ProfJunior

The challenge

Secondary school students face motivation challenges, especially after COVID-19, with 74% reporting reduced motivation for homework and 75% for studying. Besides covid, the teacher shortage, digital distractions, and ineffective study methods influence the motivation and well-being of those students. 0 The trade union for education claims they are continuously short a few thousand teachers in secondary school. This results in fewer classes, worryingly large study backlogs, and less personalized attention for students. 0 The past years, students are becoming less motivated for school, resulting in lower grades. The causes cited are (1) the teacher shortage and (2) students' increased engagement with the digital world has made traditional teaching methods less appealing 0 The study technique 'rereading' is used by 88% of high school students and is the primary learning method for 51%. However, this is an ineffective technique making it harder to retain information and requiring more study time.

The solution

We offer ProfJunior, a web-based serious game for high school students to boost motivation and effective studying. Students complete levels in a story world, alone or with peers, and the game content aligns with their interests. They have ownership over their learning path, choosing when, which game, and with whom they play. Teachers provide input to align the game with the curriculum and access other teachers' games using open source, forming subject-specific communities. Teachers also gain insights into students' progress and needs. Developers can create game templates using open source. The serious game is designed so that students will study effectively if they interact with ProfJunior. Schools purchase licenses to avoid contributing to opportunity inequality, allowing students to play on school computers or at home. We believe that all students should have the same learning opportunity, regardless of welfare or home situation. Therefore, students can use our game on school computers or at home. Our goal is to make learning fun and accessible in a world where distractions constantly lurk. In ProfJunior, set in a fictional school, students choose and customize their own vehicle to navigate through the story world (e.g., car, skates, scooter, etc.). They select a subject to study and enter a themed classroom (think of mountains for geography, and a professor with grass hair). The classroom has a roadmap consisting of a storyworld where they can construct their own path to the final level. Students interact with the computer or peers during gameplay, and upon completing the roadmap, battle against the professor. If they outsmart the professor, they win!