Overview

Created by Mark Lewis and Alex Masters, Phoenix Interactive (PI) provides a framework for the creation of simulated work environments. These enhance the teaching and learning experience by employing a range of practical methods which are aimed at educating through the act of creating a specified product or content.

Phoenix Interactive’s approach attempts to make each simulation as work-like as feasible by utilising industry-standard techniques, methodologies and practices, inter-disciplinary team-work and modern communications. These facilitate the acquisition of new work-like skills whilst supporting the intended learning outcomes of each participant within their intended courses. Throughout each simulation, participants are encouraged to learn new skills and gain knowledge that is intended to improve their employability. For example, participants might be expected to work to schedules with tough deadlines and project briefs whilst also taking responsibility for their own individually distinct areas and objectives. Throughout the Phoenix Interactive journey, participants will also create and collect materials and artefacts that can be used within their portfolios.

Methodology

The format of Phoenix Interactive simulations can be broken down into five distinct areas:

• Definition – Definition of the project and its expected outcomes;
• Prototyping – Exploration of ideas and concepts;
• Creation – Creation of product or content;
• Refining – Refining of product or content after testing and feedback;
• Finalising – Creation of final product or content.

Within this framework a range of practical methods, aimed at educating participants through the act of creation, are employed. These include, but are not restricted to:

• Work-like Environments;
• Individual Roles & Responsibility;
• Schedules;
• Project Briefs;
• Teamwork & Team Communication;
• Review Meetings;
• Mentoring;
• Employability Skills and Advice.

Projects

Phoenix Interactive methodologies have been employed successfully across a range of projects within the Disruptive Media Learning Lab. Within the EU Horizons 2020 projects CROWD4ROADS, students from the Faculty of Arts and Humanities designed and created artwork for the gamification of the mobile application ‘SmartRoadSense’. For BEACONING, students created characters, wrote scripts and generated artwork for a series of interactive comic books. Most recently, Phoenix Interactive’s methodologies have been employed within the Erasmus+ project Cult_Risk, where students have created artwork for interactive media which will be used as part of an educational course.