Gamified mobile/online learning for personal care givers for people with disabilities and older people (Constantinos Mourlas, Stavroula Papavasiliou, Karel Van Isacker and Katerina Sotirakou) Interactive Technologies and Games (ITAG) Conference 2015 Health, Disability and EducationDates: Thursday 22 October 2015 - Friday 23 October 2015 Location: The Council House, NG1 2DT

1. C. Sotirakou, S. Papavasiliou, C. Mourlas,
K. Van Isacker

2. Introduction
 People with disabilities and older people depend heavily on
personal care givers (PCGs).
 Most PCGs have completed basic education*. There were
also cases of PCGs that work as volunteers, without having
completed mandatory education.
 51,4% of the respondents stated that they have not
received any training related to providing assistance
to people with disabilities and older people.
 Only one VET centre identified using online material in
PCG training (in Bulgaria) and none using mobile
learning tools.
 Raising competence levels of these low-skilled people is at
the core of gamified mobile learning application, M-Care.
* M-Care survey conducted in Bulgaria, Belgium, Germany and Turkey

3. Gamification
Definitions
-“The process of game-thinking and game mechanics to
engage users and solve problems”
-“Using game design elements in non-game contexts”
 Gamification attempts to harness the motivational
power of games in order to promote participation,
persistence and achievements [Richter, G. Raban,
D.R. and Rafaeli, S.].
 The application of game design principles to non
game environments renders technology more
inviting, by engaging users in desired behaviours by
showing the path to mastery, providing constant
feedback and utilizing people’s innate enjoyment of
play.

4. Gamification in the workplace
 Studies suggest that extrinsic rewards in
enterprise software and workplaces can influence
a segment of the user population to participate
more intensely while rewards are awarded to
them [Deterding, S.].
 However other reports show that forced serious
game play is less enjoyable and effective
[Mollick, E. R., & Rothbard, N., Et.al.].
 Autonomy is the key factor to successful use of
gamification.
◦ In M-Care the user does not feel obliged to engage with
any activity and the application satisfies the users’ need
to control the outcome of her actions.

5. Gamification and education
 Games have been used to maximize the learning
potential of educational environments. It has
been documented that users who enjoy a playful
activity are willing to spend more time on a
task that they find interesting.
 Gamification also increases student
satisfaction levels.
 New pedagogical approaches on gamification
suggest that using game elements as an aid to
learning can reduce students’ dropout.
 In the M-Care's case, the application of
gamification elements in courses aims to
increase the effectiveness of learning and
enhance the understanding of users.

6. Gamification and motivation
 The idea of using game mechanics and dynamics to drive
participation and engagement, mostly by using extrinsic
rewards can undermine free-choice and self-reported
interest in the given task. To prevent this from happening,
Nicholson’s proposal of “meaningful gamification” is
followed in M-Care.
 Meaningful gamification has a user-centred approach
and focuses at three main needs: autonomy,
competency, and relatedness. Different users find
meaning in different things, so by allowing users to learn
what is meaningful to them, they are allowed to create
their own goals.
◦ For example, in M-Care, the system suggests various categories of
lessons and awards different badges and extra points for
completing any of them. By providing constant feedback, users feel a
sense of autonomy, freedom and a feeling that the system rewards
them for their own choices.

7. Design methodology
The M-Care application was designed following a user-
centred approach and the principles of universal design
[Horton, S., Stephanidis, C.]. Under this framework the
following tools were used:
 M-CARE survey results which provided the user
requirements
 Personas: User profiles for all major target groups
 Scenarios: Narratives describing interactions of user roles
and the technical system in order to achieve a fictional goal
 Use cases, providing a very detailed look at how each
user interacts with the application
 Task Analysis: Involves learning about users' goals and
understanding the tasks that users will perform using it
 Mock-ups which were presented to project partners to
collect feedback before implementing.

8. Game design
For the game design the MDA framework was followed. MDA
sets three levels of abstraction:
 Mechanics describes the particular components of the
game (points, levels, leaderboards, badges,
challenges/quests, onboarding, and engagement loops) at
the level of data representation and algorithms. In M-Care,
mechanics are combined with the PCG training material in
order to increase the effectiveness of the courses and
make the modules more appealing.
 Dynamics describes the run-time behaviour of the
mechanics acting on player inputs and each others’ outputs
over time.
 Aesthetics describes the desirable emotional responses
evoked in the player, when s/he interacts with the game
system.

9. Targeted User Populations
User Group Demographic
Information
Domain /
previous
knowledge
Computing
Experience
Computing
Environment
Low skilled
people
18+, any level
of education
(usually low
skilled),
employed/
looking for
employment)
Possible training
on caregiving
tasks
Low ICT literacy Desktop to some
extent
Mainly mobile
devices
Current
PCGs /
nurses
18+, minimum
secondary
education
Possible training
but definitely
experience in
caregiving tasks
Medium ICT
literacy
Desktop
Mobile devices
Trainers Any age, Higher
education (e.g.
special
education
trainers) /
employed in
training
centres.
Medical
background / PCG
related tasks
and/or ICT AT
Medium - High
experience
Desktop
Mobile devices

10. Hierarchical Task Analysis
Access & share
PCG training
material
Find content
through a
recommended list
Define parameters
through a wizard
Find content
through a user
favorite’s list
Mark an item as
favorite
Browse through a
customized list or
all entries
Perform free
search
Find content from
all available
entries
Browse available
categories / Tags
Free Search
Comment /
discuss
Access device
media galleries
/ camera
Login /
Register

11. Multilingual content
The application offers content in Turkish, Bulgarian, Dutch, German
and Greek. After launching the application users are prompted to
select their language using buttons illustrated with the respective
flags.

12. Architecture of the app
Dual functionality
 M-Care application provides both PCG training as
well as an additional access to educational
material about ICT-based assistive technology
(AT) products*.
 The app provides two distinct options at start up.
Two buttons are used, one for changing role
(PCG or AT) and one for returning to the main
menu of the role interface that the user is using
at that time.
* The application incorporates material created under the
framework of the ATLEC project (http://atlec-project.eu/)

14. PCG mode
Users can reach the educational material:
 defining a set of parameters through a
wizard
 search freely using keywords
 browse through the list of all available
courses
 ability to monitor their progress
through a point & badges system and
through quizzes at the end of each training
unit.

16. Wizard
For the PCG role, the application offers a wizard which will guide the
user into finding the training material s/he needs based on the
following questions:
Q1: You
provide care
assistance
for a Person
with
disabilities or
for an older
person?
Q2: What
type of
needs do you
need to
address?
Q3: On
which
specific tasks
do you need
information
on?
Q4: Where
do you need
to provide
assistance?

18. Free and category based search
Users are also able to perform a keyword search which will
present them with all relevant results. There is also an option
for searching through all the available thematic categories.

20. Favourites
Users are able to view a list with training modules that they
have marked as favourites through a button in the main
screen of the application.

21. Login / Register
Through this feature, users will be able to register, login and
logout of the app.

22. Training modules
 Based on the survey findings, most respondents
seem to prefer a blended training approach -
(online & face to face), with video indicated as
the preferred form of training content.
◦ Therefore, for training units focus is given to embedded
multimedia such as YouTube videos and audio
testimonials, which are complemented by textual
information and links to further study material.
 At the bottom of every course there is a
discussion icon that leads to a discussion
board, where users can interact with each other,
ask questions and talk about the course, and
share good practices.

25. The “Game”

26. The players
Taking into consideration the M-Care target groups, two
broader "player" profiles were created:
 Low skilled people/people with disability and family
members (+18): Especially for family members who are
providing care for free, intrinsic motivators like “learn
more in order to be better at your job” or extrinsic like "a
higher salary, or a better job” will not be effective. It is
necessary that they feel that using the app will make them a
better person.
 Professional/experienced PCGs/Trainers: Using
gamification elements, PCGs will feel like they are following
a training course which will eventually allow them to acquire
interesting knowledge that will facilitate their work.
Furthermore, as an intrinsic motivator, they want to be
better at their work in order to be able to offer more to the
people around them.

27. The “Game”
 Users earn points for every step they complete (sharing,
commenting) and badges as a status signifier for their
achievements in answering quizzes, after completing any PCG
training course.
 Depending on the number of badges collected, the user is
characterized as "novice", "intermediate" or "expert", each title
demonstrated by corresponding badges (e.g. gold, silver, bronze).
 The player's journey can be monitored through the "Achievements"
screen
Point Value
Point awards for player activities
Activity Purpose
100 points Create an account Early welcome bonus
50/10 points
Correct/False
Quiz Answer
Have users complete
the modules
100 points Try a new course
Have users try the
suggested modules
30 points Share
Have users share their
experience
40 points Start a new topic
Have users talk about
M-Care
10 points Comment
Have users comment
the content
5 points Favourite
Have users rate the
content

31. Conclusion
 Gamification in e-learning environments provides
opportunities for deeper understanding,
enhancing and enriching of the learning
experience.
 Gamification in a mobile learning tool for PCGs
attempts to enrich the educational experience
of mainly low skilled people, providing both a
self-assessment tool and a motivation to
successfully complete the courses.
 The results of the end-user piloting and the
evaluation phase will be measured in the second
semester of 2015 and will be presented in a future
study.

32. Inclusion and education...
Employment
ICT (AT)
competences
Social
competences
Efficient Caregiver
support
Empowerment

33. Games
(online,
desktop,
mobile)
Mentoring
Training
courses
(online,
offline,
mobile)
Peer
support
Free
OERs

34. Ecosystem based on person led process of personal
development in case of disability
Education
Vocational
training
Employment
Life long learning +
career
Schools
Vocational
training
centres
Carers
Policy makers
Employers +
self
employment
AT/ICT/... training / Support needed

35. Thank you!