Dr. Anne Holohan

TILT is a research-based online platform that embeds curricula in computer games and is currently being developed in Trinity College Dublin to address individual and systemic biases within organisations. The problem of organizational bias is not just individual behaviours and attitudes. It is organizational and systemic biases. TILT recognizes that individuals have several aspects to their identities, and that we all live in systems and organizations that have assumptions and biases built in. TILT aims to help individuals and organisations develop this understanding through role play. The research-based curricula and learning objectives are delivered via an online platform through digital gaming storylines and dialogue, in which the player must make decisions in realistic situations designed to draw out and demonstrate identity-based biases. Thus, experiential knowledge is made available to, and usable by, organizations. The content of the training curriculum is drawn from two sources. Firstly, we use the extensive research and theories in social science on how biases are produced through the interaction of individual, organizational and systemic factors. Secondly, we draw on experiential data (in depth qualitative interviews) from a wide range of identities and organizational settings, using ethnographic methodology gathers nuanced experiences to build authentic scenarios for short role-playing digital game storylines/scenarios.

Support for developing research based curricula in countering gender, racial and sexuality biases in interaction, and embedding those curricula in storylines in digital online roleplaying games. Piloting with public sector and private sector organisations.

Dr Anne Holohan is Principal Investigator and Coordinator of 'Gaming for Peace', building a digital role-playing game to train personnel in Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding missions. Gaming for Peace is a digital role-playing game to train peacekeeping personnel in the soft skills of gender awareness, cultural awareness, communication, and empathy. 180 experienced peacekeeping personnel from 180 countries were interviewed, and these were drawn on and combined with state of the art research in soft skills to produce a curriculum. This curriculum was embedded in a storyline in a 2D digital role-playing game. Assessment to measure progress in the soft skills was developed for before, during, and after the game. A Skills Passport benchmarking the results of the assessment to international standards was developed. The 'Gaming for Peace' project was funded by a €2 million euros grant from the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 programme. Led by Trinity, it brought together 15 collaborative partners from academia, military, police, civil actors and business, including the Irish Defence Forces, the PSNI, the Finnish military, the Polish military and Polish police, the Bulgarian military, the Portuguese State Police, Laurea University in Finland, the Ted Kennedy Institute at NUI Maynooth, HPS in Dublin, Upskill in Belfast, and Enquirya in the Netherlands.

Gaming for Peace (GAP) has developed a curriculum in soft skills (gender awareness, cultural awareness, communication, empathy) for peacekeeping personnel (military, police, civilian). GAP has embedded this curriculum in a role-playing game with assessment in the game and before and after. There are supporting learning materials and a trainers manual so it can be delivered locally by peacekeeping organizations, providing universal, standardized training. The Stability Fund will assist the Consortium in the delivery of this training material, enabling data collection for further research.

Gaming for Peace (GAP) has developed a curriculum in soft skills (gender awareness, cultural awareness, communication, empathy) for peacekeeping personnel (military, police, civilian). GAP has embedded this curriculum in a role-playing game with assessment in the game and before and after. There are supporting learning materials and a trainers manual so it can be delivered locally by peacekeeping organizations, providing universal, standardized training. The Stability Fund will assist the Consortium in the delivery of this training material, enabling data collection for further research.