Location-based games (LBGs) merge digital play with physical environments, creating hybrid spaces that require players to navigate complex trust dynamics. Despite their global popularity, LBGs introduce unique challenges around fairness, safety, and privacy, spanning interactions among players, game systems, local communities, and non-players in shared public spaces. To examine how trust is perceived, built, and sustained in these environments, we conducted in-depth interviews with 26 players of four major LBGs: Pokémon GO, Monster Hunter Now, Ingress, and Pikmin Bloom. Using reflexive thematic analysis, we identified dynamics of trust across four trustor–trustee relationships: player–system, player–player, player–community, and player–non-player in five key aspects: fair play, location privacy, online vetting, hybrid interaction, and public play. Drawing on our findings, we propose a trust model for analyzing and designing trust in LBGs as hybrid spaces, and we outline design implications aimed at strengthening trust building and sustaining trustworthy interactions across the LBG ecology.

Location-based media applications such as Google Maps, Strava and Pokémon GO together have more than a billion monthly active users, and popular social media such as Snapchat and Instagram now also feature map-based content. All these media products rely on user-generated content as a core element of their service, but there is a lack of synthesis on the users' motivations to contribute this data to the platform providers. In this study, we performed a literature review to uncover users' motivations to participate in location-based crowdsourcing and contribute shared content on these platforms. Among our findings, we show that spatial and temporal aspects, social effects, technical elements, motivational mechanisms, practical value offered to the contributors and individual differences need to be considered in motivating users to contribute shared content. We present recommendations for designers, suggest which terminology to use around this topic and propose an agenda for future research.

Gamification is a prominent pedagogical tool to boost language learners' engagement, motivation, and learning outcomes. However, its effectiveness varies depending on contextual factors and individual characteristics, such as age. Understanding these dynamics is critical for designing inclusive and adaptive gamified learning environments. To address this issue, we conducted a quasi-experimental study with 299 participants to examine the effects of gamification on language learners' gameful experiences (i.e., accomplishment, challenge, competition, guidance, immersion, playfulness, and social experience) according to their age. Participants interacted with the gamified platform Duolingo and completed the GAMEFULQUEST questionnaire. Data processing used Structural Equation Modeling to explore the effects of gamification on language learners' gameful experiences. Results revealed that older participants had the highest sense of accomplishment and immersion during the system usage. These findings contribute to language education and gamified education, providing insights into the interplay between gamification and language learners' gameful experiences.

Advances in mobile consumer technology, especially in smartphones, have given rise to numerous new crowdsourcing opportunities. With the miniaturization of sensors and the growing number of smartphone models containing a wide range of them, we are now capable of creating digital imitations of real-world objects using everyday mobile devices. In this study, we created four augmented reality (AR) applications utilizing LiDAR sensors that were designed for crowdsourcing the creation of such digital imitations, i.e., digital twins. A user study was undertaken where video recordings, audio recordings, point cloud, and mesh data were collected in forest settings. Each approach was evaluated in terms of the characteristics and quality of the crowdsourced data acquired, as well as the participants’ behavior and experience. Our findings demonstrate that through gamification approaches, we can influence not only the user experience but also the type and quality of the crowdsourced data. Our findings offer guidance on which gamification dynamics and interactions are best suited for several types of crowdsourcing tasks. We also show that the collection of meaningful data is not limited to specific interactions or experiences and suggest that there are multiple routes in gamification design for reaching the desired outcomes.

As see-through Mixed Reality Head-Mounted Displays (MRHMDs) proliferate, their usage is gradually shifting from controlled, private settings to spontaneous, public contexts. While location-based augmented reality mobile games such as Pokémon GO have been successful, the embodied interaction afforded by MRHMDs moves play beyond phone-based screen-tapping toward co-located, bodily, movement-based play. In anticipation of widespread MRHMD adoption, major technology companies have teased concept videos envisioning urban streets as vast mixed reality playgrounds-imagine Harry Potter-style wizard duels in city streets-which we term Immersive Mixed Reality Street Play (IMRSP). However, few real-world studies examine such scenarios. Through empirical, in-the-wild studies of our research-through-design game probe, Multiplayer Omnipresent Fighting Arena (MOFA), deployed across diverse public venues, we offer initial insights into the social implications, challenges, opportunities, and design recommendations of IMRSP. The MOFA framework, which includes three gameplay modes-''The Training'', ''The Duel'', and ''The Dragon''-is open-sourced at https://github.com/realitydeslab/mofa.

Remote sensing for observing and recording our surroundings is becoming mainstream. Technologies, such as light, detection, and ranging (LiDAR), are now part of consumer mobile devices and provide a variety of novel interaction opportunities with the environment. Mobile remote sensing also provides affordances for crowdsourcing through location-based applications such as games and gamified systems. While such use cases today are technologically feasible, there is a lack of understanding of how and what kinds of interactions and applications would be both (1) engaging and motivating for users and also (2) maximize the volume and quality of the data being gathered. In this study, we investigate these challenges by developing and testing four gamified augmented reality prototypes that use LiDAR for collecting point cloud data during location-based gaming. Through field testing, interviews, and surveys with 21 participants, followed by reflexive thematic analysis, we identified five themes of dynamics, which exemplify tensions and challenges to designing gamified AR crowdsourcing. The findings primarily point to hazards in design that may undermine user motivation as well as constraints of the environments themselves in facilitating and affording meaningful and rich (gameful) interaction.

Shared Augmented Reality (Shared AR) is an emerging technology that enables multiple users to interact synchronously within a collocated AR environment. Yet, there is limited research on the group interactions and dynamics in Shared AR, particularly in the context of gaming. To address this gap, we investigate Shared AR group interactions using a phone-based Shared AR mobile game called Urban Legends . Through in situ observations, focus groups, and one-on-one interviews with 22 participants, we examine how users collaborate and communicate within the game. Our findings reveal that while verbal communication predominates, non-verbal cues are often overlooked by collocated participants, and users initially struggle to recognize the expansive virtual space and the need for physical movement. Over time, users adapt to the hybrid environment, demonstrating increasing spatial awareness and more dynamic collaboration. Based on these insights, we present a suite of design recommendations for enhancing spatial awareness, supporting multi-modal communication, and fostering engaging group dynamics in future Shared AR applications.

Today, millions worldwide play popular location-based games (LBGs) such as Pokémon GO. LBGs are designed to be played outdoors, and past research has shown that they can incentivize players to travel to nature. To further explore this nature-connection, we investigated via a mixed-methods approach the connections between engagement with LBGs, inspiration and environmental awareness as follows. First, we identified relevant gamification features in Study 1. Based on the insights, we built a survey that we sent to Pokémon GO players (N=311) in Study 2. The results showed that (a) social networking features, reminders, and virtual objects were the most relevant gamification features to explain inspired by playing Pokémon GO and that (b) inspired to outdoor engagement partially mediated the relationship between inspired by playing Pokémon GO and environmental awareness. These results warrant further investigations into whether LBGs could motivate pro-environment attitudes and inspire people to care for nature.

The aim of this work is to explore the forms of toxic behaviour that players encounter in competitive multiplayer real-time strategy (RTS) games. To this end, we carried out ethnographic observations and player interviews within the popular RTS game StarCraft II, and approached the data inductively, leading us to discover ten categories of toxic behaviour. While the harmfulness of toxic actions can be obtained as a product of severity and frequency, players’ assessment of the severity of toxic behaviors was contextualized by, (1) directly observed; (2) background; and (3) extraneous factors. Following our empirical findings, we derive a conceptual model for differentiating toxicity from mildly annoying and more severe behaviors. The discovered view of toxicity challenges the prevailing paradigm of treating players’ toxic behavior as a monolithic construct with a linear intensity spectrum. Instead, we advocate for a more granular approach, encouraging an understanding of the underlying dynamics behind negative online behaviors.

Co-located collaborative shared augmented reality (CS-AR) environments have gained considerable research attention, mainly focusing on design, implementation, accuracy, and usability. Yet, a gap persists in our understanding regarding the accessibility and inclusivity of such environments for diverse user groups, such as deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) people. To investigate this domain, we used Urban Legends, a multiplayer game in a co-located CS-AR setting. We conducted a user study followed by one-on-one interviews with 17 DHH participants. Our findings revealed the usage of multimodal communication (verbal and non-verbal) before and during the game, impacting the amount of collaboration among participants and how their coordination with AR components, their surroundings, and other participants improved throughout the rounds. We utilize our data to propose design enhancements, including onscreen visuals and speech-to-text transcription, centered on participant perspectives and our analysis.

The concepts of sacred places and spaces appear throughout religions globally. Places such as churches, cathedrals, temples, mosques, synagogues and graveyards are given special meanings, both functionally and spiritually, and separated from the ordinary. Recently location-based augmented reality (AR) technologies and applications have become widespread, and this raises questions regarding how AR content relates to sacred places. In this study, we approached this complex topic by asking clergy of the Lutheran Christian Church (N=47) to reflect on associated phenomena. We approached the data via reflexive thematic analysis and uncovered tensions related to (1) connected vs detached from sacredness; (2) supporting the spiritual purpose of the space vs conflicting with it; and (3) maintaining tradition vs embracing innovation. Overall, our findings suggest that AR technologies and products impact sacred spaces on multiple levels, but currently there is no consensus among the clergy on the impact of these changes.

Today, millions of people worldwide play popular multiplayer online battle arena games (MOBAs) such as League of Legends. MOBAs are designed to require real-time teamwork to win games. A side effect of this is toxic behavior (an umbrella term for various negative in-game behaviors). Following Transactional Stress Theory, in this study, we consider toxicity as a coping mechanism to better deal with in-game stress that leads to anger and frustration, potentially leading to subsequent sleep problems. Therefore, we asked League of Legends players (N=212) about their experiences within the last 30 days in a retrospective survey study. Our results indicated that perceived stress was, indeed, a positive predictor of sleeping problems, and toxic behavior partially mediated this relationship. These results indicate that some of the toxicity is caused by stress in play and that it may increase the likelihood of the occurrence of subsequent sleeping problems. Therefore, further efforts are needed to help players to develop harmonious means and techniques for coping with experienced in-game stress.

There are numerous benefits from regularly walking in nature, and today's mobile technologies have the potential to encourage people to do so. Past research has showed that gamified map-based apps and location-based games (LBGs) have the capability to incentivize people to go to nature areas in cities and beyond. In this study, we explored LBGs' potential to bring people to nature by conducting a field experiment with a new mechanic called Routes in the popular LBG Pokémon GO. Prior to the Route feature's launch, we created altogether 13 Routes of various lengths in both city and nature landscapes. We collected numerical in-game data of how many times each Route was walked and deployed a survey (n=67) for Pokémon GO players in the area where the Routes were made. The findings suggest that proximity to population concentrations and in-game rewards are key drivers of Route popularity. Players' motivators to choose nature Routes over urban Routes were limited to outside-the-game factors such as scenery, and overall in our experiment the urban Routes turned out to be more popular.

Previous research suggests that the experience and practices related to gaming and extended realities, and religion and spiritualism, share similarities. In this study, we explore how both the employees of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (n=156) and pervasive game players (n=98) perceive and make sense of these connections. We approach the qualitative data from the perspective of Durkheim, who, similarly to how game theorists view games, views religion as a multi-faceted system that incorporates the rules, practices and communities that comprise the religion. From the data emerges the following prominent connection as perceived by both groups of informants: systems of (1) shared premise, (2) resilience and restoration, (3) symbolism, (4) extended reality and (5) day-to-day structuring. A numerical view of the data shows that 42,5% of the participants did not perceive similarities, and examination of these responses suggested that while religion and pervasive games share functional similarities, they are further apart from a substantive perspective.

Engaging with nature enriches people’s life greatly, and it is a particularly powerful wellbeing activity. Unsurprisingly, researchers in HCI and beyond seek to augment and extend the relationship people have with nature through technology, to positively enhance their health as a result. In this paper, we report on a scoping review that examines research exploring health, nature, and technology research. By charting 29 papers from the last five years, we produce a situated snapshot of the current research landscape and identify three trends within the paper pool: Despite the potential for rich, experiential engagements, human-nature interaction is often understood as an endeavour that is 1) universal, 2) flattened and 3) disconnected from everyday life. We reflect on our findings to outline design opportunities for human-nature interaction that extend and re-orientate it; to design for multi-dimensional caring experiences that allow for a more-than-just-human understanding of nature.

The recent progress in generative AI models, particularly large language models (LLMs), has brought about a transformation in the field of education. Conversational LLM services, such as Google's Bard and OpenAI's ChatGPT, offer students access to many abilities such as summarization and generation of text and code, and on-demand replies to questions on expert topics. In this paper, we observe ChatGPT to explore how LLM services impact learning and instruction in higher education. First, we mapped the capabilities of the system by reviewing the grey literature on ChatGPT and using the system ourselves for two months. Second, we selected a Bachelor level computer science curriculum from a Finnish university, and examined the impact of ChatGPT on the offered courses. As an outcome of this study, we highlight 13 implications for students' learning in higher education, and discuss the contemporary future of AI-assisted learning in universities and beyond.

In the realm of music we have multiple examples of successful rock stars, composers and producers who describe themselves as self-taught. This suggests there might be a demand in formal music education for learning technologies that support students’ self-propelled discovery. In this theoretical work, we explore the design space of educational music composing games that would allow students to explore and learn music theory concepts at their leisure. We designed four unique tile-based music creation games based on popular contemporary video game genres, and evaluated them from the perspectives of learning and musical expression. This study opens up new avenues in music composing game design, and offers examples of some ways in which games can be harnessed as vehicles to learn music theory and composition.

Toxic behavior remains a salient challenge for online gaming environments, such as multiplayer online battle arena video games (MOBAs). In this study, we sought to understand player roles and settings in which toxicity occurs using a mixed-methods approach. First, we conducted ethnographic observations and interviews with players of the most popular contemporary MOBA, League of Legends (Study 1). During the qualitative analysis three main themes emerged: (1) the fluidity of roles, (2) the subjectivity of the toxic experience, and (3) cascading effects and changing modalities of toxicity. Based on the themes, we formulated hypotheses regarding players’ experience with toxicity. To test these hypotheses, we gathered cross-sectional data from MOBA players (n = 216), which we analyzed with co-variance-based statistics (Study 2). Our quantitative findings showcase the complexity of toxicity as well as players’ ambivalence toward the topic. We found indicators of substantial influences of personality and a cycle of retaliation toxicity spread as victims retaliated against the perpetrator.

Location-based multiplayer games such as Pokémon GO are tied to real-world locations. Past research has demonstrated that, consequently, these games influence where players move. In order to explore what dynamics in these games incentivize travel to specific places or areas, we engaged in interviews with active players. We discovered 11 unique game dynamics, which could be positioned under three overarching themes: (1) the playing field, as determined by the placement of points of interest, the players' habitat and their surroundings; (2) the player communities and real life relationships, which motivated and directed the playing; and (3) coincidental motivational support, which highlighted how location-based games offer multi-layered motivation for players to travel to, and engage with, specific real-world locations. Our study contributes to the fields of gamified human mobility and human-nature interaction by elucidating how playful technologies can influence where and when people move.

Since its creation, the Location-Based Game (LBG), Pokémon GO , has been embraced by a community of fans across the world. Due to its recency, the impact of COVID-19 on the community of Pokémon GO players is underexplored. We address how COVID-19 has impacted the players of Pokémon GO by building upon existing work focusing on player gratifications and impacts in Pokémon GO . Through semi-structured interviews, we provide a snapshot of the state of LBG play during unprecedented times. These player interviews demonstrate (1) the importance of in-person socialization to LBG, (2) additional ways players use the game as a coping mechanism, and (3) how intentionality mediates player perceptions of people-place relationships. Furthermore, we explore how Niantic influenced these behaviors through changes to how players interact with points of interest and engage with elder game mechanics such as raiding.

In this study we explore the incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) governance to system development life cycle (SDLC) models. We conducted expert interviews among AI and SDLC professionals and analyzed the interview data using qualitative coding and clustering to extract AI governance concepts. Subsequently, we mapped these concepts onto three stages in the machine learning (ML) system development process: (1) design, (2) development, and (3) operation. We discovered 20 governance concepts, some of which are relevant to more than one of the three stages. Our analysis highlights AI governance as a complex process that involves multiple activities and stakeholders. As development projects are unique, the governance requirements and processes also vary. This study is a step towards understanding how AI governance is conceptually connected to ML systems' management processes through the project life cycle.

The contemporary e-learning landscape at universities consists of various tools, platforms and services. At the same time, an increasingly bigger proportion of learning happens online. When creating exams or exercises for students in such a setting, teachers often face the following issues: (1) having to create exercises for multiple platforms, (2) lack of support for creating complex exercises, and (3) having to transfer exercises between platforms. To solve these issues we created a platformin-dependent tool for creating e-learning exercises and exams. The system relies on the structured Markdown format, which is then parsed and exported to learning management systems (LMS) such as Moodle, or to PDF. Scripts can be used to fully customize and randomize the Markdown exercises for each student, which mitigates cheating through copying answers, and enables holding exams that students take asynchronously. Overall, we argue that as digital learning ecosystems are becoming increasingly complex, educational institutions and teachers should strive more strongly for platform independence. In this study, we demonstrate how this can be done with exams and exercises.

Location-based games (LBGs) augment urban environments with virtual content turning them into a playground. The importance of understanding how different modes of play impact LBG players’ psychological well-being is emphasized by the enormous and constantly rising popularity of the genre. In this work, we use the two-factor theory of psychological well-being to investigate the associations between five constructs related to game mechanics and personality traits, and psychological well-being and fatigue. We test our proposed structural model with Finnish Pokémon GO players (N = 855). The results show deficient self-regulation and fear of missing out to be positively associated with gaming fatigue. Engagement with cooperative and individual game mechanics had a positive relationship with well-being. Competitive game mechanics were found to have a positive relationship with both well-being and fatigue. Finally, the overall playing intensity had a strong relationship with well-being, but no association with fatigue.

Engineering brings functionality in the modern world across sectors from healthcare to education. The engineering method for problem solving consists of identifying, defining and structuring a problem and then creatively and systematically solving it. In the process, underlying the surface level thinking, the engineering mindset balances tensions between (1) exactness and ambiguity; (2) the familiar and the unfamiliar; (3) concretizing and abstracting problems; and (4) position within prevailing hierarchies. As a pivotal period of an engineer's professional growth, engineering education influences a student's position within these dimensions. Future engineers are expected to design solutions to increasingly wicked problems that can have ethical, moral and existential aspects. As a solution, several engineering curricula include courses in ethics. While such a course can be useful, it often fails to broaden the core set of the engineering students' epistemic beliefs. Furthermore, there are several ill-defined problems that ethics does not have tools to address. To bring balance to the engineer's epistemic toolkit, whilst still focused on achieving technical skills, we propose to integrate aspects of theology, i.e. the scholarship of existential questions and the ultimate, into engineering education. In this work we present both a theoretical foundation and conceptualization for our proposal which we supplement with findings from an empirical seminar discussion with engineering students and faculty.

The on-going AI revolution has disrupted several industry sectors and will keep having an unprecedented impact on all areas of society. This is predicted to force a major proportion of the workforce to re-educate itself during the next few decades. Consequently, this has led to a growing demand for multidisciplinary AI education also for students outside computer science. Therefore, a 25 credit (ECTS) cross-disciplinary study module on AI, targeting students in all faculties, was designed. We present findings from the design and implementation of the study module as well as students' initial perceptions towards AI at the beginning of the study module. Enrollment for the first implementation of the study module began in autumn 2019. The student distribution (N=144) between faculties was the following: natural sciences (n=37), social sciences (n=23), law (n=17), education (n=17), economics (n=16), medicine (n=10), humanities (n=10) and open university (n=14). Based on a survey distributed to students (N=34), the primary reason for enrolling to study AI was interest towards the subject, followed by the need of AI skills at work and relevance of AI in society.

Machine learning (ML) techniques are changing both the offensive and defensive aspects of cybersecurity. The implications are especially strong for privacy, as ML approaches provide unprecedented opportunities to make use of collected data. Thus, education on cybersecurity and AI is needed. To investigate how AI and cybersecurity should be taught together, we look at previous studies on cybersecurity MOOCs by conducting a systematic literature review. The initial search resulted in 72 items and after screening for only peer-reviewed publications on cybersecurity online courses, 15 studies remained. Three of the studies concerned multiple cybersecurity MOOCs whereas 12 focused on individual courses. The number of published work evaluating specific cybersecurity MOOCs was found to be small compared to all available cybersecurity MOOCs. Analysis of the studies revealed that cybersecurity education is, in almost all cases, organised based on the topic instead of used tools, making it difficult for learners to find focused information on AI applications in cybersecurity. Furthermore, there is a gab in academic literature on how AI applications in cybersecurity should be taught in online courses.

21st century skills are being added onto K-12 educational curricula globally, often via integrating them into existing subjects such as math. Simultaneously music teaching in K-12 education is losing relevance and popularity. Yet, music theory contains logical structures which are in many regards similar to program code. Additionally the digitization of music production requires composers to effectively use digital music production tools and associated technology. We investigate the opportunities technology-assisted music composing offers for teaching 21st skills and programming in K-12 education through expert interviews with professional music composers (n=4) and programmers (n=5). Analysis of the similarities and differences in the thought processes between creating software and composing music revealed the latter to have potential for teaching the following thinking skills present in K-12 educational curricula: modularity, loops and conditionals, data structures, input/output and software design. Additionally implicit learning benefits on increasing technical know-how, cooperative skills and design thinking were discovered.

The World Health Organisation has emphasised that misinformation – spreading rapidly through social media – poses a serious threat to the COVID-19 response. Drawing from theories of health perception and cognitive load, we develop and test a research model hypothesising why people share unverified COVID-19 information through social media. Our findings suggest a person’s trust in online information and perceived information overload are strong predictors of unverified information sharing. Furthermore, these factors, along with a person’s perceived COVID-19 severity and vulnerability influence cyberchondria. Females were significantly more likely to suffer from cyberchondria, with males more likely to share news without verifying its reliability. Our findings suggest that to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 misinformation and cyberchondria, measures should be taken to enhance a healthy scepticism of health news while simultaneously guarding against information overload.

Students’ engagement and retention in online courses have been found to be in general significantly lower than in contact teaching. Multiple reasons for this exist, but improving student retention is ubiquitously seen as a beneficial improvement. We take a look at student engagement in online courses aimed specifically for university teachers and doctoral students, and use a mixed methods approach to obtain a holistic understanding of student engagement in our domain. We analyse quantitative data from two cases (n=346 and n=271) collected from students of three university pedagogy online modules over the course of years 2016-2017. We identify key moments in our modules where students drop out and, for example, differences in dropout rates between various demographics (i.e. faculty and whether the student is a university staff member or not). The main moment where students drop out is found to be in the very beginning of the courses, and the introduction of a pre- and post-tes t to the courses improved retention. This study suggests that when all other factors affecting student engagement are in order, additional focus should be paid to the very beginning of the course and get as many students to do the first couple tasks as possible in order to reduce the dropout rate.

Studies on location-based games ubiquitously report positive learning outcomes for the players. Particularly these games are shown to promote exercise, encourage to social interaction and increase geographical and cartographical knowledge. To find out whether these positive effects are game-specific or characteristic to all location-based games, we conduct a software search for available location-based games on iOS and Android platforms and evaluate if and how exercise, cartographical training and social interaction are supported. Based on our results we were able to identify six sub-genres of location-based games, and the positive effects associated with each genre. The most popular category in terms of number of games was scavenger hunts and the most popular category in terms of active installs on Android and iOS was location-based MMORPG’s. Presence of factors associated with immersion and mixed reality were paired with the popularity and positive outcomes of the games. Cartographi cal practise, social interaction and exercise were supported the most in the location-based MMORPG sub-genre, to which, for example, Pokémon GO belongs to

Due to a high demand of university pedagogical staff development courses in our university, we were faced with the problem of not being able to offer university pedagogy courses for everyone who wanted to study them. Additionally, we wanted to seek ways to improve our already existing teaching. As a solution, we created a web based learning platform called UTUPS (University pedagogical support). The platform allows us to reach a wider audience and offer courses more conveniently to our teaching staff. Since the platform was released in Autumn 2015, offered modules have been completed cumulatively over 300 times. We propose a learning environment like UTUPS can significantly increase the flexibility and scale of studies that a university can offer. We will provide a thorough explanation on why and how the environment was made, a technical description of the current UTUPS platform, compared it to already existing solutions and analyse its strengths and weaknesses. In order to evaluate the platform, we will utilize primarily student feedback and refer to literature and existing solutions when relevant.

This work-in-progress study reports the first findings from an engineering curriculum design process in an East African context. The design of new programs and teaching practices involves three universities with local faculty designing a new engineering curriculum with external experts involved in the design process. Innovation is something that in addition to societies and industries also the global academia is striving towards, and not only in research but more and more so also in education [1]. The big question, however, is how to achieve this and how to make innovation happen inside the classroom when the faculty needs to push the boundaries of science while at the same time being transformative educators [2]. And all this in a global higher education environment, where well-established institutions are in the cross pressure of neoliberal worldview and the humboldtian ideal of the community of scholars [neoliberal]. On the other end innovation and creativity are argued to be products of co-creation and a non-controlled if not chaotic and emergent environment. Much different from tradition and critical thinking (devils advocate) driven scientific world or establishment that sees cultural change and societal pressure often as a threat to their independence. The empirical part for this study involved several co-creation workshops where students and faculty participated and where co-creative learning methods where tested in a local environment. Although the processes ran parallel and where not coupled together both workshops gave insight on the preconditions of curriculum design and design of learning methods in the context in question. The Northern European university in question was responsible for organizing the workshops in collaboration with East African partners. The results show that there are several constraints for curriculum design and the adoption of new learning methods. The first results using the co-creation model proved, however, useful. The process of curriculum design and implementation will go on for the next two years until year 2020.

Music is filled with mathematical relations. When creating music, the composer must keep in mind the rhythm, the notes, and how well they ring with each other. Our aim was to design an application that teaches these relationships and allows users to compose their own songs using numbers. Our work follows the design science research method, and we have co-designed the application together with elementary school students and teachers in Finland. This paper demonstrates the design process and provides an analysis on our design based on data collected from the participants in two separate sessions.