CASE STUDY GAMELEARN: A CONCEPT FOR SUPPORTING EXTRACURRICULAR COMPETENCE DEVELOPMENT FOR STUDENTS

The development of competences by students is an important issue for universities and companies hiring graduates. For extracurricular competences - competences which could not be included in students curricula the learning motivation as well as the quality of accessed information represents a challenge. The paper analyzes within the Gamelearn case study an original concept aimed to support and motivate students of the Faculty of Engineering in Foreign Languages (FILS) to develop extracurricular competences. The paper is using the case study method, including obervations, descriptions and where needed surveys. The concept of developing extracurricular competences focuses on three dimensions: know, can, want in other words on knowledge, ability to use knowledge in practice and motivation to do so. It involves an evolution similar to computer role playing games (RPG) where students begin as appretices in different extracurricular fields and can evolve up to the level of master in those fields if they perform certain actions ranging from viewing video materials and reading articles and books to building something. The concept requires professors to define certain levels of competence development in their fields of expertise and define the way students advance through the levels. The paper ends with conclusions about the most important findings of the case study as well as requirements for a future implementation in a learning platform.