Using a Blended Pedagogical Framework to Guide the Applications of Games in Non-formal Contexts

The Refugee Interactive Skills for Employment (RISE) project aims to make use of games-based applications to engage with refugees in identifying and combating barriers to employment. The project has performed research into issues faced by EU refugees when seeking employment and has worked with these refugees to co-develop games-based learning (GBL) applications to improve the employability of refugees in the UK, Ireland and Germany. Training resources developed as part of this project include detailed specifications of learning outcomes, adaptations of existing curricula and serious games presented as either desktop or mobile applications. These resources now require careful organisation and publication as part of a 'Trainer's Handbook' to provide guidance for using the project results in a blended and flexible learning approach. Previous studies have aimed to consolidate these materials into a single educational framework which requires careful consideration of the social, educational, organisational and technological issues associated with embedding games in education. Previous work such as the Virtual Portal for Interaction and ICT Training for People with Disabilities (VIPI) project has created an online 'portal' of resources using a blended pedagogical framework to maximise learning and to provide a package that caters for the needs of a wide variety of users. This 'Handbook' provides a blueprint on how to optimally use the developed platform (including its tools, services, training material and games) and integrate it within current training practices. This paper will discuss how the VIPI framework has been adapted as part of the RISE project. The paper will summarise how the four dimensions (Educational, Social, Organisational, Technical) of the VIPI pedagogical framework have been updated to facilitate the delivery of the RISE games and curriculum modules, in particular those related to vocational skills and intercultural communication. The content of these modules provides nuanced learning for the target group of refugees, whose needs warrant specific orientation. Finally, a summary of the RISE Trainer's Handbook will be presented to highlight areas of good practice when applying GBL within employability focussed educational initiatives.