“Gamifying” Employment Policies

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Last week we experimented the use of Socrative.com, a free web application that offers an easy and friendly experience to trainers to engage and assess their learners.

We then organized a Space Race!

The Space Race is one of the features offered by Socrative.com that allows turning an old-fashion quiz into an intergalactic trip.

The learning objective was to let participants assess their learning in small groups, review and reinforce the knowledge acquired during the training.

Time: 40 min

Material:

  • 1 tablet/laptop per group;
  • Flipcharts where to provide the PIN codes for learners to access Socrative virtual room;
  • 1 big screen where learners can see their rockets;
  • Internet connection

Process:

  • Learners are divided in groups;
  • Learners are informed that they are going to play the Space Race game asking them to review the knowledge acquired during the training;
  • Each group is provided with a tablet or a laptop and the link to access Socrative web-application (socrative.com);
  • Learners choose the “Student Login” and enter the PIN code that enable access to the virtual room;
  • After having entered the PIN code, the groups are asked to provide a name and to select their team’s rocket colour (e.g. Blue, Magenta, Lime, Peach, Violet)
  • Now they can start racing! Each group competes with other groups;
  • There are 20 questions, quite short but with multiple choice answers.
  • If participants answer correctly, their space rocket will advance accordingly on the space board. If they don’ answer correctly, their space rocket doesn’t move.
  • The WINNING TEAM is the team who answer the highest amount of questions in less time, therefore achieving the furthest distance.
  • At the end of the game it’s also possible to download the results and check what are the questions that have been answered correctly/incorrectly and eventually discuss in class.

 

PROs:

– The activity constituted an energizer exercise suitable for an after-lunch session;

– Increased discussion and reflection, and team sharing as learners were forced to discuss together each question before submitting the right answer;

– Learners were forced to go through all the quiz questions, therefore being exposed to a comprehensive knowledge check;

– It was fun: cooperation and competition were key elements;

 

Things that need to be considered:

– Clear instructions to learners at the beginning;

– All teams should start at the same time

– First provide instructions, then allow learners to access the Space Race;

– Make sure all Space Race questions are well formulated;

– Make sure the main computer does not freeze or sleeps otherwise the advancements of the space rockets is blocked;

– Print the results of the Space Race for the facilitator to comment at the end of the exercise;

– Have groups of 4 people max. to make sure interaction is adequate

 

The CF4DEV MOOC: new learning paths towards unconventional financing for development

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From our colleague Alessia Messuti

Between May and June 2015, ITCILO launched and implemented its first MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) on the topic of Crowdfunding for Development (CF4Dev).

The CF4Dev MOOC represented an interesting opportunity for ITCILO to assess the learning and knowledge sharing potential of the MOOC format. This adventure was fully documented by the Distance Education Learning and Technology Applications (DELTA) Programme.

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