Educational Games for Soft-skills Training in Digital Environments ― New Perspectives

The book explores advances in soft-skill training through the adaptation of traditional psycho-pedagogical methodology to digital and online settings. Several educational techniques are explored, such as role-playing, psychodrama and rule and drama-based games. The experiences reported in the book are the synthesis of several European projects, coordinated by the authors, aimed at applying known psycho-pedagogical training models to on-line, technology enhanced learning contexts in a broad range of applications and target groups. The specificity of such a psycho-pedagogical methodology, applied throughout all the discussed EU projects, is mainly represented by the importance of feedback and debriefing processes that can be conveyed to learners through different means, such as online group or individual chat with tutors, automatic reports and a psychologically informed scoring system. Tutors, either real or artificial, are seen as the key factor facilitating the training process. The ultimate objective of this book is to offer a theoretical framework where real examples, direct experiences and possible indications on how rule and drama-based multiplayer and single player games can support traditional practice for enhancing soft skills to a wide community of trainers, coaches, HR advisors, consultants and psychologist.

Dr. Elena Dell’Aquila is a clinical psychologist with a specialisation in Organisational Psychology (Human Resource Management & Development). Her research has a strong focus on the development and design of educational/learning methodologies promoting effective users interaction with new technologies, with a particular interest in serious, simulation-based, games. Elena has participated in the development of EU projects in collaboration with members of the Italian National Research Council, the University of Naples and University of Plymouth. These projects have had specific emphasis on users’ interaction through advanced e-learning platforms, the usability of such software for child & adult learners (education) & visually impaired people (accessibility) & soft skills training. Elena in her working experience has also been responsible for the definition, design and implementation of interactive E-learning objects and development of storyboards to support users’ interaction within the simulation environments. Elena is currently working on an LLP TOI Programme project (S-cube) based around the design and the implementation of educational role play game scenarios, for training soft skills of pivotal actors involved in Social Enterprises, such as Leadership, Communication, Decision making. She is also working as staff development advisor within a Marie-Curie-ITN project (Robot-DOC), with responsibility involving the design and delivery of the soft-skill coaching program for PhD students within the consortium. Professor Orazio Miglino (University of Naples) is a full professor at University of Naples where he was pas-president of the 5 year specialist degree course in psychology and director of Ph.D program in Psychological and Pedagogical. He is the President of Italian Association of Cognitive Sciences and He leads the National and Artificial Cognition Laboratory. He is also an associate researcher at the Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies of Italian National Research Council (ISTCCNR). Prof. Miglino has coordinated numerous projects in the LLP program both for ISTC-CNR (Learn2Lead, T3, SINAPSI, SISINE) and for University of Naples (EUTOPIA-MT, DREAD-ED). Dr Andrea Di Ferdinando (University of Naples) is a researcher and a developer. His research activity concentrates mainly on Artificial Life and Neural Networks techniques and methodologies, on computational models of neuropsychological syndromes, on Artificial Intelligence systems applied to videogames and learning processes. He is author of international scientific publications and participated to many European research projects, in which he collaborated to the creation of several technological platforms for Soft Skill training. As a developer, he created many applications that make use of Artificial Life methodologies and techniques, for education and entertainment purposes.