URBAN GAMERS LAB: Techniques and Tools to Develop Transversal Competences and Life Skills in Educational Context Using Technologies

Objectives. The URBAN GAMERS LAB project involves a multidisciplinary team (architects, engineers, and psychologists) to propose the activation of knowledge dissemination and digital transition of the younger generations in Emilia Romagna region, in Italy. Method and Study Phases. The project started in January 2022 and ends in January 2023. About 300 high school and university students, 50 teachers and municipal employees participated in the project. The study took place in three main phases: 1) from May to June the students attended lessons and workshops on how to use games in order to learn and develop skills such as problem solving, creativity, collaboration and negotiation using educational robots (Ozobot) and technologies (VR); 2) from September to November, students held lessons and workshops on gamification (how to build a video game) and functional use of technologies (e. g. online reputation), while municipal employees attended training courses on how to use gamification in order to develop skills useful for their duties; 3) monitoring and impact assessment phase: two questionnaires were administered to all those who participated in the project, one at the end of the first part of the June activities and one at the end of the November activities in order to verify the acquisition skills and project progress. Lastly, a final event was organized with the return of the results to all the project participants. Results and Conclusion. Results show an acquisition of problem-solving, negotiation and transversal competences in all participants with a high liking of the activities they had carried out during the planning phase.