Game-SI

Gamified Methods and Competence Development for Application-Oriented Social Innovations

Project duration: 01/11/2024 - 31/03/2026

Principal investigator: Prof. Dr. Uwe Bettig

Project staff: Melanie Akerboom

Partners:

• Hilfswerft GmbH

Abstract:
The importance of Social Innovations (SI) is increasingly recognized in both academia and politics. However, a supportive culture that fosters activation for and through SI has yet to be established in most economic and societal sectors. This also applies to the traditional social and healthcare sectors, including their structures and organizational cultures – areas where innovation is urgently needed to address acute challenges such as demographic change, workforce shortages, and care needs.

The collaborative project "Game-SI" aims to promote the development and implementation of Social Innovations in the traditional fields of social and healthcare services. The focus of the DATIpilot innovation sprint lies in the scientific evaluation and further development of the prototype mini-games and the competency model ("WIRKskills") developed by Hilfswerft gGmbH to promote (the development and diffusion of) social innovations.

Through the use of gamified methods (mini-games), the project seeks to create low-threshold access points to the topic of Social Innovations while simultaneously fostering initial experiences of self-efficacy among students and professionals in the social and healthcare sectors.

The core objectives include the development of a competency model to support Social Innovation in the SAGE sector (social, healthcare, and educational services) and the creation of a concept for implementing the mini-games in teaching and other educational settings.

Additionally, the project will explore how an interdisciplinary certificate program on Social Innovations, tailored specifically for students in the SAGE sector, could be designed. This program would integrate gamified methods and focus on developing the identified competencies.

Funding: Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

Keywords: Social Innovations, Gamification, Future Skills