Senior Lecturer in Computer Science and Engineering Dr Daphne Economou spoke at the 13th Panhellenic/International Conference: ICT in Education and 11th Panhellenic Conference: Didactics of Informatics held in Kavala, Greece from 29 September to 1 October 2023. Her keynote address focused on the work of the Serious Games research group at the University of Westminster and how to enhance student experience in Higher Education, based on examples applied at the University of Westminster.
The Panhellenic/International Conference is the scientific conference of the Hellenic Scientific Association of Information & Communication Technologies in Education (ETPE). This conference is a forum for academic dialogue on modern scientific approaches in information and communication technology in education. The 13th Panhellenic and International Conference was organised by the Informatics Department of the International University of Greece.
Dr Economou said: “I was honoured to receive an invitation to deliver a keynote speech at the 13th Panhellenic/International Conference and 11th Panhellenic Conference. This event afforded me the privilege of engaging with distinguished academics and presenting applied examples of games and simulations carefully crafted by the Serious Games Research Group at the University of Westminster. Those gamified educational tools were tailored to enhance curricula and enrich the overall student experience across a spectrum of disciplines at the University, spanning from computer science to life sciences, criminology, legal education, and politics. My keynote illuminated the immense potential of Serious Games in Higher Education with the use of applied examples and underscored the profound contribution of the Serious Games Research group output to both the University and the broader academic community.”
The Serious Games at Westminster research group (SG@W) is a multidisciplinary research group committed to both research and developmental activities to foster greater knowledge, understanding, and use of serious games in different domains. The term ‘serious games’ refers to games that do not have entertainment as their primary purpose. These games are simulations of real-world events or processes and are designed to solve problems. They are often used to train or educate users.
The aim of SG@W is to conduct strategic research that focuses on understanding the factors and approaches that contribute to effective serious games design and lead in changes to disciplines like education, culture and healthcare. The research group designs serious games tailored to bespoke requirements, studies cognitive and social factors in the design of serious games and simulations, builds methodologies for the effective design of serious games and engages in scholarly and industry development.
SG@W provides a dedicated forum for established researchers to discuss the design and practice of serious games and offers training opportunities for Computer Science and Engineering students and graduates, who have the opportunity to be involved in research projects and building state-of-the-art technological interventions.
Learn about Computer Science and Engineering courses at the University of Westminster.
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