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BIG STEP: Learning through Gamification - Integration of the vulnerable groups
Start date: Sep 1, 2016, End date: Aug 31, 2018 PROJECT  FINISHED 

As it is the case in the European Union (EU), especially during the last period of time, large migration waves of people in need of international protection arrive from countries and territories that suffer from war disasters, dictatorships, etc. in pursuit of a new home and of actual living conditions. According to Eurostat, the number of first time asylum applicants in the EU member states has almost tripled in the last quarter of 2015 (as compared to the same quarter of 2014), and it is a fact that if these refugees are to live, work and prosper along with the receiving communities they will need to be integrated into the host countries’ environment; the most effective way to accomplish this is by learning to communicate with the local population and get acquainted with their cultural particularities and their lifestyle.Our project “BIG STEP: Learning through Gamification – Integration of the vulnerable groups” will use the Gamification methodology which is the application of typical elements of game playing (e.g. point scoring, competition with others, etc.) to other areas of activity, such as teaching, to encourage engagement, learning flow, evaluation, etc. of participants. In that notion our project “BIG STEP” will develop a novel educational 2-D serious video game which will help refugees engage in learning their host country’s language by playing and interacting digitally, while combining local cultural aspects (e.g. what time do they have lunch in Belgium? etc). The game will be tailored to the respective needs and educational level(s) of our target groups, who will be reached through the official structures in place by the member states, and will enhance their media and literacy skills to a great extent, competences that are going to be very useful when looking for a job eventually.“BIG STEP” will be addressed to at least 550 stakeholders from the 5 participating countries to receive feedback during the Testing & Implementation phase, while our target group will be contacted during the Preparation & Research phase as well. The number of users is expected to multiply after the Evaluation of its Development and the inclusion of the potential suggestions for improvement, and the final version of the game will be presented during the final Dissemination event.In line with the Open Educational Resources (OER) scheme, the game will of course be free of charge and will stay online after the project ends to increase its impact. This will enable easy access to everyone who is interested to learn basic language skills and information regarding the countries that will participate in the project – with a view to extending the variety of languages, levels of difficulty and cultural depth available in future endeavours.The project’s outcomes will be addressed to the EU as a whole, as all member states face the challenge of integrating a number of refugees or other minorities to their communities as effectively as possible. The impact will be multifaceted, as apart from enhancing the participants’ skills and competences, it will also enhance their access to innovative educational context and reduce social and economical disparities. Also, the consortium envisages creating an alternative paradigm and influencing policy-making bodies, formal and non-formal education institutions and other organizations, in order to initiate progressive changes in the education contexts of EU countries in line with the Paris Declaration.
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