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A Simulated Training Framework for Skills Developm..
A Simulated Training Framework for Skills Development addressing students withintellectual and developmental disabilities and their trainers (Play2Do)
Start date: Sep 1, 2016,
End date: Aug 31, 2018
PROJECT
FINISHED
People with intellectual disabilities and developmental disabilities represent one of the most disadvantaged social groups inEuropean countries especially regarding their vocational preparation and their training towards employment. The pervasive natureof intellectual disabilities and developmental disabilities, creates very high levels of need for assistance often throughout everyaspect of the individual's existence and over the whole of the person's life, especially by experts, therapists, educators andcaretakers. Traditional patterns of care have been heavily based on institutions, which tend to segregate and isolate people from themainstream of society and many European countries are now beginning to replace these with more individualised, integratedservices which aim to support inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities in society (Mansell & Ericsson, 1996). Moreover,importance of health & social services is increasing as unemployment and relocation across Europe increases. This growing demandfor services in many Member States is creating unprecedented pressures on special education systems. Despite differences inpolitical approaches and institutional frameworks, special education in all Member States faces similar challenges in adjusting tosocietal changes, rising expectations and consumerism, changing employment and family patterns, evolving technologicalopportunities and funding issues. In addition to being an important source of job creation (in excess of 20 million employees), thespecial education sector has an important economic weight.A recent report by the Social Protection Committee on the social dimension in the EU2020 strategy stated that greater emphasismust be spent on generating an effective and innovative way of developing the human capital of those responsible for improvingthe quality of life for vulnerable people throughout Europe. Education and training plays a pivotal role in developing those whowork with people with disabilities and, more generally, the special education sector. In many parts of Europe, the sector has a strongemphasis on learning and assessing skills for job roles in real practice environments ("practice learning"). In some qualifications,practice learning can be almost 40% of the total learning time. There are also on-going demands for practice learning with newqualified professionals. There are clear logistical challenges in arranging practice opportunities where trainees are able to learn thecore skills of the job and receive high quality support, supervision and assessment of their practice from suitably qualified mentors/practice assessors. Furthermore, finding sufficient numbers of such placements has been a challenge for the last 30 years. However,there are also other challenges; e.g. risks associated with work-based learning and the safety and well-being of service users in givingtrainees access to their lives. Last but not least, the financial situation in many European countries has lead many families to cutdown the private therapies of family members with intellectual disabilities due to financial benefits reduction.To address these challenges, the Play2Do project will develop an immersive 3D virtual environment, built on gaming architectureand driven by emotional Artificial Intelligence (AI), to provide a safe and readily accessible environment where VET/school students with intellectual disabilities can learn by interacting with NPCs (Non-Player Characters) in a simulation of a real world service. Educators and trainers will be trained to use the framework and trainees will engage with simulations and will be required to navigate their way through choices to arrive at the best resolution. Each simulation can be replayed and evaluated by the trainer/mentor and the trainee can use the same simulation as many times as required. We see this as offering a measurable, controlled environment where learners can gain a command of the basics of the job role they are training for with minimal resource requirements and zero risk to the public, thus providing a sound basis from which to progress to real work practice placement.The project will develop a pedagogy for trainers/mentors around the use of the simulated practice learning environment anddevelop and deliver a curriculum around simulated practice learning. The project aims to train 200 trainers/mentors to use theenvironment and carry out a large-scale European pilot with over 300 VET/school students with intellectual disabilities and trainers/mentors/special education teachers using the environment and the new curriculum that will accompany it.The impact of the project will be the introduction of an integrative and motivating VET framework designed for student withintellectual disabilities and their educators/trainers, using a 3D game platform for supporting practice learning using qualities ofEmotional Artificial Intelligence and Adaptivity.