Innovation Game - Serious Game Design for Better Health 2025

Content

The course provides knowledge on innovative processes and innovative thinking as a tool to solve need-based problems in interdisciplinary teams. With the application of game design, the task for the student groups is to create solutions promoting changes in health behaviours and in health care. The course focuses on the four pillars of learning; critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity.

One week is preparatory studies on your own utilising online resources on the learning platform Studium. The next two weeks, starting 5 August, are taught on campus with mandatory presence full days all days.

This course is a freestanding course that could also serve as supplementary training for professionals in medicine, caring science, physiotherapy, public health and psychology.

Learning outcomes

The course aims to provide knowledge on how game design principles are used - in multidisciplinary teams - to develop innovations to meet health challenges. The focus is on using game design for behaviour change beyond pure entertainment (so-called "serious games"), and to create solutions that can promote changes for better health and in healthcare.

Knowledge and understanding

After completing the course the participant should be able to:

• describe theories of behavioural change and give examples of how they can be applied,
• explain how concepts from game design theory can be applied to existing and newly created games,

Skills and abilities

After completing the course the participant should be able to:

• create, together in a team, a solution to a health challenge that includes elements of game design,
• apply a procedure (e.g. Design Thinking) to develop an innovation in a team. This process includes first understanding and defining a problem and then creating solutions, developing prototypes and testing in collaboration with experts and potential end-users,
• applying knowledge of how team composition, leadership, communication and self-reflection to create effective and creative teams,

Judgement and approach

After completing the course the participant should be able to:

• evaluate how serious games can be applied in healthcare and to achieve better health and quality of life of individuals and society,

interpret, critically evaluate and communicate scientific research and other information relevant to the course topics (i.e. medicine, behavioural science, game design, etc.) in speech and writing.

 

Programme

The online component of this courses consists of individual coursework, which can be accessed and completed anytime, starting from June 15th. Coursework needs to be completed before the physical component (i.e. the two campus-weeks), and will require approximately 40 hours (1.5 ECTS credits). We advise to start the individual coursework at the latest on July 28. There are no synchronous (“live”) sessions during the online component.

Assessment

Preparatory assignments and literature studies are examined through a written home exam and written assignments before the first scheduled day on campus (1 credit). Thereafter, the course is examined through submitted reflections on the group collaboration during the project work and an oral group presentation of the results of the project (2 credits). This also requires compulsory attendance throughout the two campus-weeks of the course. At the end of the course, the results of the project are also presented in a written group report (2 credits).

Since the course is based on group work, active attendance is required during all scheduled teaching moments.

For special reasons, the examiner may exempt from the indicated examination method and allow an alternative examination form. A special reason may for instance be a decision by the University's disability coordinator that special pedagogical support should be provided.

Lecturers

• Erik Olsson, Uppsala University
• Alvin O’Sullivain, Uppsala University
• Femke De Backere, Ghent University
• Antonio Casado, University of the Basque Country

Course dates

On-site period: 4 - 15 Aug 2025 in Uppsala

Online period: individual coursework can be accessed anytime, starting from June 15th. We advise to start the individual coursework at the latest on July 28th.

Entry requirements: 120 credits. Proficiency in English. 

This course is open for application for students from all ten ENLIGHT universities.

All students can apply directly via antagning.se (unfortunately in Swedish but managable with a translation service), or apply via their home institutions. For information on each university’s procedures, please see below.

• Students from Uppsala University: Students from Uppsala University have to apply by April 15 2023 using the national application service antagning.se.
• University of Bern: https://www.unibe.ch/studies/mobility/outgoing/enlight/index_eng.html
• University of Tartu: https://ut.ee/en/content/enlight-blended-courses
• Ghent University: students should contact their faculty/programme, to include this as free elective course in their curriculum 
• Students from the other ENLIGHT universities: Please contact your ENLIGHT coordinator to inquire whether and how you can apply.

If applying through home institutions, the student will be enrolled at Uppsala University as an exchange student. If directly via antagning.se they will be Uppsala University students.
Waiting lists are encouraged.

Prof. Erik Olsson, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.