Berlin Kompass: Multimodal Gameful Empowerment for Foreign Language Learning

Abstract

This article presents an innovative, gameful, multimodal, and authentic learning environment for training of oral communication in a foreign language—a virtual adventure called Berlin Kompass. After a brief presentation of the pedagogical and technological backgrounds, the system is described. Central results of a series of pilots in autumn 2013 with around 100 upper secondary pupils are described and further steps are discussed. The results are highly promising, and the concept was highly appreciated by the pupils regardless of some technical problems that the prototype had during the pilots. The researcher observations and the questionnaire results show that the concept manages to create a new motivating collaborative learning context with clear added value compared with equal tasks realized in a typical classroom approach.