EngageD Kit
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The EngageD Kit: connect, co-design, and collaborate to solve the challenge!
EngageD Kit is a playful tool for science communicators to design effective science engagement strategies that overcome social barriers and cross diverse disciplines.
This toolkit provides a template to engage in a role-playing game, 58 cards, and dashboard to plan effective and inclusive public engagement strategies. The game is designed to immerse players in tailored scenarios that will encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration, dialogue between parties, and people-centred approaches considering social inclusion and justice.
The EngageD Kit combines the Design Thinking approach, developed for the original Course Kit of the project SciCultureD (Erasmus+), with the inputs on Justice, Inclusion, Diversity and Equity in science engagement provided by the JUSTNature project (Horizon 2020).
Who is it for?
Students and researchers in all disciplines
Private research companies, NGOs, and other organizations or insititutions
How does it work?
This role-play-based toolkit is designed for science communicators and public engagers to plan effective and inclusive public engagement strategies combining scientific, artistic and entrepreneurial tools, while considering aspects such as social inclusion and justice.In a fictional world, a thread is arising and science communicators are called upon to find a solution…
A team of fictional characters made up of diverse players critically explores the needs and interests, group challenges as well as emerging opportunities for collaboration between stakeholders. Once defined their specific targets, players will explore creative and art-based ideas for sci-comm activities, and test out innovative concepts for public engagement strategies that ultimately establishes a dialogue between diverse sectors of civil society, policy, industry and academia.
The role-playing game is based on the renown Dungeons & Dragons role play model.
The phases of the game
Research of the target audience with different perspectives – in the first phase, each player has to investigate the profile of their respective characters, understanding their interests, their roles, their needs and their power relationships.
Activity: Read your character, share and complete the Power & Interest Matrix of your characters
Understand how the challenge is affecting their characters & stakeholders in both needs and opportunities, and defining the intentions of the Public Engagement activity.
Activity: Complete the Pains&Gains matrix and define the Essence of the Challenge.
Explore and discuss together potential engagement activities that consider needs and interests of all and the JEDI values;
Activity: pile up the cards to co-design potential activities – each pile is a design!
Select the relevant Public Engagement activities and pitch them to the group;
Activity: Pick the best design, prepare the pitch and share it!
Materials and Set up
Set up
This setup is ideal for a minimum of 4 players + 1 facilitator up to 6 players + 1 facilitator.
The game is divided in four phases, based on the Design Thinking approach. Each phase has an objective and players will be engaged in actions and reflections to find the solution to proceed to the next step!
Materials and checklist
Component | Nr per table | Convergent/divergent |
|---|---|---|
Cards | ||
Challenge | 1 | / |
Probe the Challenge | 1 | / |
Reflective Perspective | 18 | 9 |
Creative pedagogies | 18 | 9 |
Type of Engagement Block | 30 | 15 |
Facilitator Type | 14 | 7 |
Grouping Type | 8 | 4 |
Target Audience | 10 (4 only >) | 5 + 4 only > |
Virtual teaching Tools | 20 | 10 |
Total: | 124 | / |
Props | ||
Power/Interest printout | 1 | |
Pain&Gains printout | 1 | |
dice | 1 | |
tokens | 5 | |
sticky notes | 1 | |
Phone with timer | 1 | |
Character sheets | 5 + 1(notetaker) | |
Instructions for tutors | 1 | |
Story (video or sheet) | Intro + outro | |
Dashboard | 1 | |
Where was it tested?
October 2023 – Esplora Interactive Science Centre
The University of Malta team (ScicultureD and JustNature officers) organized a three-hour workshop with 17 participants from the Esplora Interactive Science Centre and Xjienza Malta, including policy officers, science communicators and curators.
September 2024 – Science in the City pre-festival workshop
On Friday 13th September 2024, the UM team organized the EngageDkit role-playing workshop, from 16:30 to 19:30 in Msida Campus. This event was part of the pre-festival programme of the Science in the City festival 2024 with the aim to enhance science communication & collaborative skills while exploring new transdisciplinary perspectives in science communication. 11 participants joined.