argument all used statements.
Enhanced Skills:
Category: Supportive tools and techniques for job seekers
Direct: Professional writing skills, ICT skills, Relational (soft skills)
Glossary:
A Curriculum Vitae (CV): is a document outlining your education and work history.
31
A Cover letter: is a brief text – frequently sent to the employer by email – which introduces and
justify the attached CV.
An Application Form: is a predefined form – usually available online on the employer's / Job
Agencies website – to fill in to apply for a job.
4.3 Job Interviews (Unit 4.3)
4.3.1
Summary of planning
Unit 4
Work Preparation and Sustainability
4.3
Job Interviews
Learning
Objectives
How to prepare for a job
interview
Indicative Activity (hours)
Indicative student
activity (hours)
Indicative tutor
activity (hours)
3 × 2 hour sessions
Lesson planning
Resource
development for
sessions
How to behave in a job
interview
How to maximise your potential
for success at a job interview
Sub total
Recap of
learning
Recap of skills required for
preparing and undertaking job
interviews
Planning and
preparing practical
sessions
6 hours
6 hours
Reinforcement
sessions
Tutor 1:1 support
3 hours
With individual
students 1 hour per
student
Assessment
6 hours (will vary)
of skills
Preparation for and conducting
Practical assessments:
taught
practical assessment – mock
Tutor preparation
interviews
Mock interviews
planning of
assessments
Evidence based
assessment through 2 hours planning
portfolios
Sub total
3 hours
6 hours plus 1:1
support of students
dependant on
numbers in group
Total workload
9 hours
12 hours
32
4.3.2
Description and Analysis
Summary:
Through role play and discussion, students will have learnt how to prepare for different
types of job interviews and how to present and conduct themselves at interviews to
demonstrate their strengths and capacity for employment and increase their chances
of being successful.
Aims:
This unit will help you to learn how to prepare for a job interview and how to present
yourself and behave at an interview to maximise your potential for getting the job.
Learning Objectives:



To be prepared for a job interview
To know how to conduct yourself at an interview
Discussing your disability or difficulties
Learning Activities:
a) Preparing for an interview




Before an interview
Planning for an interview
Planning the journey
What to take for an interview
b) How to conduct yourself at an interview




Language at interviews
How to present yourself
Behaviour at interviews
What to do if you can’t answer a question
c) Your rights at interview:



Discussing your disability or difficulty
Should you discuss your disability?
How much/what should you discuss with the panel?
Content recommendation:
Approaching job. A set of tools and exercises devoted to job seekers. (see Annex II)
Applying the suggested tools – or similar - can help the teacher/trainer introduce to the complex
topics involved with job search.
Most of the suggested exercises can be done alone or in a small group of students.
Teaching Strategies:
 Role play: a typical interview scenario play. The scenarios could be recorded with
camera. Afterwards, an analysis of the observations and findings can take place.
 Group discussion to feedback from the mock interviews and to determine what could
have been done better and why.
Previous knowledge:
33
Units 4.1 Looking for work and 4.2 Applying for a job
Resources:
 Room and furniture for mock interview with additional staff resources to serve as an
interview panel
 Filming equipment
 Flip chart and pens
 Videos on how to/how not to conduct job interviews
Assessment criteria:
 Practical assessment through mock interview and feedback
 Enlist reasons why you believe it is better to reveal your disability
 Do you think you have to inform your employer and or colleagues about your
disability? When do you plan to do it? How do you plan to do it?
Enhanced Skills:
Category: Supportive tools and techniques for job seekers
Direct: Communication, self-management, time keeping.
Indirect: life skills involved in social and labour market inclusion
Glossary:
Disability: a physical or mental handicap. Anything that disables or puts one at a disadvantage.
Job Interviews and Assessments: different ways an Employer/a job Agency meets with the
candidate to check if he/she is suitable for the open job position/s. They usually follow the CVs
receipt and selection.
4.4 Your Rights and Legislation (Unit 4.4)
4.4.1
Summary of planning
Unit 4
Work Preparation and Sustainability
4.4
Your Rights and Legislation
Indicative Activity (hours)
Indicative student
activity (hours)
Learning
Objectives
Indicative tutor
activity (hours)
3 × 2 hour sessions
To be aware of relevant
employment legislation and to
obtain a basic understanding of 6 hours
the rights of a worker, also with
disabilities.
Lesson planning.
To appreciate the difference
among regular work in all its
forms, undeclared work, illegal
work.
6 hours
Resource
development for
sessions.
To appreciate the Youth
Guarantee Initiative and its
deployment in your Country.
34
Sub total
6 hours
Recap of
learning
Recap of knowledge of workers Reinforcement
sessions
legislation and disability
discrimination legislation and
3 hours
protection
Assessment Practical assessment – mock
of skills
interviews
taught
6 hours
Tutor 1:1 support
With individual
students 1 hour per
student
Practical assessments:
6 hours (will vary)
Assessment through
tests against criteria
Evidence based
assessment through
portfolios
Tutor preparation
planning of
assessments
2 hours planning
Sub total
2 hours
6 hours plus 1:1
support of students
dependant on
numbers in group
Total workload
8 hours
12 hours
4.4.2
Description and Analysis
Summary:
Through the use of hand-outs, examples and discussion, students will have gained an
understanding of their employment rights and duties, also as a disabled person and will
have knowledge of the legislation and agencies that are there to protect and support
them. In particular, they will have an updated knowledge of the Youth Guarantee
Initiative as deployed in their Country or Region.
Aims:
This unit will help you to know your rights within the workplace and what legislation
exists for your protection or that you must adhere to.
Learning Objectives:



To gain a working knowledge of relevant employment legislation
To obtain a basic understanding of the rights of an employee, even with
disabilities
The Youth Guarantee Initiative in your Country and in your Region
Learning Activities:
Group working with Internet research over the current work legislation.
The Youth Guarantee measures in my Country (local Websites)

EU Commission websites:
http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1079
35
http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1094&langId=en

Cyprus websites:
http://www.cyprus.gov.cy/portal/portal.nsf/gwp.getCategory?OpenForm&access=0&SectionId
=citizen&CategoryId=Youth&SelectionId=none&print=0&lang=en
http://www.hrdauth.org.cy/
http://www.mlsi.gov.cy/mlsi/kepa/kepa_new.nsf/index_gr/index_gr?opendocument

Greece websites:
http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=82&langId=el
http://www.kepea.gr/

Italy websites:
http://www.garanziagiovani.gov.it/Pagine/default.aspx
http://www.garanziagiovani.gov.it/Pagine/IlRuoloDelleRegioni.aspx
Emilia-Romagna region website: http://formazionelavoro.regione.emiliaromagna.it/garanzia-giovani

The UK websites:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/helping-young-people-into-work
Content recommendation:
a) To gain a working knowledge of relevant employment legislation




Your rights and duties under these acts
The Commission for Equality and Human Rights and how they can support you
Access to Work and how to use it
Exploring the main features of the Disability Discrimination acts and other discrimination
legislation
b) Understanding the employment rights of workers and of an employee with
disabilities:
Discussion of disability discrimination and how to use the DDA, Commission for Equality and
Human Rights and Access to Work to ensure you have the employment rights and support you
are entitled to.
Teaching Strategies:

Discussion of the national and the international legislation, the applicable laws,
and understanding the impact and influence on job related issues of these laws
and legislation
36


Use of examples of cases brought against the Disability Discrimination Act etc
and of Employment Tribunal actions to demonstrate the effectiveness of
legislation and employment rights.
Use of external experts on employment law and disability discrimination
Previous knowledge:
Even though the contents of this sub-unit stand alone, all the sub-units in Chapter 4 help in
framing the information delivered in the present sub- unit.
Resources:
 Flip chart and pens
 Documents on legislation
 Examples of test cases
 Examples of tribunal actions and results
 Hand-outs
 External facilitators
 Internet access and PCs
Assessment criteria:
 Discussion over the main work categories (regular, undeclared, illegal) and the National
legislation framework
 Provide examples of protection of the rights of people with disabilities
 Do you plan to access to Youth Guarantee Initiative in your Country/Region? Please
describe the procedures which directly concern you
Enhanced Skills:
Category: Supportive tools and techniques for job seekers
Direct: Knowledge and comprehension of the work legislation which applies to each Country.
Glossary:
Disability Discrimination Act: a piece of UK legislation that promotes civil rights for disabled
people and protects disabled people from discrimination.
Commission for Equality and Human Rights: a statutory UK body that has the responsibility to
protect, enforce and promote equality across the seven "protected" grounds - age, disability,
gender, race, religion and belief, sexual orientation and gender reassignment.
Access to Work: a UK government scheme to give advice and financial support to make your
work and workplace more accessible
Youth Guarantee Initiative is a EU financed flag initiative to foster and sustain youth
employment. It is deployed with different measures in each Country, according to the National
Plans presented to the EU.
L.68/99 is a comprehensive Italian Law over the rights and services devoted to disabled persons
on the job.
37
5
Keeping Your Job (Unit 5)
5.1 Appropriate Language (Unit 5.1)
5.1.1
Summary of planning
Unit 5
5.1
Keeping Your Job
Appropriate Language
Indicative Activity (hours)
Indicative student
activity (hours)
Learning
Objectives
1. Recognise appropriate and
inappropriate language for the
workplace
2. Understand the consequences
of inappropriate language in the
workplace
3. Develop an understanding of
body language
Indicative tutor activity
(hours)
Attendance to tutorials, Lesson planning
seminars references in
internet or/and other
Resource development
academic activities
for sessions
2 × 2 hour sessions
Preparation for
lecturing
4 hours
Work preparation for
theory classes
4. Recognise the consequences of
inappropriate body language in
the workplace
Work preparation for
practical classes
4 hours
Sub total
Recap of
learning
Reinforcement of learning
objectives
4 hours
4 hours
Reinforcement sessions
Tutor preparation
planning of
assessments
Preparation for
examination
(assessment)
Problem solving / case
studies preparation
2 hours
Assessment
of skills
taught
Preparation for and conducting
assessment of learning
2 hours planning
Practical assessments:
Assessment through
tests against criteria
Preparation for
evidence based
assessment through
portfolios
Tutor preparation
planning of
assessments
2 hours planning
38
2 hours
Sub total
4 hours
4 hours
Total workload
8 hours
8 hours
5.1.2
Description and Analysis
Summary:
Through a range of activities, role play and discussion, students will evaluate examples of
positive and negative language and body language and will learn to judge what language and
body language is appropriate or inappropriate in the workplace.
Aims:
This unit aims to give guidelines to students as to the appropriate forms of language to use in
the workplace to be viewed as professional and to prevent the use of inappropriate language
threatening work sustainability.
Learning Objectives:
 Recognise what is appropriate and what is inappropriate language for the workplace
 Understand the consequences of using inappropriate language in the workplace
 Develop an understanding of body language
 Recognise the consequences of inappropriate body language in the workplace
Learning Activities:
The content of the unit is organised into four activities, which correspond to the four identified
learning objectives. Therefore, each activity addresses and responds to one of the objectives.
Content recommendation:
Activity 1 (~1 hours)
Aim: To enable students recognising appropriate and inappropriate language for the workplace.
Acceptable language – When attending an interview for a job it is important to be polite and to
answer any questions you are asked clearly using appropriate language. Knowing what language
is appropriate in the workplace and the best way to hold a conversation with employers and
work colleagues is an important skill.
Break (~15’)
Activity 2 (~1 hours)
Aim: To enable students understanding the consequences of inappropriate language in the
workplace.
If you are rude or offensive to other people, are racist, homophobic, sexist, ageist or disablist;
use swearing, overly familiar language or inappropriate humour then you will be liable to
disciplinary action and could lose your job.
Break (As required by the training programme. It can be a short break but it is recommended to
be a longer break to allow few days to students to comprehend the discussions of previous
activities)
Activity 3 (~1 hours)
39
Aim: To enable students developing an understanding of body language.
Body language – When having a conversation with a manager or colleague at work you have to
be careful of how you stand or sit or relate to the other person physically – with your expressions
or the way you move your bodies, as well as what you say.
Break (~15’)
Activity 4 (~1 hours)
Aim: To enable students recognising the consequences of inappropriate body language in the
workplace.
If your body language is inappropriate or overbearing, you may make other people feel
uncomfortable or threatened – this may have a negative effect on your relationships with other
people or even your job.
Teaching Strategies:



Workshop activities: examples and discussion about the consequences of using
appropriate/inappropriate language in the workplace.
Use of cartoons and photos showing different body language
Role play on the consequences of using positive and negative language and
body language in work situations.
Previous knowledge:
N/A
Resources:
 Flip chart and pen
 Range of photos or cartoons showing different body language
 Hand-outs
Assessment criteria:
 Briefly explain what one should avoid and why when talking to managers at work.
 Briefly explain what one should avoid and why when talking to co-workers.
 List 5 Dos and 5 Don’ts when it comes to body language usage at work.
 List 5 differences between language appropriate for managers and language
appropriate for co-workers at work.
 Practical test: Use one of your class-mates to play the role of the manager and talk to
him/her about a subject you choose, using appropriate language. Then repeat it with
using inappropriate language.
 Practical test: Use one of your class-mates to play the role of the co-worker and
communicate with him/her using appropriate body language. Then repeat it with using
inappropriate body language.
Enhanced Skills:
Category: Supportive tools and techniques for keeping a job
Direct:
40

Recognising and using appropriate language and body language at work, in
communication with manager and co-workers.
Indirect:

Group working and social interaction skills (during role playing)
Glossary:
Body language is defined as the gestures, postures, and facial expressions by which a person
manifests various physical, mental, or emotional states.
5.2 Appropriate Behaviour (Unit 5.2)
5.2.1
Summary of planning
Unit 5
5.2
Keeping Your Job
Appropriate Behaviour
Indicative Activity (hours)
Indicative student
activity (hours)
Learning
Objectives
1. Understand good practice in
behaviour towards other people
in the workplace.
Indicative tutor activity
(hours)
Attendance to tutorials, Lesson planning
seminars references in
internet or/and other
Resource development
academic activities
for sessions
2. Understand the consequences
of inappropriate or bad behaviour 2 × 2 hour sessions
in the workplace
Preparation for
lecturing
Work preparation for
theory classes
Work preparation for
practical classes
4 hours
Sub total
Recap of
learning
Reinforcement of learning
objectives
4 hours
4 hours
Reinforcement sessions
Tutor preparation
planning of
assessments
Preparation for
examination
(assessment)
Problem solving / case
studies preparation
2 hours
Assessment
of skills
taught
Preparation for and conducting
assessments of learning
2 hours planning
Practical assessments:
Assessment through
tests against criteria
41
Preparation for
evidence based
assessment through
portfolios
2 hours
Tutor preparation
planning of
assessments
Checking and
processing portfolios
2 hours
Sub total
4 hours
4 hours
Total workload
8 hours
8 hours
5.2.2
Description and Analysis
Summary:
Through a range of activities, role play and discussion, students will evaluate examples of
positive and negative behaviour and will learn to judge what such behaviour is appropriate or
inappropriate in the workplace.
Aims:
This unit aims to give guidelines to students as to what is appropriate behaviour for the
workplace to be viewed as professional and to prevent the use of inappropriate behaviour
threatening work sustainability.
Learning Objectives:
 Understand good practice in behaviour towards other people in the workplace.
 Understand the consequences of inappropriate or bad behaviour in the workplace.
Learning Activities:
The content of the unit is organised into two activities, which correspond to the two identified
learning objectives. Therefore, each activity addresses and responds to one of the objectives.
Content recommendation:
Activity 1 (~2 hours)
Aim: To enable students understanding good practice in behaviour towards other people in the
workplace.
Behaviour towards other people –being thoughtful towards others, to take into account their
thoughts and feelings, is important in the workplace to prevent arguments. It is a useful skill to
learn how to present your own opinions and points of view and speak up for yourself, without
upsetting other people.
Break (As required by the training programme. It can be a short break but it is recommended to
be a longer break to allow few days to students to comprehend the discussions of previous
activity)
Activity 2 (~2 hours)
Aim: To enable students understanding the consequences of inappropriate or bad behaviour in
the workplace.
If our behaviour in the workplace is argumentative, hostile, threatening, inappropriate or
aggressive, we may make other people feel uncomfortable, bullied, abused, harassed or
42
threatened – this may have a negative effect on our relationships with other people or even our
job.
Teaching Strategies:
 Workshop activities: demonstrations of the consequences of different behaviours using
DVDs, etc.
 Role play on positive and negative behaviour in work situations.
Previous knowledge:
N/A
Resources:
 Hand-outs
 Flipchart and pens
 DVDs
Assessment criteria:
 List 5 positive and 5 negative behaviours in the workplace
 Tell us why it is important to behave appropriately/professionally.
 What do you consider to be professional behaviour?
 List 3 things that may differ between our behaviour with a manager and our behaviour
with colleagues at work.
 Practical exercise: Choose one of your class-mates to play the role of the manager or
co-worker and communicate with him/her for 2 minutes using inappropriate
behaviour. Repeat this now using appropriate behaviour.
 List 5 possible consequences from behaving inappropriate against your manager in
workplace. How does this differ when it comes to co-workers?
Enhanced Skills:
Category: Supportive tools and techniques for keeping a job
Direct:

Recognising and using appropriate behaviour at work, in interacting with manager and
co-workers.
Indirect:

Group working and social interaction skills (during role playing)
Glossary:
N/A
5.3 Time Keeping (Unit 5.3)
5.3.1
Unit 5
5.3
Summary of planning
Keeping Your Job
Time Keeping
Indicative Activity (hours)
Indicative student
activity (hours)
Indicative tutor activity
(hours)
43
Learning
Objectives
1. Understand the importance of
planning your time.
2. Learn how to work out how
much time you need to allow
from getting out of bed to leaving
for work and for all the activities
that need to be done in between.
3. Understand the consequences
of not planning your time.
Attendance to tutorials, Lesson planning
seminars references in
internet or/and other
Resource development
academic activities
for sessions
3 × 2 hour sessions
6 hours
5. Learn how to develop basic
time keeping strategies.
Recap of
learning
Reinforcement of learning
objectives
Work preparation for
theory classes
Work preparation for
practical classes
4. Understand the importance of
time keeping at work and what is
involved in good time keeping.
Sub total
Preparation for
lecturing
3 hours
6 hours
3 hours
Reinforcement sessions
Tutor preparation
planning of
assessments
Preparation for
examination
(assessment)
Practical exercises
preparation
2 hours
4 hours planning
Assessment
of skills
taught
Preparation for and conducting
assessment of learning
Practical assessments:
Assessment through
tests against criteria
Preparation for
evidence based
assessment through
portfolios
Tutor preparation
planning of
assessments
Checking and
processing portfolios
4 hours
4 hours
Sub total
6 hours
8 hours
Total workload
12 hours
11 hours
5.3.2
Description and Analysis
Summary:
Using a range of teaching strategies students will learn to identify how to manage time keeping
and develop planning and time management skills to think ahead for managing their time
throughout their working day.
44
Aims:
This unit will help students understand the importance of good timekeeping and recognise the
consequences of being late and unreliable.
Learning Objectives:
 Understand the importance of planning your time.
 Learn how to work out how much time you need to allow from getting out of bed to
leaving for work and for all the activities that need to be done in between.
 Understand the consequences of not planning your time.
 Understand the importance of time keeping at work and what is involved in good time
keeping.
 Learn how to develop basic time keeping strategies.
Learning Activities:
The content of the unit is organised into five activities, which correspond to the five identified
learning objectives. Therefore, each activity addresses and responds to one of the objectives.
Content recommendation:
Activity 1 (~1 hours)
Aim: To enable students understanding the importance of planning their time.
This means being ready to start work at the right time and not just turning up at this time. For
example, leave enough time before you are due to start work to get ready to leave for work.
Students need to know what time they have to go out to catch a bus or train or other means of
travel and how long their journey to work takes. This requires also a pre-planning of their route
to work.
Break (~15’)
Activity 2 (~1 hours)
Aim: To enable students learning how to work out how much time they need to allow from getting
out of bed to leaving to work and for all the activities that need to be done in between.
Students need to work out how many things they have to do before they are ready to leave for
work and make sure they plan correctly how long each activity takes in order to avoid being late
at work. An important activity is also the planning of route to work and the calculation of time
required for the journey.
An indicative list for things which a person needs to allow time for, to be discussed in class:


The night before:
•
Clothes – get clothes ready for work the next day and make sure they are
clean and ironed.
•
Food – If you take a packed lunch to work, make it the night before and put
it in the fridge.
•
Charge mobile phone battery – remember to charge your phone overnight.
Before Leaving for Work:
•
Bus fare/pass – remember to take your bus pass or make sure you have the
correct bus fare.
•
Keys/ lock door – make sure you lock the door and take your keys when you
leave the house for work
45
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Money – remember to take enough money for lunch, drinks, snacks or
anything else you will need during the working day.
Wash, shower, clean teeth, brush hair, use deodorant – It is important that
you are clean and fresh for work, so that you don’t upset the people working
around you. Remember to shower, clean your teeth, brush your hair and put
on deodorant before leaving for work.
Breakfast – This is the most important meal of the day and will help you to
concentrate and to have enough energy for your work. Have breakfast
before you leave for work.
Packed Lunch - If you take a packed lunch to work, remember to get it out
of the fridge and take it with you.
Equipment/uniform/safety shoes – if you need to wear special clothes or
shoes for work remember to take them with you.
Medication - if you take medication remember to take the right dose at the
right time, and take them with you if you need them during the day.
Glasses – if you wear glasses remember to take them with you.
Log book/journal/diary for work – if you use a log book, journal or diary for
work remember to take them with you.
Toilet – go to the toilet before leaving for work.
Break (As required by the training programme. It can be a short break but it is recommended to
be a longer break to allow few days to students to comprehend the discussions of previous
activity)
Activity 3 (~1 hours)
Aim: To enable students understanding the consequences of not planning their time.
Students need to realise the possibilities of missing a bus or train if they do not allow enough
time in advance and this will cause them being late for work. Being late at work regularly, often
they might lose their job. Another consequence of not planning their time properly, is that they
may not have time for one of the required activities, such as breakfast, which would make them
feel unwell and lacking in energy throughout the day.
Break (~15’)
Activity 4 (~1 hours)
Aim: To enable students understanding the importance of time keeping at work and what is
involved in good time keeping.
Being late often will result in disciplinary action and students might even lose their job. It is
important to get back in time from breaks, stay to work until the proper finish time at least, avoid
getting ready to leave 10 minutes earlier of proper finish time, avoid spending too much time
chatting to friends when they should be working. In general if one gets to work on time he/she
will start off with a good reputation.
Break (As required by the training programme. It can be a short break but it is recommended to
be a longer break to allow few days to students to comprehend the discussions of previous
activity)
46
Activity 5 (~2 hours)
Aim: To enable students learning how to develop basic time keeping strategies.
To avoid ending up in time difficulties, the students need to learn:





Choosing to do some things in advance e.g. ironing and laying out clothes the night
before
How to calculate and remember the time they need to take for the required activities
before leaving home
Choosing to creating reminders for themselves
Developing strategies to remember everything they need for each day
Planning their route to work well in advance and also having alternatives in case of
problems (e.g. train strikes, etc.). It is in general a good idea to plan their route to work
well before their first day and to practice getting to work so they can be confident that
they know where they are going and can get to work in good time. This involves having
found the timetables of means of transport if any, purchasing required tickets (having
the money for it).
Teaching Strategies:
 Worksheets on time planning to identify the importance of planning the day ahead.
 Discussions on what activities are needed to be done before leaving for work and how
long they might take.
 Use of a clock to show how quickly time mounts up.
 Use of serious games with content about time management.
 Looking at bus/train timetables (and/or traffic information) to time journeys.
 Planning time keeping at work using timetables.
 Recapping basic strategies for time keeping and work related issues.
Previous knowledge:
N/A
Resources:
 Pens
 Handouts / Worksheets
 Clock
 Timetables of transportation means and other
 Internet access to “transport route planner” timetables for bus, train, tram
Assessment criteria:
 List 5 things you may need to allow time for before you start for work.
 List 3 things that show good time keeping at work.
 Write a timed plan for getting ready to leave for work.
 Show how you prepare your route to work and related time needed, considering also
one alternative.
Enhanced Skills:
Category: Supportive tools and techniques for keeping a job
Direct:
47

Time planning and time keeping before and during work.
Indirect:

Group working and social interaction skills (during role playing)
Glossary:
Strategy: An action plan for achieving a goal.
5.4 Commitment (Unit 5.4)
5.4.1
Summary of planning
Unit 5
5.4
Keeping Your Job
Commitment
Indicative Activity (hours)
Indicative student
activity (hours)
Learning
Objectives
1. Understand what is meant by
the term “commitment”.
2. Recognise the importance of
demonstrating commitment at
work.
Attendance to tutorials, Lesson planning
seminars references in
internet or/and other
Resource development
academic activities
for sessions
2 × 2 hour sessions
Work preparation for
theory classes
4. Understand the consequences
of appearing to be lacking in
commitment at work.
4 hours
Reinforcement of learning
objectives
4 hours
4 hours
Reinforcement sessions
Tutor preparation
planning of
assessments
Preparation for
examination
(assessment) - 2 hours
Assessment
of skills
taught
Preparation for
lecturing
3. Demonstrate an understanding
of how to show commitment at
work.
Sub total
Recap of
learning
Indicative tutor activity
(hours)
Preparation for and conducting
assessment of learning
Assessment through
tests against criteria
Preparation for
evidence based
assessment through
portfolios
2 hours planning
Tutor preparation
planning of
assessments
Checking and
processing portfolios
2 hours
2 hours
48
Sub total
4 hours
4 hours
Total workload
8 hours
8 hours
5.4.2
Description and Analysis
Summary:
Role play activities will give students the opportunity to practice good skills for positive working
relationships that demonstrate commitment to their employers.
Aims:
This unit will help recognising the importance of loyalty and commitment and understand how
to demonstrate them at work.
Learning Objectives:
 Understand what is meant by the term “commitment”.
 Recognise the importance of demonstrating commitment at work.
 Demonstrate an understanding of how to show commitment at work.
 Understand the consequences of appearing to be lacking in commitment at work.
Learning Activities:
The content of the unit is organised into four activities, which correspond to the four identified
learning objectives. Therefore, each activity addresses and responds to one of the objectives.
Content recommendation:
Activity 1 (~1 hours)
Aim: To enable students understanding what is meant by the term “commitment”.
Companies expect their employees to be committed to the company, i.e. to demonstrate the
trait of sincere and steadfast loyalty and hard work towards a common goal, set of values or
purpose. Commitment to work is the strength of the bond between the employee and the
company he/she works for. The commitment might be defined by a sense of belonging and is
demonstrated by loyalty, hard work and enthusiasm. It also assumes a belief in the values of the
company one works for.
Break (~15’)
Activity 2 (~1 hours)
Aim: To enable students recognising the importance of demonstrating commitment at work.
The benefits of recognising the importance of commitment are that it make one feel good about
work, helps him/her fit in the work environment, increases one’s chances of promotion or a pay
rise and helps one gaining the respect of his/her co-workers.
Break (As required by the training programme. It can be a short break but it is recommended to
be a longer break to allow few days to students to comprehend the discussions of previous
activity)
Activity 3 (~1 hours)
Aim: To enable students demonstrating an understanding of how to show commitment at work.
49
It is important for students to understand the need to always turning up on time, working hard,
being enthusiastic about their work, demonstrating good team work, showing a willingness to
learn new skills and talking positively to other employees about work.
Break (~15’)
Activity 4 (~1 hours)
Aim: To enable students understanding the consequences of appearing to be lacking in
commitment at work.
Students will need to understand that not being committed to work, may cause them not being
considered for promotion, not being considered for training, their colleagues may resent having
to work harder than them, or they may be unpopular with bosses and colleagues.
Teaching Strategies:
 Role play -team work situation linked to positive work ethics, hand-outs to reinforce
learning.
 Discussion to develop understanding of concepts.
Previous knowledge:
N/A
Resources:
 Hand-outs
 Flip chart and pens
Assessment criteria:
 List 3 ways you can show commitment to your job.
 List 3 benefits of showing commitment and loyalty at work.
 Briefly explain how not showing commitment may affect your ability to keep your job.
 Think of and write a short scenario of an employee expressing his/her commitment to
work.
 Think of and write a short scenario of an employee expressing his/her un-commitment
to work.
Enhanced Skills:
Category: Supportive tools and techniques for keeping a job
Direct:

Understanding how to show commitment at work and also its importance.
Indirect:

Group working and social interaction skills (during discussions and role playing)
Glossary:
 Commitment: the bond of an employee to an organisation, the strength of which
depends on the degree of employee involvement, employee loyalty, and belief in the
values of the organisation. The trait of sincere and steadfast fixity of purpose.
50

Loyalty: providing dedicated service to the company one works for.
51
6
Starting work (Unit 6)
6.1 Facing Concerns About Starting Work (Unit 6.1)
6.1.1
Summary of planning
Unit 6
Starting Work
6.1
Facing Concerns About Starting
Work
Indicative Activity (hours)
Facing Concerns About Starting
Work
Learning
Objectives
To recognize that it is normal and
ok to feel nervous.
Indicative student
activity (hours)
3 × 1 hour sessions
Indicative tutor activity
(hours)
Lesson planning,
preparation of theory
sessions.
To recognize issues that we will
face in our first few days at work.
How to prepare to address
identified concerns.
Resource development
for sessions
Where to go for support.
Preparation of practical
sessions
Sub total
Recap of
learning
Reinforcement of learning
objectives
3
2
Skills recap
Tutor 1:1 support
where appropriate
2 × 1 hour sessions
1 hour
2 hours
Assessment
of skills
taught
Assessment of learning
Assessments
30 minutes per topic
Tutor preparation and
planning of
assessments,
processing portfolios
etc.
2 hours
2 hours
Sub total
4
3
Total workload
7
5
6.1.2
Description and Analysis
Summary:
Students should be able to identify that feeling nervous is acceptable and acknowledge
feelings. Through role play and discussion they will have developed some coping strategies for
managing new situations.
Aims:
This unit will help you to employ a range of ideas to help you get rid of any concerns on your first
days at work.
52
Learning Objectives:
 To recognize that it is normal and ok to feel nervous.
 To recognize issues that we will face in our first few days at work.
 How to prepare to address identified concerns.
 Where to go for support.
Learning Activities:
 To recognize that it is normal and ok to feel nervous
 To recognize issues that we will face in our first few days at work:
 How to prepare to address identified concerns:
 Where to go for support
Content recommendation:
Activity 1 (~1 hours)
Aim: To recognize that it is normal and ok to feel nervous
Discuss the following issues by using questions and personal experiences
•
•
Most people feel a little nervous when starting a new job, especially if it is your first
job after leaving school or college. Feeling nervous is normal.
Sometimes feeling nervous can help us to feel excited and enthusiastic about new
challenges.
Break (~15’)
Activity 2 (~2 hours)
Aim: To recognize issues that we will face in our first few days at work
Discuss the following issues by using questions and personal experiences
•
•
•
You might worry whether you will fit in
You might worry whether you can do the job
You might worry about how you will talk to new people
Break (~5’)
Make the following roleplay:
•
•
•
•
•
Read your job description carefully to make sure you understand what is expected
of you and discuss it with family or friends
Make a list of questions about the workplace and phone someone in the company
If you know anyone who works at the same place, meet with them socially to ask
about what it’s like to work there
Make sure you know how to get there on your first day and if you have doubts test
timing and route planning beforehand.
Review what you have learned about developing self-confidence in unit 1.1 and use
some of the strategies you developed in that unit.
53
Where to go for support:
•
It might help you to talk to a friend or family member
You could talk to a Connexions (Careers) worker or your job coach, trainer or support worker
about these worries. They may help you to see the positive things about starting work and to
feel excited rather than nervous
Teaching Strategies:


Tutor 1:1 and support were appropriate.
Supervised Role Playing of the first day at work between peers and between
tutor and peers. The tutor can create different roles and what if scenarios of
possible issues based on the Learning Activities, always allowing the students to
discuss their emotions and be more beneficial solutions towards words
sustainability and efficacy. Tutor should always provide solutions such as the
role of the supportive supervisor/colleague/social worker and/or explanatory
manual.
Previous knowledge:
N/A
Resources:
 Work sheets to identify feelings.
 Role Play Cards
Assessment criteria:
 Describe 2 things you could do to stop you worrying about starting work.
 List 3 things you can do to prepare for your first day.
 In case you forget to... / in case something goes wrong, what should you do?
Enhanced Skills:
Category: Supportive tools and techniques for keeping a job
Direct: Coping with nervousness and lack of motivation. Copying creatively with stress and lack
of experience.
Indirect: Self-esteem, communication.
Glossary:
6.2 Working With Others (Unit 6.2)
6.2.1
Unit 6
6.2
Summary of planning
Starting Work
Working With Others
Working with other people
Indicative Activity (hours)
Student activity (hours)
Indicative tutor activity
(hours)
54
Learning
Objectives
Team building.
5 × 1 hour sessions
To establish good working
relationships and environment.
Resource development
for sessions
To understand the internal
structure of the organisations, the
hierarchy, and the different levels
of employees (in terms of
supervisors, etc.).
Sub total
Recap of
learning
Reinforcement of learning
objectives
Lesson planning,
preparation of theory
sessions.
Preparation of practical
sessions
5
3
Skills recap
Tutor 1:1 support
where appropriate
3 × 1 hour sessions
2 hours
3 hours
Assessment
of skills
taught
Preparation for and conducting
assessment of learning
Assessments
30 minutes per topic
Tutor preparation and
planning of
assessments,
processing portfolios
etc.
2 hours
Sub total
4
4
Total workload
9
7
6.2.2
Description and Analysis
Summary:
Through using a range of examples, role-playing games, induction packs, hand-outs and
discussion, students should have gained the information needed to understand who’s who in the
workplace, their roles and responsibilities. Tutor should also enable and stimulate participants
to work as part of a team.
Aims:
To enable and stimulate participants to work as part of a team.
Learning Objectives:
 Team building.
 To establish good working relationships and a positive working environment.
 To understand the internal structure of the organisations, the hierarchy, and the
different levels of employees (in terms of supervisors, etc.).
 To learn how to cope with communication breakdowns.
Learning Activities:
 Team building
 Working with supervisors and managers
 To understand roles and responsibilities within a company:
55

To understand reporting structures, you will need to find out who you talk to about

Preparing for meetings
Content recommendation:
Activity 1 (~1 hours)
Aim: Team building
Discuss the following and Role Play with different situations between colleagues and/or your
supervisor



Working (interacting) with colleagues in a positive manner so that each member of the
team understands their own roles and responsibilities and all members work
cooperatively and supportively towards a common goal.
Understanding how to express yourself if you have a question, a problem or a
complaint or grievance within the team.
Learning how to express your point of view appropriately and assertively and not
aggressively to colleagues
Break (~15’)
Activity 2 (~1 hours)
Aim: Working with supervisors and managers
Role play: participants playing the role of an employee who has to make a first contact, and
must establish a good communication with a supervisor, colleague, etc. in order to understand
the differences in approach

Working with supervisors and managers in a positive way, ensuring that you
understand what they expect from you, when you are expected to complete your work
and in what manner and to what standard you are expected to complete it.

Understanding how to express yourself if you have a question, a problem or a
complaint or grievance you wish to make formally to a manager.

Learning how to express your point of view appropriately and assertively and not
aggressively to managers.
Break (~15’)
Activity 3 (~1 hours)
Aim: To understand roles and responsibilities within a company
Discuss and then identify names of departments and what they do using company induction/
resources pack, appropriate hand-outs using induction materials to recap knowledge
56
You might work in an establishment with few colleagues or to a large company. Your company
may have different departments that deal with different parts of your work, discuss the roles of
the following and what they are responsible for:






Human Resources
Health and Safety
Finance
Training
Administration
IT services
Break (~15’)
Activity 4 (~1 hours)
Aim: To understand reporting structures
Discuss the following and Role Play with different situations between colleagues and/or your
supervisor and what you will need to find out who you talk to about:







If you are ill and need some days off work
You want to book some holiday
If you are late
If you wish to make a complaint
you need some training, such as for health and safety
If you have an accident at work
If you are being abused or bullied at work
Break (~15’)
Activity 5 (~1 hours)
Aim: Preparing for meetings
Discuss and role play the following:
Before taking part in meetings, it is important to consider the following:




What support do you need, interpreter, note-taker etc?
What do you need to bring with you?
How can you prepare e.g. do you read anything or complete anything before the
meeting?
How do you need the room to be laid out?
Teaching Strategies:
 Identify names of departments and what they do using company induction/ resources
pack, appropriate hand-outs using induction materials to recap knowledge.
 Discussion and role play around roles and responsibilities and behaviour towards
management.
 Role Play with different situations between colleagues and/or your supervisor
57





Role play: participants playing the role of an employee who has to make a first contact,
and must establish a good communication with a supervisor, colleague, etc. in order to
understand the differences in approach.
Role play on dealing with problems in a team situation.
A moderated discussion based on a demonstrative DVD (illustration of a working
environment). Participants have to comment the reactions and the scenes in the film.
Role play: participants playing the role of an employee who has to make a first contact,
and must establish a good communication with a supervisor, colleague, etc. in order to
understand the differences in approach.
Role play on dealing with problems in a team situation.
Previous knowledge:
 Basic soft skills
Resources:
 Induction materials
 Hand-outs
 Examples of company structures
 DVD and appropriate room to accommodate participants.
Assessment criteria:
 Assessment is accomplished both through role playing, where relevant, and with the
involvement of the trainer / teacher / facilitator, where applicable, completing
observational checklists. The following tasks require participants’ involvement in the
self-assessment and evaluation of the other participants:
 Describe 3 possible approaches to address your direct colleagues.
 Describe 3 possible approaches to address you supervisors/employers.
 Describe what the following departments, which you would find in a large company, are
responsible for: Human Resources, Finance, Health and Safety, Administration, Buildings
Management etc.
 Using an example of a line management structure, which you may be given in your
induction training when you start work, describe who manages whom.
Enhanced Skills:
Category: Supportive tools and techniques for keeping a job and maintaining a successful
communication level at workplace




Communication and team building skills
Working (interacting) with colleagues in a positive manner
Understanding how to express yourself if you have a question, a problem or a
complaint or grievance within the team.
Learning how to express your point of view appropriately and assertively and not
aggressively to colleagues
Glossary:
Induction: the introductory training process when you start working for an organisation or start
a new job.
Awareness: This is the ability to be conscious of, feel or perceive.
58
Supervisor: This is the team leader, overseer, area coordinator or manager in an organisation.
Assertiveness: This is the action of standing up for what you want and what you believe in, in a
way that is suitable for the situation you are in. It is linked to self-esteem and considered an
important communication skill.
6.3 Your Responsibilities in the Workplace (Unit 6.3)
6.3.1
Summary of planning
Unit 6
Starting Work
6.3
Your Responsibilities in the
Workplace
Indicative Activity (hours)
Understanding Terms and
Conditions of Employment
Learning
Objectives
What tasks are involved in your
job and why they are important.
Indicative student
activity (hours)
3 × 1 hour sessions
Indicative tutor activity
(hours)
Lesson planning,
preparation of theory
sessions.
The training matrix.
Terms and conditions of
employment.
Resource development
for sessions
Your rights in the workplace –
what to do if you have a
complaint or if someone is
bullying or upsetting you?
Preparation of practical
sessions
The company handbook.
Sub total
Recap of
learning
Reinforcement of learning
objectives
3
2
Skills recap
Tutor 1:1 support
where appropriate
3 × 1 hour sessions
1 hours
3 hours
Assessment
of skills
taught
Preparation for and conducting
assessment of learning
Assessments
30 minutes per topic
Tutor preparation and
planning of
assessments,
processing portfolios
etc.
2 hours
1 hours
Sub total
5
2
Total workload
8
4
6.3.2
Description and Analysis
59
Summary:
Through activities and role play, students should develop an understanding of what their
responsibilities, rights and duties are.
Aims:
This unit will help you to understand your terms and conditions of employment.
Learning Objectives:
 What tasks are involved in your job and why they are important.
 The training matrix.
 Terms and conditions of employment.
 Your rights in the workplace – what to do if you have a complaint or if someone is bullying
or upsetting you?
 The company handbook.
Learning Activities:
 What tasks are involved in your job and why they are important
 The training matrix
 Terms and conditions of employment
 Your rights in the workplace
Content recommendation:
Activity 1 (~1 hours)
Aim: What tasks are involved in your job and why they are important
Discussions and role play about tasks and responsibilities in the workplace

How to discover what tasks are involved in various jobs and why they are important.

You will need to find out from your supervisor or boss what training you may need to do
your job properly.
You will also need to find out what training is available to do your job better and improve
your chances of promotion.
You will need to understand what training is compulsory and what training is available for
continuous professional development
How to read a training matrix.



Break (~15’)
Activity 2 (~4 hours in total)
Aim: Terms, rights and conditions of employment
Using induction materials lead the students to discussions and role play about the following
subjects. Make sure you don’t introduce all subjects in one sessions but in different sessions or with
10-15’ intervals


If there are any rules in the company where you work you will need to be sure you
understand them.
Do you understand the consequences of breaking your terms and conditions of
employment?
60


Do you understand your rights into workplace – what to do if you have a complaint or if
someone is bullying, upsetting you or making you feel uncomfortable?
Do you know your rights to work in a safe and healthy environment. Your rights as an
employee are to work in a safe and healthy environment and are given to you by law. In
general, they can't be changed or removed by your employer.

Do you take reasonable care not to put other people - fellow employees and members of
the public - at risk by what you do or don't do in the course of your work


Do you understand the salary scales and pension schemes?
Do you know if you can work overtime and what you will be paid for it or if you get time off
in lieu?
Trade Unions –how to find out if your company has one and how they work.
Do you know how much holiday you are allowed or what to do if you are ill and cannot
work?
Do you understand your rights to sick pay / maternity pay / paternity pay / compassionate
leave?
Do you know who to go to for help or advice?
Do you know how to register a grievance or make a complaint?
Do you understand when you can take a break or have lunch?
Do you know where to go for your breaks or what to do at break times?







Teaching Strategies:
 Using induction materials/ Company polices to develop worksheets to support students
to develop awareness of work ethics.
 Discussions and role play about rights and responsibilities in the workplace.
Previous knowledge:
Ν/Α
Resources:
 Company policies
 Sample terms and conditions/company handbooks
 Hand-outs
 Flip chart
 Pens
Assessment criteria:
 Choose an example of a job you would like to do and describe what tasks are involved in
doing this job.

Make a list of 3 things you should find in your terms and conditions of employment.
Enhanced Skills:
Category: Supportive tools and techniques for keeping a job and maintaining a successful
communication level at workplace




Organising work activity to plan for the current week and weeks ahead
Communicating with others to manage work activity
Participation in planning and supervision meetings
Use of technology for planning work
61

Managing your workspace
Glossary:
Trade Unions: Workers organized into a voluntary association, or union, to further their mutual
interests with respect to wages, hours and working conditions.
Grievance: An actual or supposed event or circumstance regarded as just cause for complaint. A
formal complaint based on such a circumstance.
Time Off in Lieu: If you have worked overtime you may be allowed to take the same amount of time
off work at an agreed time, within a limited period.
Continuous professional development: a process of lifelong learning to enable you to keep
improving your performance in your work and to progress in your career.
6.4 Managing your Workload (Unit 6.4)
6.4.1
Summary of planning
Unit 6
6.4
Starting Work
Managing your Workload
Indicative Activity (hours)
Indicative student
activity (hours)
Learning
Objectives
Organising work activity to plan
for the current week and weeks
ahead
3 × 1 hour sessions
Communicating with others to
manage work activity
3 hours
Indicative tutor activity
(hours)
Lesson planning
Resource development
for sessions
Preparation for
practical sessions
Participation in planning and
supervision meetings
2 hours
Use of technology for planning
work
Managing your workspace
Sub total
Recap of
learning
Reinforcement of learning
objectives
3
2
Revision of learning
sessions
Tutor 1:1 sessions
2h
2 × 1hour
Processing portfolios
Assessment
of skills
taught
Sub total
Preparation for and assessment
of learning
Preparation of
portfolios and tests
against assessment
criteria
Preparing and
evaluating assessment
tests
2 hours
2 hours
4
4
62
Total workload
6.4.2
7
6
Description and Analysis
Summary:
Through role play, talks, demonstrations and worksheets to re-enforce information, students
should develop the ability to use a variety of tools to plan their workload.
Aims:
 To be able to organise the working schema.
 The person should feel at ease in the working environment with his colleagues and
supervisors, whether in face-to-face meetings or during phone conversations,
meetings, etc.
 Assistive technologies should be used where they provide added value to planning
work.
Learning Objectives:
 Organising work activity to plan for the current week and weeks ahead
 Communicating with others to manage work activity
 Participation in planning and supervision meetings
 Use of technology for planning work
Learning Activities:
 Organising your workload
 Communicating with others to manage work activity
 Participation and communication in planning and supervision meetings
 Use of technology for planning work
 Managing your workspace
Content recommendation:
Activity 1 (~1 hours)
Aim: Organising your workload and managing your workspace
Discussions, tools and role play about organising workload in the workplace and how to organise
your space to improve efficiency






Preparing for the day ahead
Create a routine
Preparing for the week/month ahead
Making and managing work lists and plans
Prioritising your workload
Managing your workspace
Break (~15’)
Activity 2 (~2 hours)
Aim: Communicating with others to manage work activity and participation and
communication in planning and supervision meetings
63
Discussions, tools and role play about managing work activity and using effective communication











Appropriate communication to determine work tasks to be included in your workload;
negotiation of work tasks; clarification on future plans etc
How to ask for help with your workload or to complain if you feel your workload is unfair
in comparison with other peoples’
How to find out how your work fits into the broader context of the organisation’s work
Developing the confidence to contribute to team meetings
Preparing for supervisions and other meetings
How to report on your work or seek clarification in supervisions
What you need to know in order to plan ahead
Coping and managing in meetings
Giving and receiving information and instructions
The safe and appropriate use of email for planning purposes
The use of ICT based task lists
Teaching Strategies:
 Demonstration of a variety of planning tools
 Role play of various scenarios
 Demonstration of a variety of ICT based planning tools
Previous knowledge:
Ν/Α
Resources:
 A range of planning tools
 Supervision pro forma
 Role play
 Hand-outs
Assessment criteria:
 Complete a workplan for the next four weeks
 Write a plan for a supervision session
 Demonstrate the use of an ICT based planning tool
Enhanced Skills:
Category: Supportive tools and techniques for keeping a job




Organising your workload
Communicating with others to manage work activity
Participation and communication in planning and supervision meetings
Use of ICT for planning work
Glossary:
N/A
64
65
Category: ICT Skills
7 Participatory digital (educational) games’ design (Unit 7)
Phase A - Introducing the co-design methodology and the cooperative
learning in general
7.1 Understand the importance and advantages of co-operative learning
(Unit 7.1)
7.1.1
Summary of planning
Unit 7
Participatory digital (educational) games’ design
7.1
Understand the importance and
advantages of co-operative
learning
Indicative Activity (hours)
Indicative student
activity (hours)
Learning
Objectives
1. Recognise personal skills and
qualities involved in co-operative
learning.
2. Recognising how skills and
qualities can contribute to the
overall success of the learning
Indicative tutor activity
(hours)
3 × 3 hour session
Lesson planning
Preparation for
practical sessions
Collect material and
resource development
/preparation for 1
session
Lesson planning
Resource development
3. Communication skill:
4 hours
- Preparing for meetings
- One to one meetings
- Communicating by
telephone
- Giving and receiving
information and instructions
- Lesson planning
- Resource development
for sessions
- Preparation for practical
sessions
- Recap of learning
4. Peer pressure and bullying:
- Understand the meaning
of ‘peer pressure’, bullying
66
and abuse and be able to
recognise them.
- Understand the effects of
peer pressure, bullying and
abuse.
- Develop strategies for
responding appropriately to
peer pressure, bullying and
abuse
5. Stress:
- Recognise situations and
conditions that trigger
problems and stress.
- 7Understand that some
stress can be helpful in some
situations.
- Recognise typical
reactions to problems and
stress.
- 9Understand the
consequences of allowing
stress to build up.
Sub total
9 hours
4 hours
Tutor some 1:1 support
with students where
needed to check
learning approx. 3hrs
Recap of
learning
Reinforcement of learning
objectives
Student’s assessment
portfolio based
(evidence) and test
based assessments
Assessment
of skills
taught
Preparation for and conducting
assessment.
Ongoing assessments
Recap of learning
Tutor preparation
planning and reviewing
of assessments
1 session × 1 hour
3 hours
Informal assessment by
discussion and formal
assessments
3 hours
N/A
Sub total
1 hours
6 hours
Total workload
10 hours
10 hours
7.1.2
Description and Analysis
67
Summary:
Students should be able to describe the concept of co-operative learning. Through role play
and work activities the students will have learned how to communicate effectively, and how to
record communication in a number of work based scenarios. Through discussion and sharing of
examples and ideas, students will learn to recognise peer pressure, bullying or abuse and be
able to develop strategies to report or manage it. On the stress subject, through discussion and
understanding of how students deal with individual levels of stress, students should be able to
identify their own and others’ reactions to stress. By these means, strategies can be developed
to give some help to cope with situations as they arise.
Aims:
This unit will help students recognise the skills needed to make co-operative learning effective.
It will start by giving an overview of appropriate communication in a number of key work settings:
meetings, telephone conversations and in giving or responding to instructions. Then, it will help
recognising when others are putting pressure on a student to do the wrong thing or when he/she
is being bullied or abused and to respond appropriately. In addition, the unit will help students
understand the causes and results of stress.
Learning Objectives:
 Recognising personal skills and qualities that develop successful co-operative learning
 Recognising personal skills and qualities involved in co-operative learning will enable
students to work within and potentially lead a co-operative learning activity.
 Recognising skills and qualities can allow students to see how as members of the group
they are able to contribute to the overall effectiveness of the group.
 Preparing for meetings
o One to one meetings
o Communicating by telephone
o Giving and receiving information and instructions
 Understand the meaning of ‘peer pressure’, bullying and abuse and be able to recognise
them.
 Understand the effects of peer pressure, bullying and abuse.
 Develop strategies for responding appropriately to peer pressure, bullying and abuse
 Recognise situations and conditions that trigger problems and stress.
 Understand that some stress can be helpful in some situations.
 Recognise typical reactions to problems and stress.
 Understand the consequences of allowing stress to build up
Learning Activities:
 Instructions for the task – have students tell each other the instructions for the task
before you start the task to ensure understanding.
 Think of a product e.g. (iPhone 6) that has needed joint collaboration to bring it to the
market place. What skills did the group members need to come to a definitive
decision?
 Gain a general agreement from the group on a topic mutually acceptable. Delegate roles
and give clear indication of what they involve.
Content recommendation:
Co-operative Learning is the educational use of small groups so that students can work
together by supporting and encouraging each other to accomplish the same target. The
co-operative learning activity offers a stronger structure than is found in traditional
group work because it encourages teachers to ensure that:
68



all students are engaged
team members work in close proximity
the students contribution to the activity and their understanding of it’s contents
are reflected on.
Initially, the teacher carefully designs meaningful tasks that require active participation
of each student in the group towards a common end. The teacher becomes the ‘task
setter’. The teacher acts as a facilitator moving from group to group to monitor the
learning process and ongoing feedback and assessment can take place.
Pgcps.pg.k12.md.us
Co-operative learning will improve social interactions and inter personal skills in
learning, life, and employment opportunities. This way of learning builds trust,
promotes open communication, increases enjoyment and motivation. Studies have
found that students who provide and receive intricate explanations and recap of
learning gain most from collaborative learning.
Teachthought.com
Team formation issues:




Size
Duration
Formation
Equal boys and girls if possible

Value diversity
Activity 1 ( 45 min – to one hour )
Aim: Communication (work based)
The aim of the activity is to give an overview of appropriate communication in a number of key
work settings: meetings, telephone conversations and in giving or responding to instructions.
The objectives are for students to learn how to be preparing for meetings, communicating by
telephone, giving and receiving information and instructions, lesson planning, resource
development for sessions, preparation for practical sessions.
During the activity the following needs to be addressed:
Preparing for meetings
Before taking part in meetings, it is important to consider the following:



What support do you need, interpreter, note-taker etc?
What do you need to bring with you?
How can you prepare e.g. do you read anything or complete anything before the
meeting?
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
How do you need the room to be laid out?
One to one meetings
Preparation for one-to-one meetings with your manager requires the following considerations:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Preparation
Review of notes from previous meetings.
Agendas
Planning what you want to say
Recording notes
Action points
Telephone communication
•
What to consider when:
o Receiving a call
o Making a call
o Giving and receiving information and instructions
o Giving clear instructions
o Recording information
o Asking for clarification
Activity 2 (45 mins – one hour)
Aim: Personal Development
The activity focuses on:
Understanding the meaning of ‘peer pressure’, bullying and abuse and being able to recognise
them:
•
•
•
•
•
One’s peers are people around his/her age, who he/she might go to school or college
with, or hang out with.
One’s peers might look out for his/her, keep him/her out of trouble, or even lead
him/her into trouble.
If one’s peers try to make him/her do something against his/her will or better
judgement, this is called ‘peer pressure’.
When someone deliberately threatens, frightens, abuses or hurts another person
repeatedly this is called bullying.
Abuse is a pattern of behaviour in which physical violence and/or emotional pressure
is used to gain or maintain power or control in a relationship.
Understanding the effects of peer pressure:
•
•
•
•
Being made to do something against one’s will can make him/her feel bad about
himself/herself
It can get him/her and them into trouble
It can spoil their friendship
It can make them lose respect for each other
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Developing strategies for responding appropriately to peer pressure:
•
•
•
•
It will take some courage to do the right thing if he/she thinks it might make
him/her look silly in front of his/her friends.
Think about what he/she might be able to say to a friend if they try and make
him/her do something he/she does not want to
o He/she could point out the consequences of doing that thing
o He/she could try and get them to do something else
o He/she could tell them he/she deosn’t feel comfortable
o He/she could tell them he/she feels bullied and remind them that friends
should be supportive not bullying
If he/she is being bullied or abused he/she should report it
If he/she feels that a friend wants him/her to do something that he/she feels is bad
or wrong he/she could tell a responsible adult in confidence
Activity 3 (45 mins – one hour)
Aim: Understand Problems and Stress
Recognise situations and conditions that trigger problems and stress. Stress is the worked up
feeling we get when things are happening to us or we are asked to do things that challenge us
in a bad way or good way.
Things that cause stress in a bad way (because they make us feel bad about ourselves or
worried and frightened) include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Having nowhere to live
Fear of failure
Confrontation
Peer Pressure
Bullying
Family problems
Understand that some stress can be helpful in some situations. Things that cause stress in a
good way include:
•
•
•
Competitions, e.g. sport, quiz, team games
Being given a challenge, e.g., job interviews
Challenges that may push us to do better
Recognise typical reactions to problems and stress. Reactions to problems and stress include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Increased heart rate
Tensed muscles
Sweaty palms
Fluttery stomach
Faster breathing
Feelings of anger
Frustration and loss of control
Not sleeping well
Not eating properly
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•
•
•
•
•
Hurting yourself
Not talking to others
Not feeling like doing anything
Feeling tired all the time
Feeling ill
Understand the consequences of allowing stress to build up. Allowing negative stress to build
up can cause:
•
•
•
•
Physical illness
Mental illness
Problems with work
Problems with relationships
Teaching Strategies:
•
Discussion on what are skills and qualities
o able to initiate discussion
o problem solving
o give constructive criticism
o support other students
o communicate ideas
o listening skills
•
Role play group work – who leads? – who follows? who is practical? – who is
logical?
o Role play situations to highlight differences in peer group pressure
•
Hand-outs to recap learning
•
Discussion where students give examples of experiences
•
Discussion on the consequences of peer pressure
•
Extracts from stories or articles on the consequences of peer pressure
•
Discussion of kinds of stress, students to identify personal stress triggers.
•
Case notes of stress scenarios/ own experiences.
•
Students input of experiences as part of discussion.
•
Picture cards for recognition of stress and its factors
Previous knowledge:
N/A
Resources:
•
Flip chart
•
Pens
•
Hand-outs on topics of particular activities
•
Telephone – either functioning with a member of staff acting role play at other end
or model for initial role play
•
The facilitator should be trained and experienced in working with students who
have been bullied or abused.
•
Articles and stories on peer pressure and bullying
•
Case notes
•
Picture cards
Assessment criteria:
 Ongoing feedback
 Observation of role play on effective communication
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







Take notes from a pre-scripted telephone conversation to demonstrate your ability to
record 3 action points
Take notes from a role-played meeting, clearly showing the action points required and
the key decision points in the meeting
Describe what the word ‘peer’ means.
Describe what the terms ‘peer pressure’, bullying and abuse mean.
Explain what you could do if you are being pressured to do something you don’t want
to do or that you think is wrong.
List 3 causes of stress.
List 5 possible reactions to stress.
Describe what can happen if you allow stress to build up
Enhanced Skills:
Category: Soft skills revisit


Direct: Understanding of education methodologies and specifically the co-operative
paradigm
Indirect: Group working, Social communication
Glossary:
Peer: Your peers are people around your age, who you might go to school or college with, or
hang out with.
Peer Pressure: social pressure on somebody to adopt a type of behaviour, dress, or attitude in
order to be accepted as part of a group.
Bullying: When someone deliberately threatens, frightens abuses or hurts another person.
Abuse: is a pattern of behaviour in which physical violence and/or emotional pressure is used to
gain or maintain power or control in a relationship.
Consequences: Something that logically or naturally follows as a result of an action or condition.
Stress: something physical, mental, or emotional that causes bodily or mental tension.
Symptoms: something you experience and notice physically or mentally as a result of an illness
or mental state.
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7.2 Introduction to games’ co-design methodology (Unit 7.2)
7.2.1
Summary of planning
Unit 7
Participatory digital (educational) games’ design
7.2
Introduction to games’ co-design
methodology
Indicative Activity (hours)
Indicative student
activity (hours)
Learning
Objectives
Indicative tutor activity
(hours)
1. To foster a sense of community 1 × 3 hour session
by allowing participants to
introduce themselves.
Lesson planning
2. To create the profile of
participants, by exchanging
experiences and preferences of
gaming.
Collect material and
resource development
/preparation for 1
session
3. To share roles and
responsibilities in the team.
4 hours
4. To understand the objectives of
participatory design and how
these objectives are expected to
be met.
5. To see examples of digital
(educational) games/ products
developed by others.
Sub total
Recap of
learning
Review of objectives, roles,
material.
3 hours
4 hours
1 session × 1 hour
1:1 support with
students where
appropriate
1 hour
Assessment
of skills
taught
N/A
N/A
N/A
Sub total
1 hours
1 hours
Total workload
4 hours
5 hours
7.2.2 Description and Analysis
Summary:
This first course is focused on introducing the process and its objectives, also giving some
examples of digital (educational) games and therefore building proper expectations by the
group. The course is not related to any assessment requirements.
74
Aims:
This module will help students understand the objectives and setup the environment for the
participatory design process.
Learning Objectives:
 To foster a sense of community by allowing participants to introduce themselves.
 To create the profile of participants, by exchanging experiences and preferences of
gaming within the participant group.
Note that it is not necessary to be a ‘gamer’ to participate in such activities. It is important
that participants see the value of games in delivering an educational message or improving
skills etc.)



To share roles and responsibilities in the team.
To see examples of digital (educational) games/products developed by others (e.g. small
flash-based mini games, ‘coffee break’ games), so as to discuss and establish
expectations (based on availability of time, resources, etc.).
To understand the objectives of the participatory design and how these objectives are
expected to be met.
Learning Activities:
 Perform introductions and informal discussion on participants’ experiences and interests
with games.
 Explain the co-design process and highlight the objectives of the project.
 Present examples of digital (educational) games and discuss them with the group.
Content recommendation:
Notes:






Co-design represents an ethnographic approach to working which requires both
students and educators to actively participate with the products being discussed.
An initial process of co-operative enquiry should allow participants to explore new
design ideas by interacting with new products and recording ideas via pen-and paper
drawings.
A subsequent process of participatory design should allow participants to build upon
these ideas via formal discussions within the team.
Finally, a presentation of work should allow participants an opportunity to reflect on the
activities. Tutors can also use this activity to feedback on their approach.
A useful way to approach such activities is to view students (who represent actual endusers) as ‘design informants’ and emphasise that they are in control of the design but
must share responsibility for the final product. Students should assign roles and
responsibilities as part of this task. Tutors can oversee this process if required.
Projects of this nature reply on input from samples of students who are viewed as
‘participants’. However, the multidisciplinary nature of these projects means that input
may be gathered from a variety of participants including teachers, classroom assistants,
design consultants, managers and technicians. Careful consideration should be placed
during preparatory activities on the availability of colleagues both as part of this module
and to assist with the delivery of future modules.
The following content serves as a template good practice. The activities introduced encourage
interactions and communication between participants (considered co-designers) and tutors
75
(functioning as facilitators to the design process). This template should be modified as
appropriate by facilitators to maximise the potential output from this module based on available
time, resources and the identified characteristics and expectations of the participant group.
Activity 1 (~15 minutes)
Aim: To foster a sense of community by allowing participants to introduce themselves.
Introduce the project aim and the function of participants towards meeting that aim. Define the
scope of the project using examples of parallel products (such as small, Flash-based mini games)
which may be located from within the Code RED website at http://www.codered-project.eu.
Establish expectations associated with development time and resources. Establish experiences
and preferences of gaming within the participant group. Take notes during the activity.
Break (~15 minutes)
Activity 2 (~30 minutes)
Aim: To create the profile of participants, by exchanging experiences and preferences of gaming
within the participants’ group
Note that it is not necessary to be considered a ‘gamer’ in this scenario, as it is more important
for participants to see the value of games or interactive media in delivering an educational
message, or improving a skill.
Ask participants to locate and share information regarding their favourite games. This may be via
access to the internet to locate the product, information about the product (via an online digital
vendor such as the Microsoft Xbox store, PlayStation Entertainment Network or Steam) or media
associated with the product such as fan-made websites, strategy guides or blogs. Explain to
participants the importance of clear and concise communication of their interest in the game.
Encourage participants to demonstrate any gameplay associated with the product for the benefit
of their peer group and any attendees unfamiliar with that particular product. YouTube may
prove a useful source of video footage of gameplay or product reviews.
Facilitators can also use physical games and icebreakers in order to explain the importance of
simple game design. Participants should attempt to experiment and temper with the rules and
mechanics of each example product. Games such as JENGA, Connect-4 can be used to create adhoc mini games where informants are required to clearly and concisely identify the rules of such
a game and communicate with their peers. Further, ideas such as strategy can be discussed here
to highlight the difference between game objective (the goal) and player objective (the strategy
to meet that goal).
Take notes during the activity. Participants should also be encouraged to record notes in their
project journal which may take the form of a personal note book or a shared electronic resource
such as a blog or wiki. These notes should be consulted during activities and can be collected at
the end of the module by tutors to review progress as preparation for subsequent modules and
tasks.
Break (~ 15 minutes)
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Activity 3 (~15 minutes)
Aim: To share roles and responsibilities in the team.
Use notes assembled as part of Activities 1 and 2 to facilitate group discussion. Ask participants
to consider their own aims and objectives for participating with the project. Encourage
participants to set their own goals and to record these for review at the end of the project. Goals
may include knowledge of educational games and games design processes or soft skills such as
team work, communication and speaking in public. Encourage participants to share these ideas
and to identify others in the group who have similar interests and goals.
Define the role of the tutor and identify opportunities for their participation. Each tutor should
introduce themselves as a facilitator to the design project who will work with participants when
prompted to discuss and capture design ideas.
There is no requirement for the tutor to formally reflect on their experience within workshops.
Remind participants that this role will become more important during later modules associated
with the project.
Use the results of the previous activity to identify participants who may offer the tutor support
in this role. Often, these participants will demonstrate experience and/or enthusiasm around the
use of games in education. These participants can be viewed as ‘peer mentors’ and so support
with organising large groups can be sought from asking these participants to lead discussions.
Break (~15 minutes)
Activity 4 (~30 minutes)
Aim: To see examples of digital (educational) games/products developed by others.
Participants may begin with an enquiry process of deconstructing the rules and objectives of
example products identified by their tutors.
Participants should discuss and answer the following questions for each product:
-
What is the game trying to teach?
Who is the target audience?
Where do you think this game would be used?
Would you make any improvements to the game and why?
A list of example products can be found within the ‘resources’ section of this module.
Activity 5 (~30 minutes)
Aim: To understand the objectives of the participatory design and how these objectives are
expected to be met.
The focus of this activity is communication. The objective of the activity is to devise a
comprehensive set of game rules that could be easily communicated to other sub-groups
allowing them to immediately understand and play the game.
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Participants should then work in these small groups to construct new ideas using low-tech
prototyping tools such as pen-and-paper drawings or pre-existing building materials (e.g. LEGOTM
models). A pack of playing cards will also suffice here as the activity should focus on the
communication of an idea and not the complexity of the prototyping tool.
Divide participants into small groups based upon the results and observations made in Activity
3. Assign facilitators to individual groups (subject to availability) so that ideas may be discussed
and questioned. This should emphasise to participants the importance of clear communication
and the provision of detailed directives as part of their game ideas. Instruct each sub-group to
discuss and create a quick game idea. Using the following questions as a guide:
-
What is your game called?
How many people can play your game?
How do players start the game?
How does a player win the game?
Are there any obstacles / enemies that a player must avoid?
Are there any special items / areas that will help a player to win the game?
Why should people play your game?
Facilitators should be accommodating of all ideas and non-judgemental, as far as possible here,
to encourage communication and collaboration. These discussions should aim to create a
dialogue between informants, facilitators and investigators, to be recorded and combined with
facilitator notes to create a record of decisions and contributions.
Break and session summary (~15 minutes)
Teaching Strategies:
Several teaching strategies can be used to assist with the delivery of this module:

Group discussion:
Idea is to get participants to communicate their ideas verbally (via explaining to
somebody else), textually (via written notes) and visually (via paper sketches). Allow
participants to critique the designs of others. Be aware that some students will be
passionate about their designs and so careful facilitation is required here to inspire
discussion and reflection on ideas. Collect all worksheets to assist in reviewing output
and participant progress.

Presentation
Ask group to review ideas and to consider their individual role within the activity.
Learners can prepare a short presentation as a summary of their ideas and deliver this
to their tutor, visiting staff, or project stakeholders who have an interest in the results.
This process allows students to analyse and approve any formal documentation of ideas
before the event. The presentation can also to expand upon any ambiguous ideas,
definitions or decisions made by the group by asking presenters to consider and explain
any interesting ideas to an audience unfamiliar with games or the project.
Previous knowledge:
N/A.
Resources:
 Projector and/or other presentation equipment.
 Table and chairs for the group.
78

Digital (educational) games as examples.
These can be located at several sources included (but not limited to) the following locations:
BBC Bite Size - games from the BBC bite size website
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/games/
ICT Games - provides educational ICT activities linked to the English National
Curriculum
http://www.ictgames.com/literacy.html
Grid 2 Sensory Software - software and games for people with special educational
needs
http://www.sensorysoftware.com/
ISRG - games and assistive technology for people with disabilities
http://software.isrg.org.uk/
RISE – serious games developed to assist EU migrant workers and refugees
http://rise-project.eu/resources/games/
Assessment criteria:
There are no assessment criteria for this module.
Enhanced Skills:
Category: Key competencies – Hard skills
Direct: Digital games understanding
Participants should be able to identify examples of games (both commercial and educational)
and should be able to demonstrate knowledge of the differences between the two.
Indirect:
Group working: Participants should be able to demonstrate an ability to function as part of a
group and, in particular, to identify a role within that group and to understand the roles of their
peers.
Social communication: Participants should be able to collect and present their ideas verbally
and to defend their ideas when asked to describe, explain or to justify their ideas/ selections.
Glossary:
Game: An activity (often competitive) that the player engages in, often for amusement or
distraction.
Digital game: An activity conducted within a virtual space with emphasis on the use of fantasy
contexts, complex narratives, player avatars and artificial players/ competitors.
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Educational (serious) game: Games and similar interactive material used for serious purposes
such as learning, persuasion (advertising and opinion-changing) and education in its broadest
sense (social inclusion).
Participatory design (co-design): The process of actively involving end-users or stakeholders in a
process of design to create products which are more inclusive or customer sensitive in nature
and their features.
80
Phase B - Support the tutor in executing the games’ co-design
methodology
7.3 Game Design Foundations (Unit 7.3)
7.3.1
Summary of planning
Unit 7
Participatory digital (educational) games’ design
7.3
Game Design Foundations
Indicative Activity (hours)
Indicative student
activity (hours)
Learning
Objectives
To master the foundation and
art of game design. To practice
storytelling techniques and how
to make the game more
interesting, take into
consideration users’ experience
and practice iterative design
3 × 2 hour sessions
Indicative tutor
activity (hours)
Lesson planning
3X1 hour
Resource
development
2 hours
Sub total
Recap of
learning
Assessment
of skills
taught
Reinforcement of learning
objectives
Preparation for and conducting
assessment
6 hours
5 hours
Student recap skills
taught in sessions 1 × 1
hr
1 × 1 support with
students where
appropriate
1 hour
1 hour
Practical assessment
with resources used
1 × 1 hour assessment
against criteria
Sub total
2 hours
1 hours
Total workload
8 hours
6 hours
7.3.2 Description and Analysis
Summary:
Using the teaching strategies outlined students should be able to decompose working prototypes
of physical, digital and/or hybrid games into their components and analyse the reason of
selections made during the game design.
Aims:
This course will help students obtain a good idea of the details and meaning of game design art
and enable them to use specific tools and methodologies to increase their skills of quality games’
design. Students will discuss system design and game design, formal elements of games and the
qualities that can make games an art or an educational tool.
Learning Objectives:
81




To discuss ideas such as Mechanics, Dynamics and Complexity.
o Rules for setup. How does the game begin?
o Rules for progression of play. Once the game begins, what can the players do,
and what happens when they do things?
o Rules for resolution. What, if anything, causes the game to end? If the game has
an outcome (such as winning or losing), how is that outcome determined?
To highlight the difference between game objective (the goal) and player objective (the
strategy to meet that goal).
To discuss about storytelling, emotions and what makes a game good or bad.
To understand the importance of playtesting, discuss techniques and empower students
towards their iterative design skills.
Learning Activities:
 To discuss and understand guidelines for game design and game design mechanics.
 To learn the story-telling approach and how to make the game more interesting
 To learn iterative design methods
 To empower their critical thinking towards co-operative systems design
Content recommendation:
Each session, begins by introducing students to games that serve as reference material for the
course of the project. In the case of the interactive text designs, students play through one or
more games to help them understand the format of the game and the way the audience interacts
with the story. Digital games, physical games, location based games, board and card design
games can be explored and analysed as examples.
After exploring the games used as examples, participants are assigned to groups and begin
brainstorming ideas. They work together to come up with the nugget of a game and begin to
flesh out some of the elements needed to bring it to life. Facilitator offers suggestions and
participants return to their groups and develop their games based on their initial ideas and the
feedback they received.
Participants will learn about mechanics, rule based systems and simulations that facilitate and
encourage a user to explore and learn the properties of their possibility space through the use
of feedback mechanisms. Participants can also discuss and explore different narrative structures
such as Joseph Campbell's monomyth or the hero's journey; a basic pattern that its proponents
argue is found in many narratives from around the world and can be explained here:
Gamasutra Article:
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/131527/using_the_heros_journey_in_games.php?p
rint=1
The game designer’s journey:
http://dukenukem.typepad.com/game_matters/2005/05/into_the_woodsn.html
Facilitator can also use the Parsley Game System: The Parsley Game System is an interactive
fiction model based on the old computer text adventures. One person acts as the facilitator and
runs the game for the rest of the group. The game is a story that gets played through and the
players take turns giving commands to the facilitator, attempting to move the story forward by
solving problems or triggering plot devices. The game itself is a map with all of the rooms or
places in the story. The text for each area describes what the players see when they enter it and
any items or people that may be there, and provides notes for the facilitator that describe what
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happens when players interact in the environment. A free sample game can be downloaded at
http://ow.ly/bCR9J.
Game Seeds: an alternative way to understand game design elements and create characters and
games
Facilitators can also use predesigned useful design playdecks for sparking creativity and
innovation. There are more than 20 different tools, ranging from general design process principles to
cards on game dynamics, facilitation methods, and long-range futures thinking such as Game Seeds. Game
Seeds are cards designed to play with, combine, hack and get inspired by to bring new characters and
game ideas to life. The goal of the game is to embed the gameplay and the future players actions in the
behaviour of the designed characters. Throughout the phases of the game you design a hero, a sidekick
and finally a game! . For the purpose of this workshop we present the following free of charge cards:
Values at Play: Grow-a-Game Cards
keywords: game design, human values
“The Values at Play (VAP) methodology for incorporating values in the context of system design is
characterized by three analytically distinct activities: Discovery, Translation, and Verification. These are
pursued in tandem, the results of each iteratively affecting successive versions of the system.“
83
(free download)
The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses
keywords: principles, psychology, game design
“This convenient deck contains 100 unique “lens cards” each featuring key questions that will make your
game great, and a magnificent color illustration to help you remember each principle. The lenses span
every aspect of game design – story, game mechanics, technology, aesthetics, psychology, creativity,
teamwork, playtesting, and even business issues.”
(sample lenses)
SCVNGR Game Dynamics Playdeck
keywords: game design, game mechanics
“SCVNGR, which makes a mobile game withreal-world challenges, has a playdeck. It is a deck of cards
listing nearly 50 different game mechanics that can be mixed and matched to create the foundation for
different types of games.”
(full list)
Strategy Card Deck for Changing User Behavior
keywords: strategy, behavioral economics, decision making, brainstorming, ideation
84
“This deck of cards provide 21 strategies to change user behavior. This tool will help you or your team
brainstorm and design solutions during idea generation. This card deck works best as a synthesis tool if
you have at least a basic understanding of user needs and motivations.”
(free download)
Activities:
Activity 1 (~30 minutes)
Aim: to review previous knowledge and make sure participants have the grasp of basic terms
Facilitator uses well known games in order to analyse their content and mechanics. More
precicely, by making questions or by asking participants to discuss in small groups and present
their results in the team, the facilitator will try to make sure that everyone understands the ideas
discussed in previous sessions such as :








Mechanics,
Dynamics and
Complexity.
Rules for setup: How can a game begin,
Rules for progression of play. Once the game begins, what can the players do, and what
happens when they do things?
Rules for resolution. What, if anything, causes the game to end? If the game has an
outcome (such as winning or losing), how is that outcome determined?
The importance of story structure (if any)
The importance of playtesting
10 minutes break
Activity 2 (~60 minutes)
Aim: To discuss how games make us feel and what makes a game good
85
Facilitator uses physical or digital games as examples in order to discuss about how games make
us feel. Facilitator makes sure to discuss that games can be fun to design and develop but we
should always have the final player into consideration!
Participants can work in different teams once more, asking each team to chose a game and
analyse the feelings they provoke and the ways they do it. Facilitator can also introduce
educational games and serious games and discuss how games are not only about recreation but
they might also contain important meanings or provoke different feelings and/or learning.
In the end of the session facilitator can introduce the proposed values at play game design cards,
in order to help designers reflect on their conscious and unconscious decisions about game rules,
mechanics, and narratives reflect social values—that is, concepts such as fairness, gender equity,
honesty, privacy, and any other number of values that you can imagine as being important in a
society and culture.
In groups with intellectual disabilities or serious learning difficulties, the facilitator can create
cards depicting feelings and request from participants to think of games that make them feel this
way and to think of games that can introduce feelings and situations to the player. Moreover
facilitator can ask from participants to create their own cards in order to use them in the next
game design session.
10 minutes short break
Activity 3 (~60 minutes)
Aim: to design a “meaningful” game
The facilitator can ask participants to form small teams of 3-5 people and use game design cards
or another brainstorming tool in order to create a game that will include the following:





specific narrative (facilitators can propose different types of examples (e.g. the Hero’s
Journey or any other type) to form a narrative)
specific users (participants should chose who their final players are, age, number,
possible requirements etc)
specific feelings (game players should be taken into consideration and heroes should be
tagged with specific feelings)
a serious side (educational, serious issues, feelings, propaganda etc)
a playtesting session (a draft of the game should be playtested by other team members)
The participants present their ideas in the classroom and the facilitator along with the other
participants discusses feelings, applications and possible issues. Facilitators should make a final
focus on the importance of taking your users into consideration when design a game, on
playtesting the game many times and finally on tackling serious issues into the narrative.
Teaching Strategies:
 Discussion
 Presentation of game design qualities
 Allow students to discuss their issues and consideration regarding their projects and
allow meaningful discussion.
 Play physical, digital or hybrid games and analyse them
 Play game design card games
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Ask students to present quality examples of commercial games, mobile games, street
games and serious games, e.g. from www.software.isrg.or.uk
Use examples to make students understand the meaning of games’ components through
experiments and not only in theory. Discuss what makes a game good or bad.
Discuss the importance of narrative, characters and emotions
Discuss the idea of tackling serious issues as plot elements in the narrative
Discuss the importance of playtesting in digital, physical and hybrid game systems
Previous knowledge:
- Unit 9.1a, 9.1b
Resources:
 Parsley Game System: http://ow.ly/bCR9J.
 Values at Play: Grow-a-Game Cards
 Strategy Card Deck for Changing User Behavior
 SCVNGR Game Dynamics Playdeck
 The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses
 Game Seeds: www.gameseeds.net (not free)
Hero’s Journey: Joseph Campbell's monomyth, or the hero's journey, is a basic pattern that its
proponents argue is found in many narratives from around the world. This widely distributed
pattern was described by Campbell in The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949).
Gamasutra
Article:
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/131527/using_the_heros_journey_in_games.php?p
rint=1
The game designer’s journey:
http://dukenukem.typepad.com/game_matters/2005/05/into_the_woodsn.html
Assessment criteria:
 Students should be able to brainstorm and create prototypes of meaningful playful
activities and/or games
 Students will be able to have a basic understanding of the importance of narrative,
meaning and user requirements
Enhanced Skills:
Category: Key competencies – Hard skills


Direct: Understanding components of physical and digital games and be able to discuss
about them and about what makes a game good. Understand the importance of games
as media in popular culture and values. Understand the importance of user centric game
design, playtesting and serious games.
Indirect: Analytical thinking, Group working, Social communication
Glossary:
Serious Games: A serious game or applied game is a game designed for a primary purpose other
than pure entertainment. Game scan be educational, or might tackle social issues and many
games have been designed by industries like defense, education, scientific exploration, health
care, emergency management, city planning, engineering, and politics
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Hero’s Journey: Joseph Campbell's monomyth, or the hero's journey, is a basic pattern that its
proponents argue is found in many narratives from around the world. This widely distributed
pattern was described by Campbell in The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949).
User-centered Design in Games: a game design approach in which players are taken into
consideration and are involved in game design and development
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7.4 Experimentation (Unit 7.4)
7.4.1
Summary of planning
Unit 7
Participatory digital (educational) games’ design
7.4
Experimentation
Indicative Activity (hours)
Indicative student
activity (hours)
Learning
Objectives
1. To learn how to deconstruct
the rules of example
games/product(s).
1 × 3 hour session
Indicative tutor activity
(hours)
Lesson planning
Resources gathering
and preparation
2. To discuss ideas such as
strategy, to highlight the
difference between game
objective (the goal) and player
objective (the strategy to meet
that goal).
3 hours
3. To become familiar with
different game-playing
environments and types of
games.
Sub total
Recap of
learning
3 hours
Reinforcement of learning
Student recap skills
objectives through repeating the taught in sessions 1 × 1
process of deconstructing rules of hr
a game several times.
3 hours
1:1 support with
students where
appropriate
1 hour
Assessment
of skills
taught
Practical assessment of
understanding of game design
constructs. Analysis of specific
game/games
Practical assessment
with resources used
1 hour assessment
against criteria
Tutor preparation of
assessments using
some teaching
strategies identified
2 hours
Sub total
2 hours
3 hours
Total workload
5 hours
6 hours
7.4.2 Description and Analysis
Summary:
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Using the teaching strategies outlined below, students should be able to decompose small
digital games into their components and analyse the reason of selections made during the
game design.
Aims:
This course will help students become familiar with the components of a digital game and be
able to decompose a ready product to its design components.
Learning Objectives:
 To learn how to deconstruct the rules of example games/product(s)
 To discuss ideas such as strategy, to highlight the difference between game objective
(the goal) and player objective (the strategy to meet that goal)
 To become familiar with different game-playing environments and types of games
Learning Activities:
 Share with students the “Design Descriptor Template” (Title, Game summary, Player
objective, Game theme, Game structure, Distinctive features, Game
characters/environment, Feedback (rewards/score), Control mechanisms, Screenshots)
 Discuss with students each one of the components and give examples from the already
reviewed games. Possibly show more examples of games (see resources repeated in this
unit).
 Then take some good examples of games and start decomposing them together with
students. Ask them to identify the components, that is, the Title, the objectives, the
controls, etc.
Content recommendation:
Notes:




The focus in this sub-unit is on experimenting with existing games and trying to analyse
their contents.
Alternatively, typical ‘board’ games or similar may be used to create foster discourse
and co-operation amongst informants early in the process. Games such as JENGA,
Connect-4 can be used to create ad-hoc mini games where informants are required to
clearly and concisely identify the rules of such a game and communicate with their
peers.
Further, ideas such as strategy can be discussed here to highlight the difference between
game objective (the goal) and player objective (the strategy to meet that goal).
Students will need to take notes and participate in the discussion
Activity 1 (~15 minutes)
Aim: To share with students and briefly explain the “Design Descriptor Template”.
The course focuses on further experimenting with games.
All participants should be given a copy of the Design Descriptor Template (see Resources), to be
able to refer to it and follow the discussions in class. This template decomposes a game into eight
components, as follows: Title, Summary, Goal, Structure, Interesting features,
Characters/Environments, Feedback, Controls.
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The tutor (in cooperation with other facilitators if available) then explains each one of the
components separately, referring to examples of games reviewed in previous sessions.
Activity 2 (~30 minutes)
Aim: Discuss with students each one of the components of game descriptor template and give
examples from the already reviewed games.
The tutor and/or the facilitators will go through the components of the game descriptor template
and analyse them one by one, with reference to already reviewed games during the introduction
sessions. Indicative explanations:
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Title: Each game has a name, or otherwise called, a title. People will use this name to
refer to the game. The title is recommended to be catchy and meaningful, so as to
provide an indication of the game content on one hand, and on the other hand be
attractive make people curious of playing.
Summary: This is a brief description of what the game is and its objectives. In the case of
educational games, this section should also explain what the player is expected to learn
by playing the game.
Goal: Every game has some goal. This is different from the objective of the game, which
can be to teach something to the player or introduce some new concepts. The goal here
is the goal of the player within the game environment, that is, what the player is trying
to achieve.
Structure: Each game has its own internal structure which defines how the player should
play the game. This can be a description of the different scenes of the game where
players move according to some met criteria, interactions with actors in the game,
answering questions, fighting, etc.
Interesting features: Each game should have some features that are attractive to the
player and will generate curiosity to first try it and also to continue playing. These can be
interesting characters, interesting objectives, a catchy name and easy playing without
thinking, interesting stories, etc.
Characters/Environments: The games usually tell a story and interactions happen within
one or more scenes (environments) and with several different types of living or other
actors. The player will probably need to meet these actors and interact with them and
move through the virtual world of the game
Feedbacks: Each game has one or more ways to talk to the player, and this can be simple
text or visual content on a screen, audio, other physical actuating components that allow
more realistic interaction with the world, etc.
Controls: Games also provide means to the players to interact with the actors and the
environment within the game. This might be a simple button using which the player
answers questions, it might be a tab-screen, or even audio instructions and other more
complex interaction features.
Break (~ 15 minutes)
Activity 3 (~100 minutes)
Aim: Iteratively decompose and analyse some good examples of games together with students,
trying to use different types of games and different game-playing environments.
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This activity is expected to further attract the interest of students, since people will actually
taking part in the discussion and trying to identify specific parts within the games while playing.
Before the commencement of this activity, it is important to collect several already existing
games and of several different types. Games should cover different game-playing environments,
e.g: Internet Browser-enabled (e.g. flash games), pure desktop games (with executables), mobile
devices’ games (tablet, smart-phone, Android, iOS, etc) and location-based mobile games. In
addition, games should cover different content-types of games, e.g.: quiz games, adventure
games, strategy games, simple interaction games, etc.
The games to be used for experimentation should not be necessarily educational, however,
educational games require also the identification and analysis of the educational objectives
which might be more beneficial.
A list of potential resources for games:
- From the Code RED project (http://www.codered-project.eu) that addressed employability
skills of disengaged from education:
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Il Fantasma Solidario
The H-Angry Donkey
The Purple Ball
- From the ViPi project (http://www.vipi-project.eu/download/) that addressed basic ICT
education and employability of students with disabilities.
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Escapology
Rob the Mob
The Yes/No Quiz Game
The True/False Quiz Game
Fly Swat
StaySafe
Memobile (for Android)
- From the Game on Extra Time project (http://goet-project.eu/downloads/games/) which
addressed creation of employability skills for people with mild learning disabilities:
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Cheese Factory
My Appearance
Virtual Supermarket
Memobile
True/false & conveyor belt quiz
o Personal Hygiene
o Getting and Keeping a Job
o Stress at Work (English/BSL only)
o Anger Management (English/BSL only)/)
Starting Work
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- From BBC Bite Size - games from the BBC bite size website
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/games/)
- From ICT Games - provides educational ICT activities linked to the English National Curriculum
(http://www.ictgames.com/literacy.html)
- From Grid 2 Sensory Software - software and games for people with special educational needs
(http://www.sensorysoftware.com/)
- From other ISRG projects at http://software.isrg.org.uk/, that deal with assistive technology
for people with disabilities

RISE – serious games developed to assist EU migrant workers and refugees (http://riseproject.eu/resources/games/)
The participants will go through an iterative process, taking example games one by one and
deconstructing their rules/components. An example of the analysis is given below for the game
“The h-Angry Donkey!”, developed within the Code RED project by a group of students (with the
support of their facilitators) in Cyprus.
Important Notes:


The game is provided under the EUPL Open Source Software License
Download link: http://www.eurocyinnovations.com/project/the-h-angry-donkey-digitaleducational-game-prototype

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Title:

The H-Angry Donkey
Summary:


Learn the location of the key cultural monuments of Cyprus
Learn the location of the key beaches of Cyprus
Goal:


Feed the hungry donkey or it will be angry
Correctly associate each monument/beach with the six pre-defined districts of Cyprus
in order to move the donkey closer to its haystack
Interesting features:

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
The game is targeting young students and tourists
Attempts to trigger their interest in visiting the monuments/beaches of Cyprus
Attractive game with funny music and hilarious donkey voices
Characters/Environment:
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The main character is the donkey and the player tries to feed it
The whole game takes place within a map of Cyprus with clear indication of the six
districts
Through the game, the donkey moves towards or away from a hay stack.
Structure:
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Select if you want to play with monuments or beaches
The donkey initially is away from its haystack
The player associates each monument/beach by dragging and dropping it over one of
the island’s districts
If the monument/beach is correctly associated with its location, the donkey moves closer
to its haystack
If the monument/beach is wrongly associated, the donkey moves further away from its
haystack
If the donkey reaches its haystack, the game is won and the donkey is sounding happy
If the donkey falls off the edge of his path, the game is lost and the donkey is now angry
and asks you to play again in order to feed him successfully
If there are now more monuments/beaches available, the game ends and the donkey
encourages you to try again
Feedback:

Initially the game asks the player to choose a category (monuments/beaches). In second
scene, the game prompts the player to click to bring an item forward and then drag it
and drop it on the correct district’s sign. Correct, mapping causes the item to disappear
and the donkey to move forward. Wrong mapping causes the item to stay there for
retrying, while the donkey moves backwards. Then, in the last scene, the game shows
two different messages depending on success or failure of feeding the donkey.
Controls:

Initially, clicking on the plate of the selected category. Then, clicking on the button that
brings a new item in the scene and dragging-it with the mouse to drop it on a district.
That’s it, repetitive process until player either wins or loses.
Break and session summary (~20 minutes)
Teaching Strategies:
Teaching Strategies
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

Discussion
Give examples of games, e.g. from www.software.isrg.or.uk
Use the examples to make students understand the meaning of games’ components
through experiments and not only in theory
Previous knowledge:
- Units 9.1a, 9.1b, 9.1c
Resources:
 The “Games Design Descriptor Template”, either in printed or online form, where the
components of a game are presented and summary explanations are given
94
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Example games, e.g. from www.software.isrg.or.uk, or other sources identified by the
trainer. Alternatively, typical ‘board’ games or similar may be used to foster discourse
and co-operation amongst students early in the process. Games such as JENGA,
Connect-4 can be used to create ad-hoc mini games where informants are required to
clearly and concisely identify the rules of such a game and communicate with their
peers.
Flip chart (optional)
Pens (optional)
Hand-outs (optional)
PCs and/or other hardware devices such as tablet or smart-phones
Internet access for online testing and experimentation with games.
Assessment criteria:
 Student to be able to list the components of a game
 Student to be able to explain each component briefly
 Student to be able to identify the components and discuss them in a finished
product/game.
 Student to be able to identify issues with games when not meeting the design
objectives.
Enhanced Skills:
Category: Key competencies – Hard skills


Direct: Understanding components of digital games and be able to discuss about them
Indirect: Analytical thinking, Group working, Social communication
Glossary:
Game components: The parts that comprise a game, as detailed in the game descriptor template.
Smart phones, Tablets: Digital devices that usually have a touch-screen and can be used as
telephones as well (in the case of smart phones) and also to download and execute applications
from online stores. Their size varies from 3-4 to around 10 inches.
Android, iOS: Two widely adopted operating systems (software) in smart-phones and tablet
devices. The first one has been developed and is being maintained by Google and the second by
Apple. There are other operating systems as well, e.g. the Windows Phone.
EUPL: European Union Public License. The terms and conditions under which some software
vendors choose to offer rights to third-parties to use and distribute their intellectual property.
There are many different types of such licenses, however, this one had been developed and
adopted by European Commission through funded programmes. It comprises a useful license for
granting rights under the open source software concept.
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7.5 Idea creation (Unit 7.5)
7.5.1
Summary of planning
Unit 7
Participatory digital (educational) games’ design
7.5
Idea creation
Indicative Activity (hours)
Indicative student
activity (hours)
Learning
Objectives
1. To agree upon a game concept
which can be expanded upon
during next phases of the
process.
2 × 3 hour sessions
Indicative tutor activity
(hours)
Lesson planning
Resources
development and
preparation
2. To construct new game ideas
using low-tech prototyping tools
(e.g. LEGO models, a pack of
playing cards, paper or other
digital means of taking notes,
coloured pens, etc.). Depending
on overall number of participants,
divide participants into small
groups (ideally each consisting of
informants and facilitators) so
that ideas can be compared at
the end of the session. This will
emphasise the importance of
communication and detail to
participants.
2 hours
3. To devise a comprehensive set
of game rules that could be easily
communicated to other subgroups allowing them to
immediately understand and play
the game.
Sub total
Recap of
learning
Reinforcement of learning
objectives
6 hours
2 hours
Student recap skills
taught in sessions 1 × 1
hr
1:1 support with
students where
appropriate
1 hour
Tutor preparation of
assessments using
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Assessment
of skills
taught
Preparation for and conducting
assessment
Practical assessment
with resources used
some teaching
strategies identified
1 hour assessment
against criteria
2 hours
Sub total
2 hours
3 hours
Total workload
8 hours
5 hours
7.5.2 Description and Analysis
Summary:
Using the teaching strategies outlined below, students should be able to create their own games’
ideas and discuss them in the group, present them and give feedback to ideas of others.
Aims:
This course will help students come up with their own games’ ideas, start creating the
components of the ideas and building their own game concepts.
Learning Objectives:
 To agree upon a game concept, which can be expanded during the next phases of the
process
 To construct new game ideas using low-tech prototyping tools (e.g. LEGO models, a pack
of playing cards, paper or other digital means of taking notes, coloured pens, etc.).
Depending on overall number of participants, divide participants into small groups
(ideally each consisting of informants and facilitators) so that ideas can be compared at
the end of the session. This will emphasise the importance of communication and detail
to participants.
 To devise a comprehensive set of game rules that could be easily communicated to other
sub-groups allowing them to immediately understand and play the game.
Learning Activities:
 Share with students several assets that will help them think and create their ideas for
games (e.g. LEGO, game cards, pens, sheets, etc).
 Support students, either in one large group or in more small groups, to think of their own
ideas, by helping them decide the overall concept of the games.
 Discuss with students their ideas and help them create the game components properly.
Content recommendation:
Especially at the very beginning, participants could be shy or not able to express their ideas freely.
They could also feel to not have ideas to express, as well.
To start and break through blocks a suggested exercise could be the Nominal Group Technique
which combine idea creation and anonymous proposals. It also helps in discussing items to
obtain clarifications, avoiding any judgement.
Otherwise, if the group is quite “warm” and everybody feels comfortable to express his/her
ideas, a Brainstorming exercise is a good way to start collecting ideas. Free ideas are solicited
and collected by the conductor on a wall paper large enough to contain all proposals.
These exercises can last about 15-20 minutes each, including an initial brief explanation of the
objectives and the essential rules.
97
Further
tools
to
create
ideas
are
listed
in
creating-minds
website,
(http://creatingminds.org/tools/tools_ideation.htm) and include also devoted tools for specific
targets or situation.
Tools for creating ideas
Here are tools for creating ideas, either individually or with other people.
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Absence Thinking: Think about what is not there.
Art streaming: Keep creating until you get through the blocks.
Assumption Busting: Surfacing and challenging unconscious assumptions.
Attribute Listing: Listing attributes of objects and then challenging them.
Brainstorming: The classic creative method for groups.
Braindrawing: Good for reticent groups.
Brainmapping: Combining brainwriting and mind-mapping.
Brainwriting: Group doodling for non-verbal stimulation.
Breakdown: Careful decomposition to explore the whole system.
Challenge: Challenge any part of the problem.
Crawford Slip Method: Getting ideas from a large audience.
A Day In The Life Of...: Building creative tension from contextualized situations.
Delphi Method: Explore ideas or gain consensus with remote group.
Doodling: Let your subconscious do the drawing.
Essence: Looking elsewhere whilst retaining essential qualities.
Forced Conflict: Using conflict to stimulate the subconscious.
Guided Imagery: Letting your subconscious give you a message.
How-How Diagram: Break down problem by asking 'how'.
How to: Frame statements as 'How to' to trigger focused thinking.
Incubation: Letting the subconscious do the work.
The Kipling method (5W1H): Ask simple questions for great answers.
Lateral thinking: Thinking sideways to create new ideas.
Lotus Blossom: Unfold the flower of extended ideas.
Chunking: Go up and then down elsewhere.
Mind-mapping: Hierarchical breakdown and exploration.
Modeling: For the artist in everyone.
Morphological Analysis: Forcing combinations of attribute values.
Nominal Group Technique: Getting ideas with minimal personal interaction.
Pause: Think more deeply for a minute.
Post-Up: Brainstorming with Post-It Notes.
Provocation: Shake up the session by going off-piste.
PSI: Problem + Stimulus = Idea!
Random Words: Using a random word as a stimulus.
Rightbraining: Combine incomplete doodles around the problem.
Role-play: Become other people. Let them solve the problem.
Remembrance: Remembering solutions not yet discovered.
Reversal: Looking at the problem backwards.
Reverse Brainstorming: Seek first to prevent your problem from happening.
Rubber-ducking: Get someone else to listen to your talk.
SCAMPER: Using action verbs as stimuli.
Six Thinking Hats: Think comfortably in different ways about the problem.
Storyboarding: Creating a visual story to explore or explain.
Take a break: When creativity is fading.
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Talk streaming: Just talk and talk and talk until you unblock.
TRIZ Contradiction Analysis: Use methods already used in many patents.
Unfolding: Gradually unfolding the real problem from the outside.
Value Engineering: Deep analysis to understand and innovate in areas of key value.
Visioning: Creating a motivating view of the future.
Wishing: State ideas as wishes to expand thinking.
Write streaming: Write and write and write until you unblock.
Please consider the information contained in each devoted link, looking at Braindrawing Link:
When to use it



Use it when you have a group of people who prefer non-verbal methods of creativity.
Use it as a break from verbal creative methods (a different approach often helps).
Use it when you have space to pin up a number of flipchart pages on the wall (and
space for people to walk about in front of them).
Quick
Logical
Individual
X
X
X
Long
Psychological
Group
How to use it
Prepare
Pin or tape up a number of flipchart pages around the room. About three to seven is usually
adequate. Have enough flipchart pens so everyone can write on these. A mixture of colors is
good.
Tell everyone what you are going to do.
Do the doodling
Ask people to go to one flipchart at a time and start or extend the doodles there. Do an
example yourself to show this. The idea is that people do not fill the paper, but simply add to
what is there, so the result is a mixture of everyone's doodles.
Stop the doodles when all flipcharts are reasonably full (but not overloaded) with doodling.
This will not take long - only a few minutes normally.
Use the results as stimuli
Ask people what shapes they can see in the pictures, what it reminds them of and then how
this can be brought back to create ideas to solve the problem at hand.
Capture the ideas on another flipchart and process afterwards in the normal way.
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Example
I am looking for a job and ask some friends to come around and help me come up with some
ideas. We use Braindrawing, and one of the pictures created is as below:
Some of the ideas that it leads to are:
 Fish shape on left: 'Cast out the net to new seas'
 Square eyes in middle: 'Look on the internet'
 Curls on right: 'Ask the hairdresser (they talk to lots of people)'
How it works
Braindrawing works by providing non-verbal stimulus to the creative (and non-verbal) right
brain.
Having the doodle done by everyone ensures that it is completely random, with a number of
different elements. Mixed colours adds to the stimulation.
See also
PSI, Modeling, Brainstorming
________
Once ideas are gathered, some sort of assessment is needed to select the idea which finally will
be developed.
First, a grouping of the ideas collected through the previous exercises can be obtained with some
sorts of categorization, like Affinity Diagram which organizes ideas into natural relationships.
The final step is to prioritize or ranking the grouped ideas to select the idea to be developed.
Several techniques can be used to this extent: voting any single idea and then choose the idea
showing the highest preferences; agreeing on the maximum number of ideas that each
participant can express (one or more); confronting any idea with each other idea and so choose
the winner following the majority rule (Multivoting). The process is revolving until one idea
remains.
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Brainstorming, Affinity Grouping, and Multivoting are tools for generating, categorizing, and
choosing among ideas in a group of people. Using these techniques to generate, categorize, and
choose among ideas has a number of benefits:
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
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It allows every member of the group to participate.
It encourages many people to contribute, instead of just one or two people.
It sparks creativity in group members as they listen to the ideas of others.
It generates a substantial list of ideas, rather than just the few things that first come to
mind; categorizes ideas creatively; and allows a group of people to choose among ideas
or options thoughtfully
Steps in Brainstorming
Brainstorming is an idea-generation tool designed to produce a large number of ideas through
the interaction of a group of people.
1. The session leader should clearly state the purpose of the brainstorming session.
2. Participants call out one idea at a time, either going around the round in turn, which structures
participation from everyone, or at random, which may favor greater creativity. Another option
is to begin the brainstorming session by going in turn and after a few rounds open it up to all to
call out ideas as they occur.
3. Refrain from discussing, complimenting, or criticizing ideas as they are presented. Consider
every idea to be a good one. The quantity of ideas is what matters; evaluation of the ideas and
their relative merit comes later. This tool is designed to get as many ideas generated in a short
period of time as possible. Discussing ideas may lead to premature judgment and slow down the
process.
4. Record all ideas on a flipchart, or on self-adhesive notes (see Affinity Grouping), so that all
group members can see them.
5. Build on and expand the ideas of other group members. Encourage creative thinking.
6. When generating ideas in turn, let participants pass if an idea does not come to mind quickly.
7. Keep going when the ideas slow down in order to create as long a list as possible and reach for
less obvious ideas.
8. After all ideas are listed, clarify each one and eliminate exact duplicates.
9. Resist the temptation to “lump” or group ideas. Combining similar ideas can come later (see
Affinity Grouping).
Affinity Grouping is a brainstorming method in which participants organize their ideas and
identify common themes.
1. Write ideas on individual cards or adhesive notes (see directions for Brainstorming).
2. Randomly place cards on a table or place notes on flip chart paper taped to the wall.
3. Without talking, each person looks for two cards or notes that seem to be related and places
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these together, off to one side. Others can add additional cards or notes to a group as it forms
or reform existing groups. Set aside any cards or notes that may become contentious.
4. Continue until all items have been grouped (or set aside). There should be fewer than 10
groupings.
5. Now discuss the groupings as a team. Generate short, descriptive sentences that describe each
group and use these as title cards or notes. Avoid one- or two-word titles.
6. Items can be moved from one group to another if a consensus emerges during the discussion.
7. Consider additional brainstorming to capture new ideas using the group titles to stimulate
thinking.
Multivoting is a structured series of votes by a team, in order to narrow down a broad set of
options to a few.
1. Generate a list of items (see directions for Brainstorming).
2. Combine similar items into groups that everyone agrees on (see directions for Affinity
Grouping). 3. Number each item.
4. Each person silently chooses one-third of the items.
5. Tally votes.
6. Eliminate items with few votes.
The table below will help you determine how to eliminate items:
Group size (number of people)
4 to 5
6 to 10
10 to 15
15 or more
Eliminate items with less than “x” votes
2
3
4
5
7. Repeat the Multivoting process with remaining items, if necessary.
Once the idea to be developed is finally selected, its development takes place. The most
important tool to game development is a Game descriptor format. It is a simple and intuitive
scheme which allows everybody to understand which game's characteristics are to be developed
and to be aware which part of the whole development task he or she is participating in.
Depending on overall number of participants, participants can be divided into small groups
(ideally each consisting of informants and facilitators) so that ideas can be compared at the end
of the session. This will emphasise the importance of communication and detail to participants.
The Game descriptor format serves as a guide for fulfilling all its sections. It is a formal document,
implied in professional game development, too. It provides a description of the key game
components and therefore is central to collect the information and ideas the group produces. It
will be further developed and completed during the next 9.1f unit.
The key game components are:
Title of Game
Euro-Connect … a fast track to acceptance
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The reasoning behind the name is that it connects people from Europe and provides a method
of acceptance and learning for the users.
Game Overview
The game to be created will be available to migrants entering the UK and have been living there
for 6 months or over. It will aim at tackling difficult situations in which migrants and employers
face. It will not only give the migrant a chance to have a practise interview with an employee but
it will also give them information on discrimination against themselves.
This game will be created within Adobe Flash. This will allow the game to be presented in a user
friendly way and be accessible on the web. Which is where the game will be accessed within the
job centre or at home. The game will be graphically appealing and set towards the target users.
The game will involve use of still images, which will move around the interface to create a
timeline of the job interview and preparations. This will allow for a realistic interpretation of the
real job interview. The user will then be able to see how well they managed to do the interview
and will be told if more work is required.
Core Objective
The core objectives of the game will involve the user starting a new game and then been given a
tutorial on how to play the game. This will be in the form of a labelled interface or video of how
the game is used.
The next step will be the user starting the game, they will be asked a question and have three
options to choose from. Each option – which is in the form of an image – will have a number of
points according to how well the user answers. For example, a question would be “Which scene
depicts the items you should have with you in a job interview”, the answers could be a C.V. which
would give 20 points, identification, which could give 10 points and then the last could be taking
nothing and not wearing smart clothes, this would give 0 points.
After a number of stages showing scenes similar to this there will be a completed timeline of the
whole job interview. This will show each scene they selected and then give a number of points
on how well they did. This number of points determines the feedback in which they will be given,
and will give them an idea of what they have to do to improve.
Therefore this gives the user the experience they need to complete a good job interview, while
reducing as many possible risks which could occur. This means the core objective of the game is
completed and the user will have a higher chance of achieving their goal.
Game Play Theme
The game will have a set interface on each display, this allows for consistency in colour, theme
and layout. Within this interface, there will be scenes, shown using images; these will change
throughout the game and then be put onto a timeline at the bottom of the display. The images
will show a person or object which will be similar in style throughout the game. This also allows
for consistency within the game. Consistency is an important aspect as it allows the user to
remember the game and once started, they won’t need to remember how to use the game.
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The styling of the game will have a comic strip feel of it, although not too childish as the game
will be used by over 18’s. The whole game will have a similar theme, therefore not distracting or
confusing the users.
Game Structure
The game will be broken down in a number of different chapters. These chapters will only be
accessible once the user has completed the previous chapter. These chapters can then be started
whenever the user wants, from the start menu. The difficulty of these chapters will increase as
the user progresses within the game. Each chapter will have a 10 minute time limit.
Once these 10 minute chapters have been completed, the user will get to see a summary page,
this will show them the scenes they have chosen and allow them to see their progress and what
they need to do to achieve. It will then take them to a link page, this will allow them to get extra
information from external resources.
Distinctive Features
The overall aim of the informative game from a developer’s point of view is to build a product
that allows the user to gain new knowledge. The game is scenario based making it true to life
and has many possible outcomes depending on the user’s choses. This personalises the game for
the user and focus on the use’s weaker areas which allows them to improve. The game also offers
a breakdown of the performance for the users so they can see were they have made mistakes
for future references. The game has a process bar running along the bottom of the screen that
allows the user to see the options they have chosen and see their process so far. The process bar
will be the images from the users answer’s from questions in game. A tutorial page containing a
video showing how to play the game will be shown when playing the game for the first time and
will be accessible from the main menu. The video will be of someone playing the game step by
step with comments explaining each step to the user so they know how the game works and
controls making it user friendly.
The game is very graphical, this is for accessibility so if a user can’t read a question or instruction
they can see through the graphics that accompanies them what it means. There may be a lot of
icons used in the game. Instead of disturbing the user half way through game play with popping
up windows to external link, the links will be saved and displayed at the end of the game. When
the user has finished the game, a story board showing the users choses will be displayed. This
will allow the user to see their progress through the game. To make the game re-playable there
are a total of three chapters where three random questions are chosen out of a possible six.
Control Mechanisms
The game uses a simple point and click approach since it manageable for all users groups by
means of its easy to do. We went agents using a mouse and keyboard method (similar to those
used in 3D environments) as not many users can do this with makes it not user friendly. The
game will also use other same mechanics such as drag and drop. This will still be performed with
only the mouse to keep it accessible for all users. The game can be adapted for other controls
(plug and play) for those who with disability so they can’t use a mouse.
Game Characters
Character
Description
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Playable
Migrant
Non-playable
Interviewer
Security
Officials and secretaries
The Migrant will be the main character seen thought-out the
game, they will be acting on behalf of the user and deliver a
first person view.
This NPC will play the role of the interviewer in the middle to
final stage of the game. This will be depicted as a neutral
character. (Not seen in the game)
These characters will be used for the Job centre chapter and will
be used to make the migrant aware that they may be challenged
upon arrival. This will prepare the user for what could happen
and tell them that having official paperwork on hand would be
a good idea. (Not seen in the game)
These characters will be used for the Job centre and Interview
Chapters, they will give direction to the user and to offer help
and advice when requested. (Not seen in the game)
Environments
The chapters will be separated by a title screen, however to make the user more visually aware
then the background of the game will change, for example when the user is in the Job Centre,
the background will change to represent this and make the user feels as if they were actually
there.
Job Centre Plus
This is the first chapter in the game and is where the user will search for jobs and discuss with
the support workers and staff how to start the planning process for the interview. This will set
the stage for the game and an on-going tutorial based functionality will be provided in the form
of hints given when the user requests, or if the user takes longer than expected on a particular
question.
Migrant’s Home
This will be a place of planning for the user where they can gather all the information they
received from the Job Centre. Once the user has ordered this information and decided what they
want to take to the interview, they will move onto the next chapter.
Interview Reception
This place will be where the user learns what might happen when they walk through the doors
of the building where there interview will be. Once they have spoken to the receptionist, and
had a possible encounter with security, they will be given scenarios of how other interviewees
may react to them such as offensive behaviour.
Interview Room
The last chapter in the game will take place in an interview environment. The user will get asked
a set of questions with different scenarios to choose from, their actions will be shown in real
time in the form of responses from the interviewer.
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Reward and Scoring Mechanisms
Planning, Interview and Conclusion/Summary make up to three sections of the game, in each
section three questions related to that topic will be automatically generated out of a possible
six. For instance, in the first section, the user may be asked to select three out of a possible of
four items to take to the interview. This will prepare the user for the second stage of the game.
Each answer or scenario will carry a set amount of points depending of the suitability of the
answers. For example: if the user selects the first scenario then they will only gain 10pts as it is
only a partly correct answer, however if they choose the last scenario then they will get the full
30pts as this is the most suitable answer the user can give. The points systems will need to be
hidden from the user as to not promote cheating. Once the user is happy with their selection the
scenario illustration appears in the Storyboard Bar which is always shown at the bottom of the
screen. This will give the user a sense of progression though the game and is repeated for the
preceding chapter until they are shown the full storyline with descriptions of why the scenario
they chose got a certain amounts of points and provide hints and explanation of why selecting
other scenarios would have been better.
Throughout the game a hint button will be accessible, this will be in the form of a Social Worker
from the Job Centre, this will make the user aware that this resource is available in real life. When
the player uses a hint, points will be taken away from their overall score for their outcome. Most
games work on point systems which allow the user to replay to get the best possible results.
‘Buying’ information with points give a consequence for clues/help as it is a reflection of real life.
These are the distinctive features that are typical of many games however the score will not be
displayed onscreen as it add pressure to the user and we don’t want to tell the user it is a game
as it may put them off.
The game will encourage the user to see where they went wrong in the game and allow them to
take a step back by looking at the storyboard and reflecting what they might have done
differently to give a better conclusion.
_________
A basic number of game characteristics can be decided as a whole group and the remaining can
be assigned to sub groups charged with one or more specific tasks. Therefore each participant
can join the sub group working on his/her favourite tasks (e.g. choose and drawing main
characters, develop the game details, choose the environments, …), as well as choosing a sub
group working on a more unfamiliar or difficult task to him/her. Facilitators and trainers should
take into account this choice and provide the needed support to ensure the best experience for
each children involved in the idea creation process.
Low-tech prototyping tools can be used to construct new game ideas (e.g. LEGO models, a pack
of playing cards, paper or other digital means of taking notes, coloured pens, etc.).
Great attention to low-tech outputs, like pictures, schemes, texts first releases, etc, must be paid
in order to be able to collate the papers into the whole format. At the end of each session, a
reporting phase should be provided to allow all participants to know how is the whole job going
on, the upgrading of each section, and so on. The role of the spokes-person of each sub group
can be assigned in rotation to all its members, while the other members help in answering
specific questions arising from the other participants involved in different sub group working.
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The iteration continues until the whole job is finished and the Game descriptor format is
completed.
If the Game descriptor format is a plain paper it could be hanged on the wall and fulfilled with
flyers and pictures or texts. If it is a file (e.g. a .ppt or .docx file) pictures, text effects, colours can
be used.
Working with sub groups allow the entire group to devise a comprehensive set of game rules
that could be easily communicated to other sub-groups allowing them to immediately
understand and play the game. The effort of simplifying and creating comprehensible rules is
enhanced when we have to explain them to someone else. So, a good exercise in comprehension,
explanation and presentation is expected by all the participants and a good exercise of problem
setting and problem solving will be made when brief presentations will be given.
Teaching Strategies:
 Group working and discussion
 Group decision making techniques; Decision Making Role-playing
 Presentation of ideas by students
 Focus will be on communication of ideas and not in the complexity of tools to be used
to create the ideas
Previous knowledge:
- Unit 9.1d
Resources:
 Any material to help in designing the ideas (e.g. Legos, cards, sheets, pens, etc.)
 Online computer access (optional)
Assessment criteria:
 Student to be able to work in a group and give ideas of game components
 Student to be able to communicate the ideas and the game components to the group
 Student to be able to understand the ideas of other participants
Enhanced Skills:
Category: Key competencies – Hard skills


Direct: Create game ideas and prototypes on paper
Indirect: Analytical thinking, Group working, Social communication
Glossary:
BRAINSTORMING: an idea-generation tool designed to produce a large number of ideas
through the interaction of a group of people.
NOMINAL GROUP TECHNIQUE: combines idea creation and anonymous proposals. It also
helps in discussing items to obtain clarifications, avoiding any judgement. Silently and
privately, the team writes down their thoughts and ideas on paper cards. When individuals
have finished, they should wait quietly for others to finish. Then the conductor collects the
papers and represent the ideas.
AFFINITY DIAGRAM: a brainstorming method in which participants organize their ideas and
identify common themes.
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MULTIVOTING: a structured series of votes by a team, in order to narrow down a broad set of
options to a few.
GAME DESCRIPTOR SCHEME/FORMAT: the “game identity card”. It contains the game major
game characteristics. The example in the previous text refers to the Euro-Connect game.
7.6 Idea Recording (Unit 7.6)
7.6.1
Summary of planning
Unit 7
Participatory digital (educational) games’ design
7.6
Idea Recording
Indicative Activity (hours)
Indicative student
activity (hours)
Learning
Objectives
1. To implement a low-tech
prototype of the game idea(s),
using selected game authoring
software or simply a
“storyboard template”.
5 × 3 hour sessions
Indicative tutor activity
(hours)
Lesson planning
Resources
development and
preparation
5 x 2 hours
2. To establish a dialogue
between students and
facilitators/trainers, on key
components of games and their
iterative creation.
3. To deliver weekly digital
prototypes using selected game
authoring software. In the
absence of such software, an
iterative storyboard should be
used to record and communicate
the information for weekly review
and revisions.
Sub total
15 hours
10 hours
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Recap of
learning
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
Sub total
0 hours
0 hours
Total workload
15 hours
10 hours
Assessment
of skills
taught
7.6.2 Description and Analysis
Summary:
Using the teaching strategies outlined below, students should be able to use the selected game
authoring software and create their game prototypes. Alternatively, the prototypes will be
created on paper, using a Storyboard Template (attached).
Aims:
This course will help students implement their games’ ideas into low-tech prototypes, using
game authoring environments or storyboard templates.
Learning Objectives:
 To implement a low-tech prototype of the game idea(s), using selected game authoring
software or simply a “storyboard template”.
 To establish a dialogue between students and facilitators/trainers, on key components
of games and their iterative creation.
 To deliver weekly digital prototypes using selected game authoring software. In the
absence of such software, an iterative storyboard should be used to record and
communicate the information for weekly review and revisions.
Learning Activities:
 Discuss and choose one or more game ideas to further develop, based on criteria set by
the group
 Formally record the selected ideas using the Game Descriptor Template. This will be an
iterative process (will span across multiple weeks) and the group(s) will discuss and
further elaborate on their ideas and their content. Final decisions on descriptor
components will be taken via round-table discussions and majority voting. These
discussions should aim to create a dialogue between students and trainers, to be
recorded and combined with trainer notes to create a record of decisions and
contributions.
 Choose a game authoring tool, based on criteria set by participants, e.g. previous
knowledge, interest, experience of facilitator, etc.
 Start the iterative process of developing the game using the selected game authoring
tool or in the absence of such tool, using a “storyboard template”. This process will
require going back and updating the descriptor of the game. It will also require long-time
processes for locating resources for the game.
Content recommendation:
Notes:
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


At this stage, the aims is to officially record and implement the ideas
The outcome of this phase will not be a professional game product, but simply low-tech
prototypes of the game ideas. These prototypes will be created by students using
selected game authoring software, with the support of their facilitators. Alternatively to
game authoring software, the use of storyboard templates is recommended. A
storyboard template should typically follow a nine frame template with space reserved
for captioning the visuals and explaining their relevance (see attached with resources).
The process is iterative and spans across multiple sessions, giving time to students to
work on their own, give deep thinking to their ideas, and becoming familiar with the
game authoring software.
Activity 1 (~1 hour)
Aim: Discuss and choose one or more game ideas to further develop, based on criteria set by the
group.
The activity should start by collecting all ideas created in previous sessions. Then, the students
should be engaged in a discussion to set criteria for the selection of one or more ideas to further
develop (time and resources’ constraints to be taken into account). Such criteria could be:
educational objective or not, type of game to be developed, potential for attractiveness of game,
capabilities of the group in relation with the potential needs of the game in terms of resources
and development effort, available time, interests of majority of students in the group, etc..
Whichever the choice will be, it is important to note that the task to be accomplished according
to the present activity is to guide participants through a further key step of game planning.
Break (~ 15 minutes)
Activity 2 (~1.5 hours)
Aim: Formally record the selected ideas using the Game Descriptor Template and Storyboard
Template.
Assuming one or more ideas have been selected in previous activity, the students will be asked
to record these ideas using the Game Descriptor Template as learnt in previous sessions. Part of
this activity is expected to have been already taken place in the unit for “Idea Creation”.
However, the descriptors need to be completed and refined here.
The recording process will be iterative (will span across multiple sessions) and the group(s) will
discuss and further elaborate on their ideas and their content. Final decisions on descriptor
components will be taken via round-table discussions and majority voting. These discussions
should aim to create a dialogue between students and trainers, to be recorded and combined
with trainer notes to create a record of decisions and contributions.
Depending on the number of ideas to be developed, as well as the number of students and
facilitators, a proper number of sub-groups need to be created. These sub-groups must be
assigned specific tasks. The tasks may be either horizontal e.g. the same sub-group undertakes
the developing of the same part of all ideas to be developed, e.g. the game iteration description,
the creation of the dialogues, the definitions of controls, etc., or vertical meaning that each subgroup will undertake the development of one of the ideas. Of course, a hybrid approach can be
110
also applied, where sub-groups will change roles horizontally and vertically, so as for all students
to become familiar with all game developing parts.
It is necessary to create a room for communication between the sub-groups, to allow exchange
of information and the integration of specific characteristics into each other's work. Agreements
on final and unique solutions can be made as the output of (weekly) iterations. This implies the
need for some conflict resolution techniques, since conflict is inevitable in group working
especially in a multicultural group. Nevertheless, the opportunity of working and developing
within a group, being devoted to a common core output, is a major result of co-design activities.
The teamwork is expected to improve the skills and the knowledge of students, to improve
feelings of trust and agreement among students, as well as to create common group culture
dynamics and cohesive. Therefore, any conflicts must be managed by the tutor/facilitators to
possibly reach a higher level of agreement and consensus, thus helping to further strengthen the
group internal links.
The main conflict resolution techniques are:





Withdraw or Avoid, by postponing the issues so as to be better prepared to face it;
Smooth or Accommodate emphasising areas of agreement rather than differences and
conceding one's position to the needs of others to maintain harmony;
Compromise or Reconcile looking for solutions that bring some degree of satisfaction to
all parties;
Force or Direct offering only win-lose solutions usually to resolve an emergency;
Collaborate or Problem Solve which incorporates multiple points of views from different
perspectives and requires a cooperative attitude and open dialogue to reach consensus
and commitment.
Further clarification of the taken decisions should be made by the tutor, synthesising all
facilitators’ notes and presenting them to the students using available presentation resources.
Students can then comment on these notes if desired and suggest revisions and refinements.
The result of the present activity is expected to be the completed Game Descriptors, as well as
the Game Storyboards, which are key documents in the game design and development process.
Break and summary of first two activities (~15 minutes)
Activity 3 (~15 minutes)
Aim: Choose a game authoring tool, based on criteria set by participants, e.g. previous
knowledge, interest, experience of facilitator, etc.
The tutor and/or facilitators are expected to present a set of game authoring tools to the
students, explain the basics of each one (type of games, ease of developing, requiring
programming knowledge or not, hardware and software environment on which to run the tool,
cost if available, etc.). The tutor is also expected to facilitate the team in setting the criteria (and
deciding the weight of each criterion) for the selection of the most appropriate tool. The
experience of the tutor/facilitator may be a key criterion in deciding, since otherwise additional
human resources will be required to teach the selected tool to the students.
Activity 4 (~12 hours)
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Aim: Start the iterative process of developing the game using the selected game authoring
software or simply a “storyboard template”
This activity will be highly iterative and also require long-time processes to allow locating
resources for the games to be developed.
Assuming that a specific game authoring software has been selected, it is expected that at the
end of each iteration (e.g. weekly), the under development game prototype will incorporate the
ideas and contributions of all group members. This will require a combination of both digital
knowledge and specific knowledge regarding the contents of the games under development and
must be undertaken either collaboratively within the group or by students showing extra interest
in the development process.
The facilitators are expected to facilitate the transfer of design decisions into the iterations’
digital prototypes. In the absence of a software tool, the Storyboard will be used and undergo a
refinement process, going also into more details about the game characteristics and
components.
During the iterative process, the following tasks are expected to be undertaken by students in
groups, either in parallel or sequentially:











Identify actors and main scenes
Write the high-level story
Collect resources (characters, images, sounds, text, videos, etc) to be used in the game
Design the sequence of actions within the game and all possible paths towards the
achievement of the objectives
Define the whole of the logic within the game
Implement the actors
Implement the scenes
Implement the logic
Test the game and identify syntactic and logical bugs
Resolve bugs and re-test
Refine game and publish
The development process is expected to be very interesting and very hard at the same time and
students must be given the time to discuss in groups, write on papers, search through different
resources, try the software tools, etc. Pictures from a successful workshop of this kind are shown
below to help obtaining a view of the “mess” that may be created before concrete results start
showing.
112
An example of Storyboard template, referring to Euro-Connect game - is provided:
Short (~15 minutes) and longer breaks (hours to days) throughout the iterations as required for
participants to have time collect resources, try the software and try different solutions.
Teaching Strategies:
 Iterative validation of game ideas
 Game programming using selected software tools
 Group decision making / Conflict resolution Techniques
Previous knowledge:
- Unit 9.1e, Units dedicated to selected game authoring software
Resources:

A storyboard template. It should typically follow a nine frame template with
space reserved for captioning the visuals and explaining their relevance (see
attached).


PCs and/or other hardware sources
Internet access (optional)
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

Access to game authoring software online or offline (optional if a storyboard template
will be used instead)
Examples of Group decision making / Conflict resolution Techniques
Assessment criteria:
N/A
Enhanced Skills:
Category: Key competencies – Hard skills


Direct: Create games using dedicated software tools
Indirect: Analytical thinking, Group working, Social communication, Conflict resolution,
Decision making
Glossary:
Low-tech prototype: A version of a developed game (or other artefact) that has not been
developed by an expert and is therefore using very basic technology and in addition it cannot be
considered a completed product. It is usually the output of some research and trial activity which
can then proceed to decision to turning it into a product.
Game authoring software: Software tools that are available in the market and that can be used
to create games for PC and/or mobile platforms. Examples are the GameMaker, Unity 2D and
3D, ARIS, Stencyl, Scratch, etc.
Game Descriptor Template: A document which identifies and structures the components that
each game should have. This template is used as a guideline for game designers to help them
consider all required components at design phase and then help them record and describe the
game in a structured and complete form at the end.
Storyboard template: A document that guides a game designer through the process of designing
a game. It asks the appropriate questions so that the game design process is adopted correctly.
A professional game developer may be then given a completed storyboard template and be
asked to develop the captured scenes and series of actions. A completed storyboard may be
considered as the first prototype of a game.
7.7 Games’ Prototypes presentation (Unit 7.7)
7.7.1
Summary of planning
Unit 7
Participatory digital (educational) games’ design
7.1
Games’ prototypes presentation
Indicative Activity (hours)
Indicative student
activity (hours)
Learning
Objectives
To share roles and prepare a
short presentation of their
idea and game to invited
people.
2 × 2 hour sessions
Indicative tutor
activity (hours)
Resources
development and
preparation for
presentations
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1 x 2 hours
To analyse and approve the
final documentation being
produced To be able to
explain decisions made and
features developed to an
audience unfamiliar with the
original design.
To learn how to prepare formal
presentations.
Sub total
4 hours
2 hours
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
Sub total
0 hours
0 hours
Total workload
4 hours
2 hours
Recap of
learning
Assessment
of skills
taught
7.7.2 Description and Analysis
Summary:
Using the teaching strategies outlined, students should be able to present their developed
prototypes in front of invited audience, being able to answer questions and give detailed
explanations of the components of their games and justify any decisions taken.
Aims:
This course will help students create and deliver formal presentation of their games’ to invited
people that are not familiar with followed design process.
Learning Objectives:
 To share roles and prepare a short presentation of their idea and game to invited
people.
 To analyse and approve the final documentation being produced To be able to explain
decisions made and features developed to an audience unfamiliar with the original
design.
 To learn how to prepare formal presentations.
Learning Activities:
 Discuss the contents of a formal presentation and the desired structure (refer also to
dedicated courses for giving presentations and also preparing them with software
tools).
 Discuss with participants the shared roles for the presentation
 Iteratively create the presentations
 Practice the presentations.
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


Prepare the environment for a formal show of the games and invite people.
Give the presentations.
Finally, use this event to distribute any agreed accreditation of participation to
informants and to sign-off the authenticity of the game assets produced
Content recommendation:
The following content serves as a template good practice. The activities introduced encourage
interactions and communication between participants (considered co-designers) and tutors
(functioning as facilitators to the design process). This template should be modified as
appropriate by facilitators to maximise the potential output from this module based on available
time, resources and the identified characteristics and expectations of the participant group.
Introduction:
In any project-based learning classroom, students need to organise and deliver presentations for
a variety of purposes. One of the key components of a successful project is the 21st-century skill
of presentation or communication. This presentation can take on any number of shapes, from
something formal to a podcast or even a poster session.
Activity 1 (~45 minutes)
Aim: Familiarise with different presentation techniques and public speaking.
Participants can be asked to form small teams and present a well known topic to them in short
time (1-2 minutes). They should also be asked to create 2 slides using powerpoint, prezi or any
other software. In the end facilitator and participants should discuss of what went wrong and
what are the issues one should take into consideration during a formal presentation, such as
time constraints, speed, proper language, proper multimedia and need of preparation.
Effective presentation skills foster student learning by establishing clear communication and
helping students engage in the learning process. By the end of this session, participants will:


Recognize that anxiety and stress is normal, be able to discuss how nervousness can
affect behavior, and be able to use relaxation techniques to help manage stress
Be able to list features of effective presentations and explain why they are important
o Preparation!
o Makes eye contact
o Formality/informality of language
o Enthusiasm
o Appropriate emotions for the subject matter
o If humor is used, it relates clearly to the content and is not offensive.
o Knowledge of subject matter
o Organization of material and appropriate level of detail
o Neither too vague nor too general
o Doesn’t overwhelm with too many specifics
o Breaks up material into manageable chunks
o Includes activities to break up presentation
o Leaves time for questions & answers questions well
o Visual aids supplement content –not too many pictures not too much text
o Visual aids are clear and easy to see/read (big enough text size, in focus, dark
enough)
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o
o
o
o

Speaks loudly enough
Doesn’t speak too quickly or slowly
Doesn’t read directly from notes
Instructor’s appearance/ dress (looks professional/ looks casual/ looks
approachable, etc.)
Be able to explain how planning for presentations involves planning content, delivery,
and ways to emotionally connect with the audience
Participants can also familiarize themselves with different presentation genres such as:
Ignite is a specific genre of presentation. An Ignite presenter only has five minutes to speak about
the topic, and 20 slides to do so. Every 15 seconds, slides are moved along automatically. The
overall purpose of an Ignite session is to empower and excite the audience around a specific
subject matter, idea or topic. Ignite is used at conferences all around the world, even within
professional organizations and businesses.
Ignite is similar to PechaKucha, where you have 20 slides that change every 20 seconds. Usually,
someone is "offstage" to time the event by changing slides, which forces the presenter to stay
on task and move forward in the presentation. The slides contain only images, which the
presenter prepares. However, the presenter is usually not allowed to prepare a script. This
demands improvisation and creativity while still trying to craft a message.
Activity 2 (~60 minutes)
Aim: Organising a mock-up game presentation and troubleshooting
Participants should organize a role-play game testing presentation in order to understand the
harsh realities of troubleshooting while on pressure. Participants should be asked to organize a
mock-up game testing on more than 2 pcs or mobile devices, organize space, slides and the time
and deliver a presentation and exhibition in less than 30 minutes.
Participants in groups of 3-5, should be given less than 15 minutes to organize their material and
space in order to deliver a successful 5 minutes pitch about their game. Team-members should
take into account space and material constraints, existence of wifi/3G if necessary, make sure
that software is installed in each pc/mobile device. Participants should also be in control of
projection, screen, chairs and logistic materials, decide if they will need to prepare certificates
and rehearse the presentation .
Following, for 15 minutes, teams will pitch their game or location based game, allowing
participants (other team members) to play the game, make questions and and write down
constructive criticism notes.
In the following 30 minutes and after a 5 minute brake, facilitator and students should discuss
their experience and point out issues, considerations and positive outcomes regarding the
presentation.
Teaching Strategies:
 Group discussions and group working
 Experiential learning and peer feedback
 Reference to other online sources for presentation skills
Previous knowledge:
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- Unit 9.1e, Presentation creation and giving skills (outside the scope of this curriculum)
Resources:
 Projection, Screen, Chairs, Logistics material, certificates, games, software engines and
other software tools
Assessment criteria:
N/A
Enhanced Skills:
Category: Key competencies – Hard skills


Direct: Presentation skills, Event Organisation, Product Pitching, Troubleshooting
Indirect: Group working, Social communication, Peer feedback,
Glossary:
Ignite: is a specific genre of presentation. An Ignite presenter only has five minutes to speak
about the topic, and 20 slides to do so.
PechaKucha: is a specific genre of presentation, where you have 20 slides that change every 20
seconds.
Pitching: to try to persuade someone to use your products or services or choose you to do
some work for them:
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Phase C - Hard skills on well-known game authoring and other
supportive software
7.8 Introduction to “Stencyl” (http://www.stencyl.com/) (Unit 7.8)
7.8.1
Summary of planning
Unit 7
Participatory digital (educational) games’ design
7.8
Introduction to “Stencyl”
Indicative Activity (hours)
Indicative student
activity (hours)
Learning
Objectives
1. To learn how to install and
4 × 3 hour sessions
configure the Stencyl
environment to become ready for
game design/development.
2. To learn about the several
resources available in Stencyl and
their semantics, so as to be able
to use them effectively towards
the creation of games.
Indicative tutor activity
(hours)
Lesson planning
Resources
development and
preparation
At least 2 hours before
each student session,
provided that
knowledge about
Stencyl has been
already acquired.
3. To obtain basic knowledge
about the Stencyl design
environment.
4. To understand the Stencyl
principles for game
design/development, as well as
the details in game development,
through a prototype educational
game developed by a group of
students.
5. To learn how to publish the
developed games for further
exploitation.
Sub total
Recap of
learning
12 hours
Reinforcement of learning
objectives through discussion of
items and through hands-on
(small-scale) exercises in game
design and development.
Student recap skills
taught in sessions
1 hr per student
8 hours
1 to 1 support with
students where
appropriate (assuming
around 8 students)
1x8 hour
Assessment
of skills
taught
Preparation for and conducting
assessment, preferably through
Practical assessment
with resources used
Tutor preparation of
assessments using
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small-projects with clear
assessment objectives and not
conflicting
1 hour assessment
against criteria
some teaching
strategies identified
2 hours
Sub total
9 hours
10 hours
Total workload
21 hours
18 hours
7.8.2 Description and Analysis
Summary:
Using the teaching strategies outlined, students should be able to identify uses and applications
for game making software as part of game development projects and should be able to
demonstrate skill in using this software for writing and testing basic interactions for discussion
and testing.
Software and documentation referred to as part of this module can be located at the following
address: (http://www.stencyl.com).
Aims:
This course will help students obtain a basic but complete knowledge about the use of the Stencyl
game development environment and enable them to use it for their first projects in class or at
home.
Learning Objectives:
 To learn how to install and configure the Stencyl environment to become ready for game
design/development.
 To learn about the several resources available in Stencyl and their semantics, so as to be
able to use them effectively towards the creation of games.
 To obtain basic knowledge about the Stencyl design environment.
 To understand the Stencyl principles for game design/development, as well as the details
in game development, through a prototype educational game developed by a group of
students.
 To learn how to publish the developed games for further exploitation.
Learning Activities:
 Together with students, go through the process of installing and configuring the Stencyl
environment on one of supported Operating Systems and get it ready for work. If
possible, the students should have access to their own hardware (one each or in groups)
to try the process by themselves.
 Go through the Stencyl environment with screenshots and live examples and explain in
details the types and the potential use of available game development resources. Create
small examples for students to execute in order to get familiar with the resources and
the environment
 Use an example game and take the class through its development. For convenience, an
already available prototype game is offered with this curriculum.
 Assuming that game ideas have been already created and designed, create Stencyl
development exercises and support students to develop their games using the Stencyl
resources and environment. The activity is better to run in groups, with the tutor to be
facilitating the development process.
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
Support the development groups to publish their ideas and discuss with the students
their ideas for exploitation of their games, either for education and/or for fun-creating
and business.
Content recommendation:
Activity 1 (~30 minutes)
Aim: Install and configure the Stencyl environment to become ready for game
design/development
Important Notes:

The latest version of Stencyl can be downloaded from:
http://www.stencyl.com/download/
 Available versions for Windows, Linux and Mac
 This guide is for Windows installation only
 Instructions for other platforms can be found online at
Break (~15http://www.stencyl.com/download/
minutes)
Activity 2 (~60 minutes)
Aim: Learn about the several resources available in Stencyl and their semantics, so as to be able
to use them effectively towards the creation of games
Each game implemented in Stencyl, is built using the available Stencyl resources described briefly
in this section. We will use these resources extensively in our example game guide.
Actors: Actors represent the living, interactive part of a game. Actors are the players, enemies,
projectiles, vehicles, items, interface elements and anything in a game that “lives.”
Every actor can be broken up into a few common elements:



Appearance - How the actor looks or appears in-game.
Behavior - How the actor behaves or acts.
Physics - How the actor interacts with the world when it collides with it.
Scenes: Scenes are where everything in a game takes place. Scenes can be the “levels” of the
game or even menus. Scenes are the place where the player and the actors interact with each
other. Scenes are connected with other scenes in order to build the “story” of the game.
Scenes are built from tiles (or even custom images) and are organized in layers (which
tiles/images are in from of others etc, just like Photoshop).
Every scene can be broken up into a few common elements:


Scene - How the tiles are organized in space.
Behaviour - How the elements (actors, tiles) in this scene behave or act.
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
Physics - How the scene affects its elements (e.g. gravity).
Sounds: This resource is all the sound effects associated with the game. Each sound can be
utilized by actors or scenes to make the game more appealing and interactive.
Tilesets/Backgrounds/Fonts: Resources that allow for having a pre-defined set of building
blocks for easily build each scene of the game.
Logic: This resource is the “brain” of the game. Logic consists of all of Actor Behaviours and
Scene Behaviours. Behaviours are reusable, configurable “abilities” that you attach to Actor
Types or Scenes. Together, they handle all interactions that occur in the world of the game.
Break (~15 minutes)
Activity 3 (~60 minutes)
Aim: Obtain basic knowledge about the Stencyl design environment
Activity 4 (~ 60 minutes)
Aim: Understand the Stencyl principles for game design/development, as well as the details in
game development.
Activity 5 (~ 30 minutes)
Aim: Learn how to publish the developed games for further exploitation.
Note: A detailed guide to install the software, understand the tool, create and publish games, is
attached to support the tutor in executing the activities of this course. File name: “Annex IIIStencyl Tutorial.pdf”
For more advance content, the reader is referred to the official education content shared by the
creators, accessible at: http://www.stencyl.com/teach/ .
In addition, Annexes III and IV offer short tutorials to assist the understandings of the basic
features of Stencyl and its use to creating game prototypes.
Teaching Strategies:
 Hands-on work on software
 Group-working in small teams for actual game development or for smaller projects
with lower-level objectives.
 Group discussion and analysis of approaches towards development of games.
 Group decision making techniques
 Discussion of development approaches and ideas by students
 Practical exercises with clear outcome-objective.
Previous knowledge:
 Basic ICT Skills (see also ViPi project)
 Understanding of game development principles and qualities, as well as the game
design process (see previous sub-units)
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Resources:
 Hardware and software required to run Stencyl environment
 Equipment for projection of audio-visual material
 Internet access for resources’ acquisition
Assessment criteria:
 Assessment should be based on small projects’ results. The projects need to be
designed in a way to allow testing of knowledge of individual course objectives. Smaller
projects can be used for assessing the understanding of Stencyl environment, while
bigger projects can be used at the end for the assessment of complete game
development skills
Enhanced Skills:
Category: Key competencies – Hard skills


Direct: Use Stencyl game authoring engine
Indirect: game designing
Glossary:
Terms are explained when mentioned in the text of the course.
7.9 Introduction to “Game-Maker”
(www.yoyogames.com/gamemaker/studio/standard) (Unit 7.9)
7.9.1
Summary of planning
Unit 7
Participatory digital (educational) games’ design
7.9
Introduction to “Game Maker”
Indicative Activity (hours)
Indicative student
activity (hours)
Learning
Objectives
1. Be able to locate,
download and install the
software
2. Be able to identify tools
and workspaces within
the software.
1 x 3 hour session
Indicative tutor activity
(hours)
Installation of software
and preparation.
Familiarisation with
software.
Be able to create new design
assets using the software.
Sub total
6
3
123
Recap of
learning
1. Review output from
Revisions to work based 1 x 1 hour recap and
software.
on tutor feedback.
review
2. Discuss how output can
form part of wider design
ideas.
Identify where software can form
further use as part of project
development.
Assessment
of skills
taught
Sub total
2
1
Total workload
8
4
7.9.2 Description and analysis
Summary:
Using the teaching strategies outlined, students should be able to identify uses and applications
for game making software as part of game development projects and should be able to
demonstrate skill in using this software for writing and testing basic interactions for discussion
and testing.
Software and documentation referred to as part of this module can be located at the following
address: (https://www.yoyogames.com/developers).
Aims:
This course will help students to understanding the role of games development software in
games design projects and to use such software to create new design artefacts for their own
work.
Learning Objectives:
 Be able to locate, download and install the software.
 Be able to identify tools and workspaces within the software.
 Be able to create new design assets using the software.
Learning Activities:
 Locate and access software, familiarisation with environment.
 Exploration of software to fulfil simple tutor objectives.
 Utilisation of software as part of game design project.
Content recommendation:
The following content serves as a template good practice. The activities introduced encourage
interactions and communication between participants (considered co-designers) and tutors
(functioning as facilitators to the design process). This template should be modified as
appropriate by facilitators to maximise the potential output from this module based on available
time, resources and the identified characteristics and expectations of the participant group.
This guide is presented as a summary of current Game-Maker developer notes which have been
created by the Game-Maker development team and are published as part of the Game-Maker
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developer resources on the Game-Maker website at http://docs.yoyogames.com. A summary of
the content which is presented online and will be discussed as part of this module can be found
below.
Screen capture of Game-Maker developer resources
Introduction:
Game-Maker represents subscription free game-authoring software which is available online.
Game-Maker allows users to create game resources by moving two-dimensional assets around
the screen in order to identify relationships and define actions. This simple ‘drag-and-drop’
interface allows users to then customise these resources via an embedded graphics editor. This
software allows for easy modification of existing ideas and permits any user to publish their
games for consumption over the web. Game-Maker can be installed either on a local computer
or a network server for access.
More information can be found at http://docs.yoyogames.com > Introduction.
Activity 1 (~30 minutes)
Aim: Identify potential uses for the software as part of co-design projects.
Participants should be asked to capture a brief description of the game they are going to make.
This description should be no longer than a couple of sentences. It is important that each
participant aims to create something simple as part of this module that will have an important
function as part of their group design project.
If not already completed, these ideas should be discussed as a group and collected into a single
document. This ‘design document’ should function as a textual descriptor of the game and should
summarise agreed decisions regarding gaming assets. These may include theme, structure,
player rewards/ feedback and controls. A summary of these design criteria can be found below.
This module should focus on experimentation with the design ideas for ‘Game structure’, ‘Game
Assets’ and ‘Control Mechanism’.
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Table 1: Overview of design components for discussion with participants
Discussion Topic
Title of Game
Game overview
Core objective
Game play theme
Game structure
Distinctive
features
Game assets
Reward/Scoring
Mechanism
Control
Mechanism
Participant Instructions
Cheese Factory (see. software.isrg.org.uk/flashgames)
Provide a sharp, focussed overview/summary of the game so that the
client can quickly get a grasp on the game genre, how the learning
objectives will be delivered, game narrative, characters, and setting, etc.
State what the player must do in the game and how this relates to/will
deliver the learning objectives via these actions.
What is the constant theme throughout the game? Use this to tie in the
design of the interface, the environment/world, the features,
characters. This creates unity in the game, and the player can more
readily identify with a game where this theme is consistent.
How will the game be broken down? Will it be broken down into
different environments which are only accessed once the player obtains
the ability to access them? Do they get progressively harder?
Are any of the avatars or game features customisable? Is this a unique
game narrative? Have you created empathy for your characters?
Give a description of all your assets (characters, environments, objects,
sounds) what will they look like, what will they do, how will the player
interact with them, how will you create them, using which tools?
Provide information on any scoring mechanism built into the game.
Think about what rewards are envisaged? For completing what tasks?
How are rewards differentiated for different tasks?
How will the game be controlled? Mouse, keyboard, combination?
Break and discussion (~15 minutes)
Activity 2 (~75 minutes)
Aim: Derive a set of design assets using the software including rooms, sprites and actions
The focus of this activity is experimentation with the Game-Maker development environment.
This can be delivered either through co-discovery between participants (requires grouping of
participants into pairs with one computer workstation between two participants) or via tutor led
activities (requires tutor familiarisation with Game-Maker development environment which
should be conducted as part of session preparation). Both of the above approaches should make
use of the current Game-Maker developer notes (http://docs.yoyogames.com). It is
recommended that participants be instructed to read/ directed through the following sections
of these developer notes: should focus on the following sections in particular:
1. Topic: Introduction to the Game-Maker workspace
Link: http://docs.yoyogames.com > Game-Maker: Studio Overview
Developer summary: “This section explains some of the some of the core concepts of how
Game-Maker: works so you can start making games as quick as possible”.
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Objective: Participants should be able to open and navigate around the Game-Maker
workspace. They should be able to open a new project and create a room.
2. Topic: Introduction to creating ‘sprites’
Link: http://docs.yoyogames.com > Loading Sprites
Developer summary: “In this section you can learn about sprites and how to create them
with the Game-Maker: Studio sprite editor”.
Objective: Participants should be able to open the Game-Maker sprite editor, define new
sprites using existing graphics, and store these sprites within a central library.
3. Topic: Introduction to creating ‘objects’
Link: http://docs.yoyogames.com > Defining Objects
Developer summary: “Objects are the fundamental building blocks within Game-Maker”.
Objective: Participants should be able to understand the difference between ‘objects’
and ‘instances’ create an object, define an event and add a set of actions.
4. Topic: Introduction to saving and sharing ideas
Link: http://docs.yoyogames.com > Distributing your game
Developer summary: “Here we talk about how you can distribute your finished game”.
Objective: Participants should be able to identify a target platform for their game and
export their assets as an executable file.
Break and discussion (~15 minutes)
Activity 3: (~30 minutes)
Aim: Present ideas to tutor for support and to examine design assets.
Participants should continue to work through the above ideas in order to create and experiment
with their design ideas. Participants should be encouraged to share ideas, provide help for their
peers where appropriate and to seek support from their tutor if they need assistance.
Participants should also be encouraged to save their work (either locally on a USB pen-drive) or
upload their content to a remote location (consider the use of a shared Dropbox or closed-access
blog here). This will enable participants to continue work at home where appropriate and to
share their design assets via a central resource.
Facilitators should observe participant progress and sit with individuals to discuss progress and
to offer assistance. Facilitators should aim to question approaches (in terms of visual style,
proposed actions/ interactions, use of existing media, ideas for distribution) to encourage
participants to revise approaches and perform additional reading of Game-Maker developer
127
resources (http://docs.yoyogames.com/ > Backgrounds and/or Sounds and Music) to enhance
the quality of the work which they are creating.
Facilitators should reserve time at the end of the session (~15 minutes) for participants to discuss
their progress and to identify any new skills or knowledge they have assembled as part of this
module. Facilitators can assist with this by highlighting the information from the ‘learning
objectives’ and ‘enhanced skills’ sections of this module as discussion topics with participants.
Finally, facilitators should examine opportunities for utilisation of Game-Maker (or any other
games development software introduced as part of this course) into future workshop meetings
in order to quickly create and prototype an idea (image, interaction, control scheme) as the basis
for future discussion and examination of the participant design ideas.
Break and discussion (~15 minutes)
Annex V offers a short tutorial to assist the understandings of the basic features of Game Maker
and its use to creating game prototypes.
Teaching Strategies:
 Group exploration:
Participants may explore the software either on individual PCs or as small groups (2-3)
on a single machine. This should involve the tutor giving the group directions and an
overview of the software. The tutor can use small challenges with outcomes which are
simple and can be achieved quickly.

Group discussion:
Participants should also be to discuss their progress and how they plan to use this
software as part of their game design. Tutor should be able to add ideas where
appropriate and help participants to identify potential uses for this software as part of
their game asset development.
Previous knowledge:
Basic ICT Skills (see also ViPi project http://www.vipi-project.eu/). No other previous knowledge
is required to participate with this module.
Resources:
 Access to Game Maker software (https://www.yoyogames.com/developers).
 Access to PCs with software installed/ with sufficient access privileges to install
software.
 Tables and chairs for discussion and monitoring of student progress.
Assessment criteria:
 Participants should be able to use Game-Maker software to create narrative and to
model interactions as part of game ideas.
Enhanced Skills:
Category: Key competencies – Hard skills

Direct: Students should be able to demonstrate knowledge of the value of using such
software, identify potential applications as part of their own work, and to use the
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
software both under the supervision of a tutor and via self-directed study to develop
design assets which contribute to their work/ the group effort.
Indirect: Students should be able to demonstrate knowledge of asset creation for use in
educational settings.
Glossary:
Objects: Game assets which are positioned moved and interacted with within the game
environment.
Sprites: The visual representations of objects within the game environment.
Actions: Object behaviours based on position, time or the result of user intervention.
Events: Action and/or reactions which trigger a set of actions.
Rooms: Containers used to present collections of objects and permit user interactions.
Backgrounds: Large images which are placed within rooms to add a visual style to the
environment.
Distribution: The process of saving work in a format which can be easily accessed by the player.
7.10 Introduction to “ARIS” (http://arisgames.org/) (Unit 7.10)
7.10.1 Summary of planning
Unit 7
Participatory digital (educational) games’ design
7.10
Introduction to “ARIS”
Indicative Activity (hours)
Indicative student
activity (hours)
Learning
Objectives
- Be able to locate, and use the
software
2 x 3 hours session
1X3 hours session
Installation of software
and preparation.
- Be able to identify tools within
the software.
Familiarisation with
software.
- Be able to create new assets
using the software.
Sub total
Indicative trainer
activity (hours)
6
3
129
Recap of
learning
- Playtest and review output from 1X2 hours Revisions to
software.
work based on tutor
feedback.
- Discuss how output can form
part of wider design ideas.
1 x 1 hour edits, recap
and review
- Identify locations than can be
part of the game experience
Assessment
of skills
taught
Sub total
2
1
Total workload
8
4
7.10.2 Description and Analysis
Summary:
Using the teaching strategies outlined, students should be able to identify uses and applications
for game making software as part of game development projects and should be able to
demonstrate skill in using this software for writing and testing basic interactions for discussion
and testing.
Software and documentation referred to as part of this module can be located at the following
address: (http://arisgames.org/).
1: Location Based Games are a type of pervasive games and interactive narratives, in which the gameplay evolves and
progresses via a player's location
Aims:
This course will help students to understanding the role of games development software in
location based games design projects and to use such software to create a location based game.
Learning Objectives:
 Be able to locate, download and install the software.
 Be able to play location based games using the software
 Be able to alter pre-existing ARIS games by using ARIS platforms.
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
Be able to create new ARIS games using the ARIS web-editor.
Learning Activities:
 Access software, familiarisation with mobile app and with the authoring web
environment.
 Exploration of software to fulfil simple tutor objectives.
 Utilisation of software as part of game design project.
Content recommendation:
The following content serves as a template good practice. The activities introduced encourage
interactions and communication between participants (considered co-designers) and tutors
(functioning as facilitators to the design process). This template should be modified as
appropriate by facilitators to maximise the potential output from this module based on available
time, resources and the identified characteristics and expectations of the participant group.
Introduction:
ARIS is a user-friendly, open-source platform for creating and playing mobile games, tours and
interactive stories. Using GPS and QR Codes, ARIS players experience a hybrid world of virtual
interactive characters, items, and media placed in physical space. iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad
users can play ARIS games by downloading ARIS application to their device and start playing ARIS
games. Moreover using the web-based ARIS editor as an authoring environment, users can
create mobile games, tours and interactive stories with GPS and QR Codes. With ARIS, users are
able to create and select audio/video clips, images, and multimedia in order to build enhanced
tours and/augmented reality storytelling narratives. This software allows for easy modification
of existing ideas and permits any user to design, publish and share their own games.
More information can be found at http://arisgames.org/make/
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2: The ARIS Editor is how you create and edit ARIS games. It’s not software you download, but a URL you go to in any
browser that supports Flash.
Activity 1 (~45 minutes)
Aim: Familiarize participants with ARIS location based games and identify potential uses for the
software as part of co-design projects.
Participants should be asked to download the ARIS app on their mobile device, make sure that
they have their 3G and GPS on, find and play an ARIS game. In order to download the newest
ARIS client version make sure to download it from the App Store http://arisgames.org/get-aris/.
In case you want to download one of the older versions of the client, make sure to visit
http://arisgames.org/legacy/ with your iphone or ipad and download an older version.
Students can play the Code RED games or a game specifically designed or localised by the
facilitator in the area near the workshop. If this is no such an option, participants can use the
Quicktravel option and have the ARIS experience without leaving the building. One of the
proposed ARIS Games “Eve’s Worlds” can be easily accessed using Quicktravel in the comfort of
the workshop-room.
Upon return, students have to share their experience and thoughts and capture a brief
description of the game they are going to make. This description should be no longer than a
couple of sentences. It is important that each participant aims to create something simple as part
of this module that will have an important function as part of their group design project.
If not already completed, these ideas should be discussed as a group and collected into a single
document. This ‘design document’ should function as a textual descriptor of the game and should
summarise agreed decisions regarding gaming assets. These may include theme, structure,
player rewards/ feedback and controls. A summary of these design criteria can be found below.
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This module should focus on experimentation with the design ideas for ‘Game structure’, ‘Game
Assets’ and ‘Control Mechanism’.
Discussion Topic
Title of Game
Game overview
Core objective
Game play theme
Game structure
Distinctive
features
Game assets
Reward/Scoring
Mechanism
Location
Participant Instructions
Provide a draft title of your game
Provide a sharp, focussed overview/summary of the game so that the
client can quickly get a grasp on the game genre, how the learning
objectives will be delivered, game narrative, characters, location, etc.
Is this an interactive guide? Is this an adventure game with historical
elements? State what the player must do in the game and how this
relates to/will deliver the learning objectives via these actions.
Is this an interactive guide? Is this an adventure game with historical
information? What is the constant theme throughout the game? Use
this to tie in the design of the interface, the environment/world, the
features, characters. This creates unity in the game, and the player can
more readily identify with a game where this theme is consistent.
How will the game be broken down? Will it be broken down into
different environments which are only accessed once the player obtains
the ability to access them? Do they get progressively harder?
Is this a unique game narrative? Have you created empathy for your
characters? Have you made sure that your clients can understand the
language and the locations?
Give a description of all your assets (characters, quests, plaques objects,
sounds, etc) what will they look like, what will they do, how will the
player interact with them, how will you create them, using which tools?
Provide information on any scoring mechanism built into the game, if
any. Think about what rewards are envisaged? For completing what
tasks? How are rewards differentiated for different tasks?
Where will the game be played? Location is very important part of the
ARIS experience and designers should choose between having the
narrative based on actual buildings and location, between fantastical
buildings and sights and/or between a hybrid of reality and augmented
reality.
Break and discussion (~15 minutes)
Activity 2 (~45 minutes)
Aim: Familiarise participants with ARIS location based games authoring tool – editor
The focus of this activity is experimentation with the ARIS editor. This can be delivered either
through co-discovery between participants (requires grouping of participants into pairs with one
computer workstation between two-three participants) or via tutor led activities (requires tutor
familiarisation with ARIS editor which should be conducted as part of session preparation). Both
of the above approaches should make use of the ARIS developer notes
(http://arisgames.org/make/training/). It is recommended that in either cases, tutor should be
familiar with the editor and tutorials and propose a specific goal to the participants. It takes from
one to two hours to get people to where they understand the basics of what ARIS is and how to
use the editor to create ARIS content. Facilitators may want to use ARIS - the manual to
familiarize themselves with the various features of ARIS. Make yourself familiar with both
versions of ARIS as there is also an older version of the editor that requires an older client
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http://arisgames.org/legacy/. This version has much more playable games and is much more
stable for the time being – Currently the website is on a transition and we will make sure to
update this document, however, it is advised to familiarize with both versions in order to decide
which one you will use (between legacy and current editor and client).
Topic: Introduction to ARIS




Participants can view the introductory videos and familiarize themselves with
the editor
o Authoring Basic Objects:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3TH9OAuE-c
o Using Requirements and Doing Simple Data Collection Activities (Video)
Participants have to register to the web-editor
Facilitator will be able to:
o allow them to understand the environment through tutor-led activities
o The facilitator should make the players aware of locations, characters,
plaques, items, quick travel, and the various ways in which media is
used in each of the different types of in-game objects.
o allow them to edit pro-existing ARIS games by making simple changes
e.g. change of a name, change of some text, change of some photos
and allow them to create their own simple games by using online
guidelines such as Teach yourselves ARIS in an hour or two (gdoc): For
small groups wanting to learn ARIS without official facilitation. There
are a few basic steps and different activities. .
o It may therefore be a good idea to begin by explaining a little about
the general idea of augmented reality games, what specific purposes
your organization may have in mind for them, and how the ARIS
project relates to this general concept and your desires. You can
describe ARIS as an open source endeavor, a work-in-progress, its basic
structure and infrastructure requirements, and its previous uses. You
may also want to explain a little about Apple’s app ecosystem and how
ARIS fits in. This section will change a lot depending on who you are
talking to and why, but it can be important to get everyone on the
same page before working together.
o Create a Game: Once logged in, ask the participants to create a new
game, and to use a name they will remember 10 minutes from now.
o Find a location: The biggest part of the ARIS editor interface is a map.
First have the participants decide on a location for their game and
zoom into that location on the map. This can be nearby if they want to
try it out outside, but they can also use any location anywhere and
then playtest using quick travel. As before, using quick travel will speed
up this process.
o Create a plaque: The first thing to create is a plaque, the most basic
type of ARIS object, the metaphor is information that will be located in
space.
Prerequisites:
o Some iOS devices with access to the Internet. It is not necessary to
have one per person, but enough so that every person can see what’s
going on.
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o
The ARIS app installed on the iOS devices. This can be downloaded for
free from the iTunes App Store. Make sure that they can all login using
their registered username and passwords.
3: The ARIS client is an iOS only application available for free. Players need to register and login before being able to
experience ARIS games and interactive stories.
o
Some computers with Internet connections. This is for using the ARIS
editor. Since the editor is browser based, no additional software is
required. However, it is a flash environment, so iOS devices will NOT
work. A similar device-to-user ratio as above, with similar reasoning.
Break and discussion (~15 minutes)
Activity 3: (~45 minutes)
Aim: Present ideas to tutor for support and to examine design assets.
Participants should start creating their own location based games ideas, based on their
experience and discussion from the initial introduction with ARIS and location based games.
Participants will be able to work alone or in teams since all ARIS projects allow multiple editors.
Facilitators should make sure to be one of the editors in every game or allow peer to peer
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feedback. Observe participant progress and sit with individuals to discuss progress and to offer
assistance.
Promote co-design and experimentation as well as different roles within groups. This will enable
participants to manage their group, continue work at home where appropriate and to work
collaboratively.
Participants can continue to work through the above ideas in order to create and experiment
with their design ideas. Participants should be encouraged to share ideas, provide help for their
peers where appropriate and to seek support from their tutor if they need assistance.
Facilitators should reserve time at the end of the session (~15 minutes) for participants to discuss
their progress, provide feedback and playtest the games using Quicktravel, in order to identify
any new skills or knowledge they have assembled as part of this module. Facilitators can assist
with this by highlighting the information from the ‘learning objectives’ and ‘enhanced skills’
sections of this module as discussion topics with participants.
Finally, facilitators should examine opportunities for utilisation of ARIS (or any other location
based games development software introduced as part of this course) into future workshop
meetings in order to quickly create and prototype an experience as the basis for future discussion
and examination of the participant design ideas.
Break and discussion (~15 minutes)
Annex VI offers a short tutorial to assist the understandings of the basic features of Game
Maker and its use to creating game prototypes.
Teaching Strategies:
 Group exploration:
Participants may explore the software either on individual mobile devices (in order to
play the games) or on PCs (in order to edit or create the games) or as small groups (2-3)
on a single machine. This should involve the tutor giving the group directions and an
overview of the software. The tutor can use small challenges with outcomes which are
simple and can be achieved quickly.

Group discussion:
Participants should also be to discuss their progress and how they plan to use this
software as part of their game design. Tutor should be able to add ideas where
appropriate and help participants to identify potential uses for this software as part of
their game asset development.

Personal Experience:
Participants is very important to play and playtest location based games and realise the
potential uses of augmented reality, interactive storytelling and location based games, in order
to realise the potential of the medium and allow participants to identify potential uses for this
software as part of their game asset development.
Previous knowledge:
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Basic ICT Skills (see also ViPi project http://www.vipi-project.eu/). No other previous knowledge
is required to participate with this module.
Resources:
 Access to ARIS platform and editor (http://arisgames.org/ and
http://arisgames.org/legacy/ for the older client/editor.).
 Access to PCs with sufficient access privileges to access the ARIS website and editor
http://arisgames.org/make/
 Some iOS devices with access to the Internet. It is not necessary to have one per
person, but enough so that every person can see what’s going on.
 The ARIS app installed on the iOS devices (3G or Wifi available). This can be
downloaded for free from the iTunes App Store. Make sure that they can all login using
their registered username and passwords.
 Tables and chairs for discussion and monitoring of student progress.

ARIS Manual:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wW5Zo_bdH2JYD6GlXBTBPfFra_ciiq8EcepH8Y
7fr7Q/edit?hl=en
Facilitators can organise their workshops or be inspired by using the following tutorials





https://docs.google.com/document/d/1G8veYdOHGK8sC5KcHIZNsdVSKfZdWRaqN4xlU
gqzdNc/edit
https://docs.google.com/document/d/11negvw2KSOgv0WuHeX9OWmf2ywiOqfILw31n3UKAqg/edit?hl=en#
https://localgameslababq.wordpress.com/2014/08/11/first-look-at-aris-editor-2-0/
https://sites.google.com/site/aris2manual/tutorials/getting-started
http://manual.arisgames.org/
Facilitators can be inspired and organise their workshops in order to work with ARIS 2.0, a more
sophisticated but still beta version of ARIS suite. Facilitators can find more information at:

http://manual.arisgames.org/
Assessment criteria:
 Participants should be able to use ARIS mobile app and ARIS web-editor to create
narrative and to model interactions as part of location based game ideas.
Enhanced Skills:
 Direct: Students should be able to demonstrate knowledge of the value of using such
software, identify potential applications as part of their own work, and to use the
software both under the supervision of a tutor and via self-directed study to develop
design assets which contribute to their work/ the group effort.
 Indirect: Students should be able to demonstrate knowledge of asset creation for use in
educational settings.
Glossary:
Client: This is the iOS app you can download free from the iTunes App Store. It is how you play
ARIS games. It runs on any iOS device running iOS 4.0 or higher. Your device will also require an
active internet connection to be able to run ARIS.
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Get the ARIS client now (iTunes link)
Location Based Games: a type of pervasive games and interactive playful narratives, in which the
gameplay evolves and progresses via a player's location, usually by using location tracking
devices such as GPS and mobile devices with GPS.
Editor: This is how you create and edit games. It’s not software you download, but a URL you go
to in any browser that supports Flash. You can access the alpha editor
at: http://arigames.org/editor.
Server: This is where your ARIS games live. It is simply a MySQL database with PHP objects. The
server that the client points to automatically is http://arisgames.org/server. If you create games
on the editor, they are on this server. It is possible to create another server and point ARIS at
that server. To change the server on your device, go to Settings > ARIS.
7.11 Introduction to “Chat Mapper” (http://www.chatmapper.com/) (Unit
7.11)
7.11.1 Summary of planning
Unit 7
Participatory digital (educational) games’ design
7.1
Introduction to “Chat Mapper”
Indicative Activity (hours)
Indicative student
activity (hours)
Learning
Objectives
1. Be able to locate,
download and install the
software
2. Be able to identify tools
and workspaces within
the software.
1 x 3 hour session
Indicative tutor activity
(hours)
Preparation.
Familiarisation with
software.
Be able to create new design
assets using the software.
Sub total
Recap of
learning
6
Review output from software.
3
Revisions to work based 1 x 1 hour recap and
on tutor feedback.
review
Discuss how output can form part
of wider design ideas.
Identify where software can form
further use as part of project
development.
Assessment
of skills
taught
Sub total
2
1
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Total workload
8
4
7.11.2 Description and Analysis
Summary:
Using the teaching strategies outlined, students should be able to identify uses and applications
for chat-mapping software as part of games development projects and should be able to
demonstrate skill in using this software for writing and testing nonlinear dialogue and events for
e-learning.
Software and documentation referred to as part of this module can be located at the following
address: (http://www.chatmapper.com/).
Aims:
This course will help students to understanding the role of chat-mapping software in games
design projects and to use such software to create new design artefacts for their own work.
Learning Objectives:
 Be able to locate, download and install the software.
 Be able to identify tools and workspaces within the software.
 Be able to create new design assets using the software.
Learning Activities:
 Locate and access software, familiarisation with environment.
 Exploration of software to fulfil simple tutor objectives.
 Utilisation of software as part of game design project.
 A significant activity could also be audio resource production (Audio files can be replayed
from within ChatMapper using the Conversation Simulator)
 Simple scripting using LUA (to get more interesting behaviour, scripting can be used to
manage user input, calculate and set variables and conditionally display content)
Content recommendation:
See individual units of [http://www.chatmapper.com/documentation/]





Identify potential uses for the software as part of co-design projects.
Derive list of game characters from design materials and identify role, motives and
content.
Understand how to simulate realistic, non-linear dialogue between game characters.
Draft game content using software and discuss with group members.
Present ideas to tutor for support and to examine developed character dialogue.
Teaching Strategies:
 Group exploration:
Participants may explore the software either on individual PCs or as small groups (2-3) on a single
machine. This should involve the tutor giving the group directions and an overview of the
software. The tutor can use small challenges with outcomes which are simple and can be
achieved quickly.

Group discussion:
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Participants should also be to discuss their progress and how they plan to use this software as
part of their game design. Tutor should be able to add ideas where appropriate and help
participants to identify potential uses for this software as part of their game asset
development.
Previous knowledge:
N/A
Resources:
 Access to ChatMapper software (http://www.chatmapper.com/)
 Access to PCs with software installed/ with sufficient access privileges to install
software.
 Tables and chairs for discussion and monitoring of student progress.
Assessment criteria:
 Participants should be able to use ChatMapper software to create narrative, dialogue
and to model interactions as part of game ideas.
Enhanced Skills:
Category: Key competencies – Hard skills
 Direct: Students should be able to demonstrate knowledge of the value of using such
software, identify potential applications as part of their own work, and to use the
software both under the supervision of a tutor and via self-directed study to develop
design assets which contribute to their work/ the group effort.
 Indirect: Students should be able to demonstrate knowledge of script creation for
simple, educational games in general.
Glossary:
Assets: any component of a ChatMapper project which may include conversations, actors, items
and locations.
Conversation: a string of dialogue options (known as ‘nodes’) which are connected via a
branching tree.
Actors: any player (or non-playable character) who is attached to a dialogue node. Each node
requires both an actor (speaker) and a ‘conversant’ (listener).
Items/ locations: any noun used when defining a condition for progressing the conversation.”
-End of document-
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