A full-win on effective adult teaching

Oxford Language defines gamification as “the application of typical elements of game playing (e.g. point scoring, competition with others, rules of play) to other areas of activity”.

Gamification is, for instance, extremely useful to avoid unemployment by promoting new training tools that are highly effective.

A team of European civil organisations, co-funded by the European Union, intends to implement it widely throughout Europe to improve adult-learning quality.

Who is behind the project?

• AIFED: Spanish civil organisation for training, culture, and employment.

• Syllogos Ekpaidefsis Kai Anaptixis Atomon Me Idikes Angkes: Greek civil organisation that trains people with disabilities.

• Avanzo: Belgium NGO advocating for better adult training.

• Pleven Contemporary Media Foundation: Bulgarian media foundation.

These organisations collaborate on the project after realizing that each of their countries' adult-training systems lacked digital skills and inclusion in tuition.

Challenges addressed by the project

Their investigation highlighted several key issues:

• The struggle of marginalised social groups in following courses due to language barriers, lack of digital skills, and lack of motivation.

• Neurological difficulties many adults face when training as grown-ups, as the ability to process and remember information declines with age.

To tackle these challenges, the team created the project Games4You, which aims to enhance adult training through gamification to avoid unemployment and social exclusion.

Why gamification works

The process is supported by scientific studies showing the benefits of digitalisation and gamification for lifelong education. It:

• Amplifies problem-solving skills.

• Enhances motivation and engagement.

• Makes training more practical and fun.

  
  

For instance, a study conducted by Columbia Business School revealed that continuous gamified training improved a firm’s employee engagement rates and client retention rates by almost 6 and 8 points, respectively, over 400 days.

How will the project be implemented?

The project will follow two main axes:

1. Formation of educators on digital skills and innovative training methods.

2. Providing resources for adult students who want to adopt a different learning approach.

All resources on gamification training will be available on the project’s website, ensuring accessibility across Europe.

Goals of the project

The team aims to:

• Reach the largest target group possible.

• Preserve high-quality standards in implementation.

• Leverage transnational collaboration to strengthen inclusion and adaptation through a diversity of cultures.