The Imagine Project

I was reading about the Imagine Project (2010) as part of my ongoing research into Games in Education.   The project, was a 2 year initiative funded by the European Commission under the Lifelong Learning Programme researching the use of digital games for learning, also known as Games-Based Learning GBL.

The main target audience for the project was policy makers: people working at key levels of national ministries responsible for school education, adult and lifelong learning, vocational training (employment), skills agendas, regional and local education authorities and other bodies responsible for strategic developments concerned including those agencies which promote ICT in schools.

IMAGINE (Increasing Mainstreaming of Games In Learning Policies) aims to show conclusively that games can succeed because they use sound pedagogical approaches in the development of valuable skills such as:

• strategic thinking
• planning; communication
•  application of numbers
•  negotiating skills
•  group decision-making
• data-handling
• eye-hand coordination

As the project only ended at the end of last year it will take some time before the recommendations filter into policy makers guide books, and yet more time before they have any impression on the majority of education establishments across Europe.  I for one will be keeping a look out.  My gaming module will be its own little research project and I am looking forward (albeit nervously) to the heated debate this week with the question of “Should video games have a place in education?”  Watch this space!