Gamification 4 Humanitarian Learning: from Kenya to Philippines and … globally with a MOOC!

Based on the successful implementation of two Gamification Labs in Kenya and the Philippines, this MOOC was conceived to be an innovative online laboratory to reach a broader audience interested in the topic. The overall goal of the MOOC was to increase the awareness of non-profit and development professionals focusing on humanitarian themes such as disaster and risk management, disaster response and resilience, towards the use of gamification for capacity building.

This online course was the next stop of the units’ journey into addressing the need for increased engagement and effective training of humanitarian staff with the use of gamification. Meeting the increasing needs for professional learning in the humanitarian sector this course followed the trends suggested by research.  Some of the key findings from a 2015 survey on the leaning preferences  of aid workers include:

• 92% of respondents indicated English was their preferred language.  Yet less than 50% of respondents identified English as their native language.
• More than 50% of respondents have used a smartphone to access online learning, with Android being the most popular operating system.
• Online courses accessed via the web continue to be the preferred learning format, with reading materials and on-line courses taken offline ranking next highest.
• Learners would benefit most from additional training in the areas of community-based disaster preparedness and complex emergencies.

Exceeding 1,100 participants, this course proved that despite its specialized content it attracted a large number of participants, mainly already employed in the humanitarian sector. The learners identified various challenges in the humanitarian sector, deriving from their professional experiences that could be addressed through gamification and got their first experience in game design.

According to the learners, one of the main advantages of this MOOC was that its approach was more practical. In the evaluation question “How do you judge the contents in relation to your starting knowledge in Gamification?”, the learners described it mainly as practical.

The learners were overall highly satisfied with the course and 92.73% of the learners would recommend the MOOC to a colleague.

During the course there were 32 game prototypes with humanitarian relevant content submitted. These games were created with the use of Gamoteca platform, allowing learners to test their ideas.