The C2Learn project aims to foster co-creativity in learning through digital gaming activities whose design and development is grounded on rigid theoretical foundations. The project is shaped as a progression from theoretical foundations to design, development, pilot implementation and evaluation in real life educational settings. Careful pedagogical and game designs have defined the elements of learners' gameful digital experiences and produced the specifications for the development of the corresponding technologies and activities. In this process and throughout the project, school communities have been engaged in iterative dialogic cycles leading to design decisions, their implementation and evaluation in real-life educational settings. This paper presents in summary the methodology followed and the results of a core part of the research, with a special focus on the C2Learn games which, despite originating in a different context, directly contribute to the 'maker movement' in education.
settings. This paper presents in summary the methodology followed and the results of a core part of the research, with a special focus on the C2Learn games which, despite originating in a different context, directly contribute to the ‘maker movement’ in education. 2
The foundations of the project lie in a consolidated theoretical framework
encompassing the theories of Wise Humanising Creativity (WHC) [
The theoretical framework defines the vision of the project and frames the design and development of the envisioned C2Learn technological solution. C2Learn theory also defines the wider conceptual and pedagogical framework in which the use of C2Learn technologies and C2Learn-inspired learning and teaching practices are placed. Thus, starting from C2Learn theory, the project produces theoretically framed technological innovation combined with designs for its deployment, use, and evaluation in real educational practice.
C2Learn theory is provided to the project in an operational form so that it can be
used for the design and evaluation of the C2Learn solution. Thus, the theoretical
framework is manifested as: a) CER Techniques [
The technology produced is an innovative digital gaming and social networking environment incorporating diverse tools the use of which can foster co-creativity in learning processes in the context of both formal and informal educational settings. Digital gaming constitutes the chosen means for the involvement of learners and educators in WHC-CER practices in and around this digital environment. C2Learn theory thus frames game design, so that the designed playful digital experiences can foster co-creativity as theorized in C2Learn.
The C2Learn digital environment and the wider pedagogical environment in which
it is used are gameful environments where co-creativity occurs playfully. The pursuit
of playfulness is a priority served through explicit gameful design [
Throughout, school communities are actively engaged in iterative dialogic cycles leading to design decisions, their pilot implementation and evaluation in classrooms. In close reflective collaboration with communities of educators and students in Austria, Greece and England, researchers gather user requirements, co-design locally appropriate solutions for the introduction of the innovation in real life learning settings, negotiate and plan various instances of such an introduction for the purposes of piloting and evaluation.
The aim of piloting in the project is to test and evaluate with users the C2Learn experience, including both the technologies developed and the pedagogical practices enabled by these technologies. In the pilots, educational activities specifically shaped around the use of the C2Learn technologies and methodologies are implemented in educational settings. The aim is to create conditions for evaluation that can provide the project with feedback used for further refining design and development and for introducing adjustments and improvements.
Evaluation is realized through the application of the co-creativity assessment
methodology specifically developed on the basis of C2Learn theory. The core aim is
to evaluate C2Learn’s impact on learner’s co-creativity as theorized in the project,
by documenting change as well as the lived experience of engaging in
C2Learnenabled activity [
Educational scenarios [
Educational scenarios are designed in close collaboration with the school communities, providing input into the design process directly from educational practice. Indeed, they constitute that aspect of the design of the C2Learn solution which is most strongly shaped by the collaborating school communities and framed by their educational realities. They are a design tool aiming to ensure that the innovative technologies deployed and practices introduced will correspond to the needs, circumstances, expectations and aspirations of the end users. Therefore, their development is interwoven with processes aiming at establishing user expectations and requirements.
As we have described elsewhere [
An important aspect of this design is the distribution of C2Learn practice in the physical and digital spaces of C2Learn. In this context, educational scenarios propose appropriate configurations of the use of digital and non-digital C2Learn assets in the pedagogical environment, based on the affordances and opportunities offered by the various media and how those can be best used in a given educational setting. Attention is paid to the representation in the scenarios of a wide variety of configurations of C2Learn experience, including the use of different combinations of digital and non-digital assets, in various time frames, so as to illustrate the versatility, flexibility and adaptability of the C2Learn solution.
The C2Learn games are hosted in C2Space, a web space which integrates all technological constituents into a unified user experience. It is a gameful social networking environment designed to foster co-creativity as theorized in the C2Learn project. C2Space offers playful digital experiences (‘C2Experiences’) for students to engage with. C2Experiences are structured in C2Space in ‘Creative Quests’, ‘Creative Missions’ and ‘Creative Challenges’, as presented in Table 1. Among the various Creative Challenges, of particular interest from a ‘maker movement’ perspective are those based on the games 4Scribes and Iconoscope. 4.1
4Scribes is a story-making game. The objective of the game is to collaboratively create a story, while each player tries to steer the narrative towards their individual secret ending. The premise of the story can be given by a teacher, decided by the players, or generated by computational tools. The winner is decided through the players, who each anonymously vote which ending was the “best”.
The Light and Dark variety is a variation on the 4Scribes game, where learner-created endings are randomly attributed a dark or light modifier. This gives the players goals in different directions, and often results in more dynamic play, because of the conflicting goals. Dark and Light endings refer to the tone the learner should take into consideration when writing their secret ending. Dark refers to dark themed endings, working against the ideals of the premise. Light refers to lighter themed endings, working towards the ideals of the premise.
To play 4Scribes, players use the Creative Elements, i.e. cards carrying one word or short phrase each which are meant to disrupt players’ conventional thinking. In turns, players advance the story using one of their elements at each time. The words are not meant to be interpreted literally, but are an idea and an archetype that should spark the imagination of players. Thus, using the words or phases appearing on the elements in play serves as a creative seed in story-making. 4.2
In Iconoscope players make icons to represent concepts given by the system. The player’s goal is to make their icon representative of the concept, but not too obvious, so that they make the others guess - and to guess what other players’ icons represent. Players score points for guessing right, and for having co-players guess what their own icon is representing. However, if all co-players interpret the icon correctly, the player loses points - hence the need to make an icon that is representative, but not too obvious. The game requires participants to internalize the logic of a disruptor, and then produce one. The creativity (disruptive) part comes in through the way this icon is then evaluated. Usually signs or icons are meant to convey unambiguously whatever message they represent. A common measure of success is their having conveyed their message as accurately or fully, to as many people as possible. In Iconoscope the icon has achieved its purpose if it has conveyed the idea to as many people as possible, but not all. So an icon fails if it communicates its intended message to everyone, if it communicates its intended message to no one, or if it communicates its intended message to fewer people than another competing icon.
Acknowledgements. The C2Learn project (November 2012 – October 2015) is supported by the European Commission through the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) under grant agreement no. 318480. The contents of this paper do not represent the views of the European Commission and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this paper lies entirely with the authors.