On November 9-10 2021, Aalto Online Learning – Online Hybrid Lab hosted a challenge within the DigiEduHack 2021 hackathon. Our challenge was entitled Engaging Virtual Learning. In the challenge we sought solutions on online learning settings that are truly engaging.
We are happy to announce the winner for our challenge! We congratulate the winning team ONE ZERO with their project Serious Games to Supplement Asynchronous Lessons, and team members Natasha Mehmood and Urooj Hamid from PHC Global, Pakistan. Here is how the winning team describes their solution:
The project proposes a mobile application using gamification techniques to convert the single national curriculum initially at primary level (I – V) into an engaging eLearning platform for improved learning with the help of serious games.
This student-centered application will initially focus on covering basic subjects such as English, Math, Science and Urdu followed by a complete integration of all subjects into the application. The application will make learning more fun and accessible to help Pakistan achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 of access to quality education and help to reduce the number of out-of-school-children (OOSC).
The solution aims to educate, engage and empower people in all aspects of their lives irrespective of where they live with the help of innovative learning methods. The future of the youth of Pakistan is dependent on the access to quality education to achieve great financial and social development. Bringing an innovative idea comes with its own set of challenges. Changing the mind-set of how games are perceived in a Low-Middle-Income country context and then using serious games to impart knowledge and achieve educational objectives will be a challenge. Building partnerships with public sector, private sector and non-profit organizations to work towards achieving the same goal will be a challenge too.
Technology is transforming teaching and learning and COVID has triggered technology intervention and digitized the learning process. Use of serious games for learning has been very rare, let alone using it for specific areas such as Single National Curriculum for Grade I-V, teacher training and for youth financial inclusion.
There has been work going on in different areas of eLearning in Pakistan and over the globe, we look forward to building healthy partnerships to avoid duplication of ideas and work but provide innovative solutions and serious games in areas that are unexplored.