Innovations are needed to address the global issue of access to high-quality education, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. This paper shows quasi-experimental evidence that a digital game-based learning programme ('Can't Wait to Learn') led to significantly greater improvements in mathematics competency, Arabic literacy competency, and psychological wellbeing of children aged 7-9 in Sudan, compared to state-provided education for out-of-school children, 6 months after the start of the programme implementation (n = 221). These findings were corroborated and extended by qualitative data from 33 focus group discussions and key informant interviews with children, learning directors, caregivers, community leaders, and supervisory staff. We found no difference between groups on child-reported hope, and we found evidence for a significant negative intervention effect on child-reported self-esteem, though the psychometric properties of these instruments were not adequate. We report several considerations related to the experience of local facilitators, programme implementation challenges, and the importance of community acceptance and engagement for fidelity of implementation.

Evaluations of education technology (ed tech) interventions in humanitarian settings are scarce. We present a proof-of-concept study of Can't Wait to Learn, a digital game-based learning program that combines an experiential, active learning design with meaningful, competency-appropriate, and contextually relevant content. We assessed the feasibility of using this program to address the current education gap in Lebanon by implementing its mathematics component in basic literacy and numeracy classes (n=30) with out-of-school children (n=390) ages 10-14. We estimated changes in numeracy competency and psychosocial wellbeing and conducted focus group discussions (n=16) and key informant interviews (n=19) with children, facilitators, parents, and partner staff members to understand the lived experience, perceived impact, and implementation challenges of the program. Our findings support the feasibility of using ed tech programs to meet the needs of out-of-school children, as we saw significant improvements in numeracy, psychological symptoms, and self-esteem; positive reported experiences with the program; increased motivation among the children; and overall ease of implementation. Our suggested improvements to the game design and implementation model will support ongoing program adaptation and implementation, with the goal of increasing access to quality education for children living in humanitarian settings. Our findings will inform future studies that seek to conclusively determine the program's effectiveness.

PurposeInformal learning is seen as the most important way to acquire and develop the skills and competencies required for work. The Dutch Defence organisation (DDO) aims to use the opportunities for development of employees that informal learning offers better and is looking for suitable interventions. Four possible interventions to improve informal learning were developed, based on factors that influence informal learning. The purpose of this paper is to assess how Dutch Military personnel rate these interventions and to gather their opinions and preferences per intervention.Design/methodology/approachA total of 96 employees completed an online mixed-method vignette study. In the questionnaire, the four interventions were introduced by a visualisation in the form of a “comic strip” (vignette), and respondents’ perceptions were measured with multiple choice and open-ended questions.FindingsRespondents clearly indicated a preference for two of the four interventions, i.e. informal mentorship and safe learning environment. They provided numerous advantages and disadvantages per intervention. They also indicated that all four interventions could be used throughout the entire Dutch Defence Organisation.Research limitations/implicationsThe results contribute to a thoughtful design of interventions that can be used in practice; also, the interventions can be improved based on the advantages, disadvantages and suggestions formulated by the respondents in this vignette study.Originality/valueThe designs of interventions are studied in a systematic way by the target population before they are actually developed and implemented. In addition, the use of “comic strips” and visualisations in vignette studies is quite original.

Education for children in the developing world is in crisis, and children growing up in war are already at the sharp end of global development challenges: of the 57 million primary-age children who are out of school, almost half live in conflict zones (http://www.unicef.org/media/media_75652.html). This research is grounded in the issues of educating children living in these zones, with a particular focus on innovative approaches to access via online and distance learning using ICT. Within this approach, a mathematics game was developed in close cooperation with the Ministry of Education in Sudan, the Ahfad University for Women in Khartoum and children from target communities. The intention was to develop a game that enables children from those communities to autonomously learn mathematics covering a curriculum of 3 years. The objective of this research is to describe the design of this game in relation to its requirements-educational, contextual, cultural, and from a game design perspective. An additional goal is to find out if children can play the game, want to play it, and will play it again. For pragmatic reasons this evaluation has been carried out in the Netherlands, with a total of 15 Arabic-speaking children. Their backgrounds were Egyptian, Moroccan, and Sudanese. The ages varied between 5 and 9, and the group was made up of seven girls and eight boys. The game was played on three consecutive Saturdays; most children (8) played the game three times, some children played the game once (2) or twice (5). Using observation forms, semi-structured interviews-with the children and with their parents-and questionnaires, data about motivation, enjoyment, perceived difficulty and cooperation between children were collected. The game met most of the requirements. Educationally, the game taught the mathematical concepts in a way that was understood by the children. This means it fits the context as well: children can learn autonomously. Culturally, we received anecdotal evidence that the Sudanese context was portrayed in a correct way. From a game design perspective, there should have been more learner control, though. The results of the evaluation show that average enjoyment increased slightly over the 3 weeks: from 3.5 on a 5-point Likert scale in week 1 to 3.9 in week 3. The average perceived difficulty was low: starting at 2.6 in week 1 and decreasing in week 2 and 3 to 1.7. Average motivation was high: 4.5 on a 5-point Likert scale, and stayed almost the same during the evaluation. Average cooperation was high: around 4.5 on a 5-point Likert scale. The setting of this evaluation did not completely reflect the situation in Sudan; the children lived in the Netherlands and knew their mathematics. Still, it has provided worthwhile feedback to improve the game further.

Incident evaluations show that bystanders tend to help: they do not wait for professionals to arrive, but act as required by the situation at hand. In the present study, we investigated how safety awareness (induced before an accident happened) and providing a course of action by emergency services affect helping behavior after witnessing a virtual accident with two victims. The main task of the participants was to arrive at a job interview in time. Safety awareness was manipulated by the specific organization they went to: either promoting safe traffic or healthy living. The results show that all participants were inclined to help. Participants who were primed towards safe traffic more often called the emergency number, but talked to the victim less often. Participants who had received specific courses of action moved the victim less often. In all, the results clearly indicate the value of effective risk communication (before an event occurs) and crisis communication (after an event has occurred), as both types of information improve the quality of actual helping behavior at the scene.

Access to quality education is essential for children's academic, occupational, social, and emotional outcomes. Yet globally, 121 million school-aged children are out of school. Many of these children live in countries affected by armed conflict, poverty, or instability. Additionally, host countries - taking in refugee children - require innovative solutions to increase enrolment and reduce burden on existing education systems. For this reason, War Child Holland and TNO have developed Can't Wait to Learn, a tablet-based programme that teaches mathematics and literacy competencies to children in line with the national curriculum through a serious-gaming approach. The game has been tested in an out-of-school setting without teachers, current studies will also focus on classroom situations. Taking the game into the classroom raises a number of questions. What part of the role of a teacher can never be replaced by a tablet? How will teachers integrate the game into their classrooms? What is the most effective delivery model? And to what extent can learning be self-paced in the classroom? In this paper, we will discuss the role and responsibilities of teachers in game-based learning. While game-based learning offers good opportunities for children to work at their own level, and progress at their own rate, it can also add to the burden of teachers when differences in mastery levels of children increase even more because of using the game. It is quite clear that this is a delicate balance. We will present various possible delivery models, the support teachers need to be willing and able to use the games in the classroom, and an overview of the teacher training. Preliminary findings on the actual implementation of Can't Wait to Learn in the classroom will be available by the end of 2017.

In designing De BurgemeesterGame—The Mayor Game—we aimed to develop a game that would be used and appreciated by a target population that was hardly used to being trained and had little affinity with applied gaming: mayors. To make sure that the (learning) goals, the context, the characteristics of the target population, and the creative design were all integrated into the game, we chose to work in a consortium with a focus group. We included engaging elements like simple gameplay based on actual processes, authentic scenarios presented in the way of dilemmas, time pressure, and collaboration. This resulted in a game that was accepted by the target population and has been played by more than half of all mayors in The Netherlands. Mayors feel the game challenges them to explore their decision making during crisis management and stimulates them to discuss this with other mayors.

E-Learning Sudan (ELS) is a custom-built computer game that provides alternative learning opportunities to Sudanese children who are excluded from education. Unique in ELS is that children can learn mathematics, in their own remote village, without a teacher. This research study assessed the effectiveness of ELS through a pretest-posttest control group quasi-experimental design. Participants consisted of 67 children in three remote villages, aged between 7-11, that had never been to school before. The control group consisted of 19 children in a fourth remote village. The experimental group used the game for a period of six weeks, five days a week, 45 minutes a day. The results of the analysis on the pretest-posttest data revealed that ELS increased mathematics knowledge acquisition in numeracy and adding significantly and maintained student motivation to learn. The findings suggest that the implementation of ELS can greatly benefit learning for out-of-school children like in Sudan.

Voor bestrijding van een crisis, rampen of incidenten is de crisiscommunicatie naar burgers een steeds belangrijker wordend thema. Dat de rol van burgers meer prominent wordt, betekent dat op een andere wijze informatie vergaard wordt en wordt gedeeld. Dat burgers niet wachten totdat de hulpverleners ter plaatse zijn en zelf in actie komen, vraagt om een aangescherpte crisiscommunicatie. De transitie van ‘de burgers als slachtoffer / toeschouwer naar de burger als kompaan en medestander’ krijgt meer nadruk. Er vindt een professionalisering plaats zodat communicatiecommunicatie effectiever kan worden. Deze beweging wordt gekenmerkt door twee aspecten: (1) de inhoud & kwaliteit van de crisiscommunicatie en (2) de inrichting van de organisatie ten behoeve van het versterken van de inhoud & kwaliteit. Communicatie adviseurs leggen vaker een assessment af en hebben meer tools en mogelijkheden om de boodschap te delen. Denk hierbij aan de opkomst van sociale media.

The goal of the present study was to investigate whether playing a serious game concerning natural and man-made risks leads to increased risk awareness and additional information search. As an experimental task, we developed a serious board game. Fifty-six students participated in the experiment; half of them played the serious game whereas the other half only filled in a questionnaire at pretest and posttest (after two weeks). Participants who had played the game were more aware of risks in their own environment. Furthermore, playing the serious game counterbalanced the decline in self-efficacy as seen in the control condition. In both conditions, participants gathered more information on natural risks. This positive effect in the control condition is probably a side effect of the method used: a reasonably elaborate questionnaire in combination with a delay of two weeks. In all, the results provide a positive basis for further development of the game and to use it on a larger scale to empower citizens to take more responsibility for their own safety.

This paper describes the theoretical basis and development of the iSELF: an Internet-tool for Self-Evaluation and Learner Feedback to stimulate self-directed learning in ubiquitous learning environments. In ubiquitous learning, learners follow their own trails of interest, scaffolded by coaches, peers and tools for thinking and learning. Ubiquitous learning solutions include on- and off-line, formal and informal learning. To benefit from its possibilities, learners need to develop competencies for self-directed learning. To do so, a self-evaluation tool can help the learner to get insight in his/her own development, to manage and monitor his/her own learning process, to collaborate in learning, to relate the learning to 'real life' needs, and to take control over educational decisions. The iSELF was developed in an iterative process, complying to the following high level requirements: (1) Enabling learning anytime, anywhere; (2) Supporting self-directed learning; (3) Evaluating learner, learning solutions and job-needs; (4) Assessing learner competencies; (5) Using card-sort method for questionnaires; (6) Facilitating questionnaires 'under construction'; and (7) User-friendly design. The resulting online tool contained a card-sort module, looking somewhat like a 'solitaire' game, a profile module to evaluate core competencies, and a feedback module to suggest learning possibilities. For illustration, 14 different studies that contributed to the development of iSELF and to the development of self-evaluation questionnaires compliant to iSELF, are briefly discussed. These illustrative studies included various populations: e.g. students, employees from small and medium enterprises, crisis management organizations, and the military. Usefulness and usability of the self-evaluation tool were valued positively. The iSELF contributes to an adaptive ubiquitous learning environment in which the learner can make the educational decisions according to self-directed learning principles. The iSELF will stimulate self-directed learning in a ubiquitous learning environment and will help to create learners for life. © ACPIL.

De Burgemeestergame - The Mayor Game - is the result of the research project "GATE Pilot Safety ( http://gate.gameresearch.nl/ )" (2009–2012). The game provides strategic dilemma training for crisis management scenarios using a serious game format. Since there were no games available that could be used for training policy makers, the valid question at that point was how to develop a serious game that would be used and useful for policy makers. What exactly would such a game look like? This article explains in more detail the establishment of the learning goals (expert group), the didactic background (self-directed learning) and the development process (AGD Framework) of the Mayor Game.

De publicatie is een combinatie van de resultaten van TNO projecten over crisiscommunicatie en zelfredzaameheid van burgers. Wat doe je als er in je omgeving iets gebeurt? Een overstroming, een opstootje of een ongeluk? Of als de stroom langdurig uitvalt, gas of water afgesloten raken in een strenge winter? En wat als er in je huis of kantoor brand uitbreekt? Gelukkig maken we dit als burger niet zo vaak mee. Het nadeel daarvan is wel dat we er dus ook niet op voorbereid zijn. In een veranderende omgeving is het een uitdaging om juiste en betrouwbare informatie tijdig te verspreiden. Burgers verwachten dat wel. Tegenstrijdige informatie of een persconferentie 24 uur na het incident, zijn de beste manieren om het vertrouwen van burgers te verliezen. Hulpdiensten proberen zich hier steeds beter op in te stellen, maar ook de organisaties moeten ingericht worden op deze veranderingen. Dit zal gevolgen hebben voor zowel de verantwoordelijkheden en bevoegdheden van mensen als ook voor de invulling van de bemensing zelf. Deze publicatie kan bijdragen aan de verdere uitwerking daarvan.

This paper describes the development of the iSELF: an Internet-tool for Self-Evaluation and Learner Feedback to stimulate self-directed learning in ubiquitous learning environments. In ubiquitous learning, learners follow their own trails of interest, scaffolded by coaches, peers and tools for thinking and learning. Ubiquitous learning solutions include on-and off-line, formal and informal learning. To benefit from its possibilities, learners need to develop competencies for self-directed learning. To do so, a self-evaluation tool can help the learner to get insight in his/her own development, to manage and monitor his/her own learning process, to collaborate in learning, to relate the learning to 'real life' needs, and to take control over educational decisions. The iSELF is developed in an iterative process in three phases, complying to the following high level requirements: (1) Enabling learning anytime, anywhere; (2) Supporting self-directed learning; (3) Evaluating learner, learning solutions and job-needs; (4) Assessing learner competencies; (5) Using card-sort method for questionnaires; (6) Facilitating questionnaires 'under construction'; and (7) User-friendly design. The resulting online tool contained a card-sort module, looking somewhat like a 'solitaire' game, a profile module to evaluate core competencies, and a feedback module to suggest learning possibilities in a ubiquitous learning environment. The iSELF was developed to be not only a learner tool but a scientific tool as well. Using the tool, two self-evaluation questionnaires were developed and psychometrically tested: competencies for multidisciplinary cooperation in a Network Centric Organization and self-directed learning competencies. They are used in various populations: e.g. students, employees from small and medium enterprises, crisis management organizations, and the military. Usefulness and usability of the self-evaluation tool were valued positively. It contributes to an adaptive ubiquitous learning environment in which the learner can make the educational decisions according to self-directed learning principles. The iSELF will stimulate self-directed learning in a ubiquitous learning environment and will help to create learners for life.

In our rapidly changing technological society, formal training alone cannot meet the need for development of working individuals. Self-directed learning is seen as a solution for adult learners to keep up with these changes. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to identify the essential elements of self- directed learning that should be integrated into a ubiquitous learning environment for learning in the workplace. To achieve this, a systematic review on self-directed learning was performed. This produced five elements that support self-directed learning: learner control, self-regulating learning strategies, reflection, interaction with the social world and interaction with the physical world. This study shows that the characteristics of adult learning, as well as those of ubiquitous learning, match with the elements that support self- directed learning. Still, in the development of ubiquitous learning environments some elements of self-directed learning are not used yet. Therefore, the fields of research that focus on learning (e.g. adult learning, self-directed learning) and those that focus on learning technology (e.g. ubiquitous learning) should work towards a more integrated approach in the design of learning environments.

Systematische meta-review (1967-2007) waarin 17 reviews over zelfsturend leren zijn geanalyseerd. In combinatie met altijd-en-overal leren en volwassen-leren biedt dit oplossingen voor een leven lang leren op de werkplek.