DRAFT...work in progress

Introduction

This case study describes the development, design, implementation, and evaluation of the training course produced within the framework of the ST.ART (STreet ARTists in a virtual space) project. The ST.ART project www.startproject.eu was co-funded by the EACEA under the LLP programme, sub-programme Comenius, started in November 2009 and finished in October 2011. The ST.ART project innovative aspect embraces both the topic (street art) and the methodology (virtual platforms as e-learning and 3D virtual worlds) as well as the pedagogy applied that uses an inquiry-based method (learning by doing) to support a traditional deductive teaching pedagogy. The partnership started developing the training course in September 2010 and the course was implemented for 4 months between January and May 2011. The course was designed in two separate, yet parallel, sessions: an e-learning environment with a training area that uses the common tools of a modular learning platform to favour students’ content learning; a virtual 3D world (based on the Open Simulator environment) where project works were carried out. During the experimentation phase of the project new insights and findings emerged that were never anticipated when the project was first designed.

1. Pre-course preparation

1.1 Decision making process

The approach used in the ST.ART project is not only related to the use of a relatively new technology but also to the educational, pedagogical, cultural and motivational benefits derived from the chosen methodology. The idea that lies behind the project proposal puts together two different levels of understanding and knowledge: one is related to the main topic around which the project unfolds, i.e. street art and its perception by the youngsters. This topic alone is multi-faceted and presents several further issues mainly related to the perception of the urban environment. The second level is to introduce and improve understanding  of an innovative technological environment. This environment is made up of an e-learning platform, which contains the theoretical part of the course and a 3D virtual world (Open simulator) in which the practical activities, in the form of artworks, are carried out.

The pedagogic focus was to produce innovative learning materials which is based on schools curricular topics but go more in details and merge together the theoretical and the practical aspects: i.e. the contents, that integrate the latest art trends with current art curricula and an innovative technological system, which creates a new Virtual Learning Environment.

Inserire video ST.ART 

1.2 Aims and objectives of the course

As the title suggests the pivotal topic around which the project unfold is street art. Street art is art made in public spaces. It has developed out of the graffiti tradition of the 1980s and over the last decade it has become one of the most popular and controversial art form in the contemporary scene, reaching also the mainstream. This topic alone is multi-faceted and brings itself several further issues mainly related to the perception of the urban environment. In this context the main aim of ST.ART project is to have students (16 to 18 year old students in secondary school, especially in art schools) better know street art, its origins, roots and latest developments and understand the difference between aesthetics, street art forms and what is normally perceived as vandalism. This would have contributed to the achievement of further educational objectives:

•  communication in English with their peers;
• digital, social and civic competencies, sense of initiative and entrepreneurship, cultural awareness and expression;
• creativity thanks to the development of the art project works in Open Sim. 

The target group of the ST.ART project was made up of:

• secondary schools students: students aged 16 to 18 in secondary schools (mostly art schools);
• Secondary schools teachers: Art teachers, ICT teachers, English as foreign language teachers in secondary schools (mostly art schools).

1.3 Funding

The ST.ATR was a 24 months project co-funded by the European Commission - Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency, Lifelong Learning Programme Comenius Project (project number 503230-2009-LLP-IT-COMENIUS-CMP). No further external funds were used.

1.4 Environment and the learners

In order to achieve its objectives the ST.ART project consortium developed a new Virtual Learning Environment, made up of two settings:

• an E-learning environment with a training area that uses the common tools of a modular learning platform to favour students’ content learning
• a virtual 3D world (based on the Open Sim environment) where art works are performed; the 3D world includes a social area where students can have open discussions     

The teachers attended a training session held in Vienna in December 2010.The main objectives of this session were to talk about:

• the ST.ART training path 
• the use of new technologies in education;
• teachers’ role during the ST.ART project experimentation phase 

After this session the experimentation phase started and lasted from January 2011 until June 2011. The plan foresaw:

48 h e-learning course on:

• Aesthetics and creativity;
• Entrepreneurship;
• Digital competences in web 2.0 and Open Sim  

45 h to develop a project art work in Open Sim.

In the START project the choice to use the virtual world Open Sim, have been driven by the requirement of a stable permanent virtual world suitable for people below 18 and the ability to restrict access only to participants, i.e. secondary school teachers and their students. This was to recreate the real didactic context in terms of social environment, where the educational relation between teachers and students is not affected by external interactions. Additionally, Open Sim is open source software and this allows institutions to customize the software to their needs.

The idea of an innovative technological environment draws on the global social scenario characterized by an on-going interaction among people from different backgrounds and different countries. ST.ART project involved 5 secondary schools, especially art schools from Austria, Italy, Lithuania and Malta. The choice of art schools is related to the topic of the project: street art, and the countries are all experiencing the emergence of this contemporary art form. The schools were partners of the project and their teachers were users, therefore they participated in the development of the educational contents and environments. The schools had all the technological tools necessary for an effective implementation of the project activities, however where the ICT tools and spaces were more limited (as for example in Malta or Lithuania) we experienced a lower level of involvement in project activities, especially held within the 3D virtual environment.

The training phase was developed in 2 phases: as a first step the students had access to the theoretical information (audio lessons in English language, lecture notes, evaluation) about the relevant topic, street art in the e-learning environment. The lectures were mediated by the school teachers during the school lessons. The teachers kept the students actively involved in the course applying several methods e.g. reciprocal questioning (students work together to ask and answer questions); jigsaw classroom (students become "experts" on one part of a group project and teach it to the others in their group); or structured controversies (students work together to research a particular controversy). All the learning objects (included audio lessons and lecture notes) were in English and this made these educational tools usable as interdisciplinary material for English language and art teachers. Within the learning platform was foreseen a forum area where teachers could access to exchange ideas, opinions or talk about different learning methodologies with their peers in the other European countries involved in the project.

In the 3D virtual world, which is the second training session, students carried out a project artwork? The Open Sim environment had the shape of a city, which we called Metropolis. The activities in Metropolis foresaw some synchronous lectures to be held by the Mayor of the city. The lectures were mainly discussion groups through which the Mayor gave students insights for discussion about correct behaviour in the city, a draft legislation, how to perform street art legally. This virtual urban setting served as the canvas for the artworks produced by students during the project. The central piazza leads off to city districts containing shops, cafes, warehouses and private residences. Visitors can click on the news kiosk in the piazza to get the latest information and the city map vendor for a guide to the region.

ST.ART Metropolis contains over 50 unique structures and multiple areas to explore. Groups can assemble at the local cafe, the exhibition gallery or classroom skyboxes to set course tasks and objectives. In order to improve communication among the students (and to avoid an excessive artworks production in Metropolis Central plaza) the partners decided to split Metropolis in Districts. Each district was marked by a colour and related to a specific topic. Students were divided in groups, and each group was asked to work in a district and share artworks, pictures and comments related to the topic.

The school teachers, previously trained, played together with the students since it was essential for the teachers to communicate with students in a common language in order to be able to still lead and shape students’ learning. As teachers played, they helped the narrative unfold, motivated students with appropriate feedback and highlighted key concepts embedded in the virtual scenario.

The two sessions were developed in parallel. The e-course started in January providing students with basic information on the main topic (street art). At the same time was held the first synchronous lecture in Open Sim, in order to introduce students and teachers to the simulated reality of Metropolis. Over the time, in the subsequent synchronous lectures in the immersive world students started their practical activities: drafting, through discussion with the Mayor a regulation on correct behavior in Metropolis, building their own artworks to show in the Art gallery and uploading pictures from the real world to start an open discussion with their peers.

1.5 Logistics and timetabling

The whole experimentation lasted from January 2011 until June 2011. 

5 synchronous meeting were organised within the city with the Mayor, each meeting lasted around 1 and a half hour. Students were encouraged to work in-world outside lecture period in order to produce their artworks. We could not track this activity, however many artworks were produced (which is an evidence of the work done) even if mainly on individual basis.

1.6 Course syllabus

The table shows the articulation of the course titled Street art to promote students' creativity

The area Aesthetics and creativity, Entrepreneurship and the module 3.1 Digital competences in web 2.0 were available on the e-learning platform, while the module 3.2 Digital competences in Open Sim were available Open Sim platform – in the Welcome Centre. 

At the project proposal stage we had foreseen to develop the experimentation in 2 sub sequential activities: first the e-learning course and secondly the practical activities in Open Sim. After the Interim meeting the consortium decided to develop the 2 learning sessions in parallel in order to better match the theoretical and practical aspects.

2. Course implementation

2.1 Technical issues and support

In ST.ART the choice to use the virtual world Open Sim, has been driven by the requirement of a permanent virtual world suitable for people below 18 and the ability to restrict access only to participants, i.e. secondary school teachers and their students. This is to recreate the real didactic context in terms of social environment, where the educational relation between teachers and students is not affected by external interactions. Additionally, Open Sim is open source software and this allows institutions to customize the software to their needs.

2.2 Interaction

The communication process developed mainly in the Open Sim environment. Also in-world both the language barrier and the cultural barrier prevented an optimal interaction among students coming from different countries. The interaction was particularly hard between Italian and Maltese students who were in one class group and Austrian students who were in another group. In order to overcome this obstacle we asked the teachers to intervene in the classroom, in order to make students understand that we all come from different cultural backgrounds and we have different ways of expressing ourselves. Additionally,  the message given to the students is that we all needed more tolerance and diplomacy in dealing with issues in world. Furthermore we decided to split the students in groups in order to make them interact with students from other countries in a joint effort to carry out the project activities together. These 2 actions allowed the consortium to implement all project activities foreseen in-world.

2.3 Resources

The learning materials were made up of: multimedia tool (videos, audio files etc.), PPTs and handouts, links to manuals and studies.

2.4 Ethical issues

No ethical issue was raised since the learning process was managed as it is managed at school. The 3D learning environment was closed and allowed access only to selected students and teachers.  

3. Post-course

3.1 Assessment

The consortium produced quizzes and developed practical tasks to evaluate the whole experimentation. The quizzes were mainly related to the more theoretical information about street art. However students were also invited to start discussions in Metropolis on the street art topics treated in class (the students were for example requested to upload a photo or a picture and start a moderated discussion with other students in-world. The final task was the production of an artwork in Metropolis. The last synchronous session was also an assessment session. A Maltese street artist was invited to join the session and to evaluate (alongside a committee formed by an art teacher and the Mayor) the artworks using a set of criteria previously defined. 

The questionnaires and the discussion held in the social area and within the 3D virtual environment (in relation to the tasks) were mainly used to assess the effectiveness of the whole experimentation. 

The partners used the LEVEL5 evaluation procedure in order to allow the consortium to establish an individualised reference system for assessing and evidencing relevant competences of the beneficiaries in a process-orientated way. The results of the reflections were made to supplement the outcomes of the questionnaires that were formulated after the criteria were set. Reflections focused on the informal learning that was taking place in the virtual world during experimentation activities including the time outside the set up activities using the 3D tools in a structured training path.