Development of a Research Protocol for Teacher Engagement in the Coventry Pilot of the BEACONING Platform for Anywhere Anytime Gamified Learning.

This paper discusses the development of a research protocol for teacher engagement with the innovative BEACONING platform for authoring and delivery of gamified learning experiences. The platform developed allows teachers to author desktop, mobile and location based ‘Gamified Lesson Plans’, and track the progress made by their students. Although originally intended for STEM teaching and learning with 16-24-year olds, the platform has attracted interest from teachers of other age-groups and disciplines.
Coventry University, as lead partner for the BEACONING project, has conducted a number of small-scale pilots to complement the large scale pilots taking place in France, Turkey, Romania. This paper considers the rationale, challenges and opportunities for engaging teachers and students from the University, University College, and local Secondary and Primary Schools in the pilot.
The pilot protocol developed places the needs and interests of the research participants at the heart of the research process. Challenges inherent to this approach are addressed, along-side the argument that upholding agency and co-creative engagement of participants leads to valuable emergent communication that will enrich the research findings and future exploitation plans for the platform.
Reflecting on the development, use and evaluation of this pilot protocol, the author considers approaches required to support the flourishing of co-creative engagement of participants and be receptive to emergent communication, whether as a single previously unheard voice, or of feedback as polyphony.