You wake up and the mist begins to clear. You have no idea how long you have slept, only that you are not where you were when fell asleep.
Rubbing the sleep from your eyes, you can see a stone tablet. (click-replace: "stone tablet.") [stone tablet which reads:<br><br> ''WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF RISE. EXPLORE THESE LANDS AND [[CREATE YOUR STORY-> Plateau In]]''].
[[Want to know what this is all about? ->Intro Out]](enchant:?page,(text-colour:lime)+(bg:black))
Welcome to the ''World of Rise''! This brief [[Twine->What's Twine?]] game is designed to help you to explore the way in which we use game metaphors to plan student engagement in ''Manchester Met's Rise programme''.
''Rise ''is Manchester Met's co-curricular experiential learning programme, which is designed to help all students engage in activities which will enhance their studies and contribute postiively to their futures. It's our way of incorporating personal and professional development into the curriculum, and acknowledging all the formal and informal ways in which our students develop.
We use open-world game design principles and metaphors to plot out this engagement because they allow us a unique way to navigate the tension betweena agency and structure. We want students to be able to explore freely, but they can find this difficult as it is a skill in its own right. At the same time, we need to be able to plan for engagement and connect it to 'official' structures such a accreditation and budget.
Our solution to this tension: instead of ''dictating a pathway'', we ''curate a landscape'' around students, and provide them with the tools to explore. Different kinds of activities are intended to encourage different forms of engagement, and lead to different outcomes.
As you explore this fictional world, you will encounter some of these metaphors, and you can click through to ''Behind the Scenes ''to find out what they mean for pedagogy. Much of the structure is borrowed from Nintendo's //The Legend Of Zelda: Breath of the Wild// (2017), which is widely seen as the best open-world game ever (at least until the recent release of its sequel!).
[[What's Twine?]]
[[Click here to go back to the game and explore further. ->Intro In]]
Looking further still you can see that you are positioned on a large, flat plateau that is surrounded on all sides by a sheer drop.
In front of you you can see
A climbing frame (click-append:"climbing frame")[ which you quickly clamber up.]
A bookshelf (click-append:"bookshelf")[ which has a couple of old books about philosophy and an airport thriller.]
A rowing machine (click-append:"rowing machine")[ which is rusty, but you get a couple of good reps in.]
And further still the [[sheer cliff edge of the plateau->Plateau Edge In]].
(align:"==>")+(box:"X=")[[[Behind the Scenes -> Plateau Out]]](enchant:?page,(text-colour:lime)+(bg:black))
Rise does learning differently, so it's important that students understand how it works in order to make the most of it.
In //The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild// the adventure begins on the Grand Plateau, a miniature world-within-a-world that has versions of every activity that players are likely to face when playing the game. The only real instruction they get in the game is to expore this space, and then leave when they're ready to engage with the rest of the world.
In Rise, we can't replicate everything that students will do in miniature, but we can set them up to engage by giving them a taste of what to expect. Our early engagements with students demonstrate the sort of things they might do. The most important part of this demonstrating that students need to engage in a more reflective, experimental mode than they might in their degree course.
The nearest thing we get to a ''plateau'', then, are the activities that take place when students begin their engagement with the university more widely. We run activities on campus during welcome, both within and between faculties, and we promote a curated selection of our online self-study packs that are linked to our central themes.
Upon completing one of these activities, students are directed to the Rise website to claim their first set of Rise points, which are the currency we use to track engagement. This gets them used to the idea of earning points for activities, but it also gets them onto the site so they can see the wide range of activities on offer and actively choose what to do. Depending on their intiial activity, we can direct them towards follow-up acticities that build upon their initial engagement (for example, following up an international food taster with a self-study course on community languages).
In making these ''informed and curated choices'', students get used to the idea that Rise is all about forging their own pathway through activities. We are ''scaffolding'' not just the learning itself, but the means by which students engage with the learning.
[[Click here to go back to the game. -> Plateau In]] The tower stands imposingly before you in the middle of an open space. From the base you can see its top scraping the clouds above. Climbing it will be a challenge!
There doesn't seem to be any way inside so you cling onto the brickwork and start your ascent.
{(visited:"Mountain In")[Compared to the mountain this seems easy! You speed to the top.]
(else: )[It's a tough climb, and you almost fall a couple of times before making it to the top.]}
From the top of the tower you can see even further than you could before. The entire landscape stretches out before you, and as you catch your breath you can see [[the village->Village In]], [[the mountain->Mountain In]], [[the giant->Boss In]] and [[the shrine->Shrine In]], along with new places to explore: [[the castle->Castle In]], [[the dungeon->Dungeon In]] and [[the port->Port In]].
You take a moment to congratulate yourself on the climb before deciding where to go next.
(align:"==>")+(box:"X=")[[Behind the Scenes->Tower Out]]
(enchant:?page,(text-colour:lime)+(bg:black))
During the initial design phase of Rise (and indeed, before our games-metaphor had emerged) we recognised the value of ''horizon scanning'' in experiential learning. This is the case both in the long-term, so that students can plan effectively for their own futures, and also in the shorter-term, so that students see how one activity can lead to another and form a journey through our curated landscape.
However, the nature of the work we do means that we don't want to do this //for// students. Horizon-scanning is in itself a skill that is worth acquiring.
In open-world games, ''towers'' do this job. They provide a challenge in their own right, but also tend to 'unlock' other activities, either literally, or by providing line-of-sight to previously hidden opportunities.
Within Rise, towers do the same. Students take part in a shorter, easy-to-access activity that, like others, offers challenge and reward in terms of experiential learning. However, reflection is built in to this activity, and there is often a suggested trajectory following it. So a student might engage in a pop-up //Reimagining Plastic// workshop, discover an interest they didn't know they had, and sign up for subsequent 3d-printing projects run with Man Met Print City. The pathway from pop-up to bigger activity depends upon the student making a choice, but importantly this choice depends upon the student 'climbing the tower' of the pop-up in the first place.
[[Click here to go back to the game..->Tower In]]The mountain sits in the middle of the landscape, dominating every other feature. It is gigantic, but you can tell from the bottom that the view from the top would be incredible. Getting to the top will take all your skills, and probably specialist equipment.
{(visited:"Village In")[At the bottom of the mountain you meet a group of adventurers you bumped into in the village. Together you share your resources and draw up a plan to establish a base camp and tackle the mountain. It's hard work but together, you use all of your skills and plant your flag at the top. What an achievement! As you descend the other side of the mountain together, you discuss where you want to go next... (set:$story to "complete")]
(else:)[Right now, climbing this mountain seems like a near impossible task. You don't feel ready and you're not sure it's safe to go alone. You decide to come back later. Perhaps you can prepare yourself elsewhere?]}
Climb [[the tower->Tower In]].
Visit [[the village->Village In]].
Explore [[the shrine->Shrine In]].
Battle [[the giant->Boss In]].
Return to [[the plateau->Plateau Edge In]].
(align:"==>")+(box:"X=")[[Behind the Scenes ->Mountain Out]](enchant:?page,(text-colour:lime)+(bg:black))
Mountains are probably the ''biggest'' Rise activities, often taking weeks to complete (or existing as ongoing activities), and often having prerequisites for participation. Like [[dungeons->Dungeon Out]] and [[towers->Tower Out]], mountains take skills and knowledge that students have picked up elsewhere and put them to the test in ''applied contexts''.
Mountains ''cannot be completed alone'', though. By design, they require interdisciplinary teams to come together around a problem and solve it with a diverse range of skills. One student's involvement in a challenge like this might look very different from another's, and each student will come away with a different story to tell. Mountains partially justify the existence of [[village->Village Out]] activities; we give students the chance to meet others so that they're better prepared for challenges where they need to work with others. In this way we try and challenge the idea that anything can or should be group work; instead, we ask that ''students form teams to solve challeges that require teams''.
Like towers, mountains are metaphorically ''tall'' within the landscape of Rise. Reaching the 'top' of a mountain should provide students with a chance to ''horizon-scan ''and see what they want to do next. Importantly, this can be achived collectively too; we try to finish these activities with collective as well as individual reflection. If a team has worked well, then reflecting together might lead to other organic opportunities to ''do something else together''.
Example: Art School Live (click-replace:'Example: Art School Live')[//Students from School of Digital Arts, the School of Art and Events Management collaborated with technical staff to organise a series of livestreamed gigs during lockdown, giving local music acts the chance to reach a wider audience. This has continued into a series of gigs with live audiences since, and students involved have since formed a student company focused on live film production.//]
[[Click here to go back to the game.->Mountain In]]The village is a bustling hive of activity, with merchants selling their wares, blacksmiths crafting useful tools and the adventurers guild providing a place for explorers like you to come together, share stories and plot your next expedition.
{(visited: "Shrine In")[You tell the tale of how your conquered the underground shrine using your wits and skill. The crowd are in awe at your storytelling.]
(else:)[You spend some time in the village getting to know others and listening to their tales. It's inspiring to hear what others have found in this vast world.]}
Where to next?
Climb [[the tower->Tower In]].
Explore [[the shrine->Shrine In]].
Ascend [[the mountain->Mountain In]].
Battle [[the giant->Boss In]].
Return to [[the plateau->Plateau Edge In]].
(align:"==>")+(box:"X=")[[Behind the Scenes ->Village Out]](enchant:?page,(text-colour:lime)+(bg:black))
Rise activities are designed to provide students with experience, skills and freedom to experiment.
In practice, we've been surprised by the way in which our activities also provide something else - ''a sense of community''. Especially since the pandemic, students have connected with others, in particular those outside their subjects, through their participation in Rise activities.
So we've decided to be more explicit about this in our planning. ''Village'' activities exist primarily as an opportunity for students to connect with others. We find space on campus for students to connect through taking part in activity, even when these might seem 'softer' than other Rise opportunities.
There's a pedagogical reason for this that we're beginning to explore more explicitly. Historically, ''group work'' happens when courses demand that it happens, and often is organised so that students only work together because the task says they should. Through Rise villages, we're hoping that these relationships between students arise more organically, and they seek opportunities to work together on other activities because they have already found a shared interest via Rise activities.
Example: International Food Activities(click-replace:'Example: International Food Activities')
[//In the run up to assessment weeks, we ran a series of activities that simply got students together to share lunch. Food was provided by Man Met Munch, a student-led enterprise that promotes sustainable eating and drinking. These activities acted a a launchpad into other activities run by Man Met Munch, but also fed into further activities on our international theme, where self-organised student groups collaborated on developing open-ended project work together.//]
[[Click here to go back to the game.->Village In]]The entrance to the shrine is flanked by flaming torches, and the pathway quickly disappears underground into a maze of sprawling passageways concealing traps and puzzles.
{(visited: "Castle In")[With the tips you picked up at the castle, you barely have to bother with many of them. In fact you reach the treasure room in no time and barely having broken a sweat. 'Too easy!', you think, as you pocket some treasure.]
(else:)[It takes you several attempts, but you gradually work your way towards the central treasure room. You gradually learn the pattern of this particular shrine, and with each failed attempt you develop an understanding of what you need to do. By the time you reach the central treasure room and help yourself to some booty, you have developed a new skill and you are keen to use it elsewhere.]}
Victory is sweet! Where to next?
Climb [[the tower->Tower In]].
Visit [[the village->Village In]].
Battle [[the giant->Boss In]].
Ascend [[the mountain->Mountain In]].
Return to [[the plateau->Plateau Edge In]].
(align:"==>")+(box:"X=")[[Behind the Scenes ->Shrine Out]](enchant:?page,(text-colour:lime)+(bg:black))
Sometimes students need to take time out of exploring and take part in a '''deep dive''' into a particular area in order to develop further. This is where ''shrines'' come in.
In //Breath of the Wild//, hundreds shrines are dotted all over the map and, upon entering, the player is transported to a discrete area containing mini challenges, tutorials and skills tests. All of this can be tackled without distraction from the rest of the world, and, upon completion, the student usually leaves with a reward. Importantly, they often leave with a new skill that can be used elsewhere too. None of the shrines are necessary to complete the game, but engaging with them is how players 'level up' to face bigger challenges elsewhere.
Example: Rise Self Study Packs(Click-replace:'Example: Rise Self Study Packs')[//Within Rise, our suite of ''self-study packs ''has a similar role. Taking around 8-10 hours to complete, these give an introduction to a new area of knowledge (such as Wellbeing or Cultural Competence) or a particular skillset (such as Podcasting or Beginners Python). Through engaging in self-study, students enhance the toolkit of skills available to them in their degrees and in further engagement with Rise. Indeed, many of our live activities are built off the back of self-study, so that students can teach themselves a skill and then apply it in a new place. //]
Compared to [[dungeons->Dungeon Out]], shrines are not as challenging. Indeed, they may be //too// easy if a student has already encountered similar content within their course. But they are intended to bolster development and unlock new opportunities. They are also a great medium through which students can share their own expertise; our ultimate goal is that students design shrines for each other.
[[Click here to go back to the game.->Shrine In]](if: $giant is "asleep")[The giant is still asleep. You decide to sneak off rather than risk waking him.]
(else:)[Even as you approach from a distance the giant looks ferocious. He paces around his home, surrounded by the bones of adventurers who have failed to best him.
<br>
He spots you approaching.
<br>
"FEED ME STORIES!" the giant booms. "I LIKE STORIES. FEED ME STORIES OR FEED ME YOURSELF"
(if: $story is "complete")[You spin a yarn of the things you've done, and the giant looks satisfied. He tosses you one of the medals from his treasure chest before collapsing back in his chair and promptly falling asleep. (set:$giant to "asleep")]
(else:)[You aren't sure if you've done enough to regale the giant with a story yet. You decide to retreat and return when you have some experiences under your belt.]]
Climb [[the tower->Tower In]].
Visit [[the village->Village In]].
Explore [[the shrine->Shrine In]].
Ascend [[the mountain->Mountain In]].
Return to [[the plateau->Plateau Edge In]].
(align:"==>")+(box:"X=")[[Behind the Scenes ->Boss Out]](enchant:?page,(text-colour:lime)+(bg:black))
As a credit-bearing unit, Rise needs a mechanism for students to convert their experience into academic credit. So, at a particular threshold of engagement (around 100 hours), eligible students unlock the opportunity to 'write up' their experiences and submit a piece of work that can be graded.
We focus on ''stories'' as the driver for this. Students' experiences of Rise can be wildly different, and they learn many different things. So we ask that they reflect on and communicate their individual story, focusing on the value of the experiences that they have had for their present and their future.
We're open about the format and genre of this and encourage students to get ''creative''. We've had formal portfolios, video essays, websites and even physical journals. What's important is that the student submits a piece of work that authentically evaluates their experience, even if their story is not yet finished.
Completing the assessment is a challenge in itself, and we provide formal and informal resources to support students. Self-study and drop-in workshops take students through the official learning outcomes and our scaffolded structures for student work. Beyond this, we're increasingly holding events and workshops that build students wider capacity for ''self-reflection'', ''metacognition'' and ''creative storytelling''. These skills improve students' assessed pieces, but also contribute to their wider development.
[[Click here to go back to the game.->Boss In]]The port is a small but bustling fishing village with room for a couple of larger vessels to dock, and as you arrive there is hustle and bustle as a trading ship is being unloaded. As the crates pass by you see food and treasures from all over the world; its clear that this port is far more connected than it first seems.
{(visited: "Island In")[From the shore you can see the island you visted. You can also see the fisherman, annoyed that you never returned his boat.]
(else:)[From the shore you can see a small island. A local fisherman offers to lend you his boat to [[go and take a look->Island In]].]}
(visited:where its tags contains "Big") [You've been adventuring in this world for a long time, and it's starting to feel a little small. Perhaps you could [[explore even further->Exit]]?]
Climb [[the tower->Tower In]].
Visit [[the village->Village In]].
Explore [[the shrine->Shrine In]].
Ascend [[the mountain->Mountain In]].
Battle [[the giant->Boss In]].
Return to [[the plateau->Plateau Edge In]].
(align:"==>")+(box:"X=")[[Behind the Scenes ->Port Out]](enchant:?page,(text-colour:lime)+(bg:black))
In theory, a students' engagement with Rise ''ends'' when they complete their degree and stop attending university. But if the whole reasoning behind Rise is that students forge their own pathway through the landscape, then we can't assume this is the only way of 'completing' Rise. A student might decide to finish at the end of their second year and focus on something else, or call it a day after they have submitted their formal assignment. Similarly, students can actually keep engaging in ''open-access'' self-study even after they have graduated, and might continue to reengage 'part time' in this for years after leaving.
In the same way that [[plateau-> Plateau Out]] activities provide a way in for students, ''port'' activities provide a route out. However a student decides to complete their engagement with Rise, we try to make sure that there is some sort of ''capstone'' that allows them to recognise and reflect upon what they've done. For some, this is the formal process of [[tackling the giant->Boss Out]] and completing the Rise assessment. For others, it might be putting together a less formal portfolio or summarising their experiences on ''LinkedIn''. The Rise website provides the tools to share their stories, and we encourage students to recognise and celebrate their achievements before they 'complete' Rise.
[[Click here to go back to the game.->Port In]]The castle is a near ruin, but is still inhabited by an elderly archaeologist who offers you a meal and conversation.
He talks about his career exploring the secret underground shrines of the land, encountering traps and puzzles and collecting treasure. He teaches you a secret code that will enable you to bypass some of the trickier puzzles in any shrine you might visit.
Climb [[the tower->Tower In]].
Visit [[the village->Village In]].
Explore [[the shrine->Shrine In]].
Ascend [[the mountain->Mountain In]].
Battle [[the giant->Boss In]].
Return to [[the plateau->Plateau Edge In]].
(align:"==>")+(box:"X=")[[Behind the Scenes ->Castle Out]]{Your Text Here}(enchant:?page,(text-colour:lime)+(bg:black))
Where [[villages->Village Out]] connect students to each other, ''castles'' connect them to experts who might be able to help them along their journey.
From workshops, to lectures, to mentorship, we try to fill Rise with opportunities to meet experts, experience what they do and gain first-hand knowledge of their fields.
In widening the experiences of students, we're also trying to widen the notion of expertise too. Lecturers from our university make huge contributions to Rise, but so do technical and professional services staff when we put them into contact with students in relevant ways. We also draw upon charities and organisations across the city, especially if this will feed into further project work that might form a [[mountain->Mountain Out]] or [[island->Island Out]].
As our students develop, we also want them to see themselves as experts too. Along with encouraging experienced students to build their own [[shrines->Shrine Out]], we also want to see them occupy space in Rise by becoming experts and drawing students around them - effectively building their own villages of castles!
[[Click here to go back to the game.->Castle In]]Lighting a torch and entering the darkness of the dungeon, you wind your way down a narrow passageway that gradually widens out into a dank chamber. In the centre of a chamber is a treasure chest surrounded by a complex web of traps and mechanisms that are clearly designed to test your skills.
{(visited: "Shrine In")[You recognise this as similar to the challenge you encountered in the shrine. More complex, more dangerous, but similar nonetheless. Taking every precaution you can, you gradually work your way towards the treasure chest, and unlock the treasure within.
Back outside in the daylight, you see that the treasure you have gained as a bigger, shinier version of the one you already gained in the shrine. Still, a treasure is a treasure! You work your way back to the [[tower->Tower In]].(set:$story to "complete")]
(else:)[There's no guessing involved with this one. The second you even go near the chest you can tell that you're well out of your comfort zone. Perhaps it's best to retreat back to the [[tower->Tower In]].]}
(align:"==>")+(box:"X=")[[Behind the Scenes ->Dungeon Out]](enchant:?page,(text-colour:lime)+(bg:black))
Like [[shrines->Shrine Out]], ''dungeons'' are separated from the rest of Rise and don't necessarily connect to a wider journey. However, rather than being about skill development, they are about //testing and proving// already developed skills.
Where a student might use a shrine to develop their skills with Photoshop, for example, a dungeon might provide them with an opportunity to take an examination and gain an accrediation in Adobe Creative Suite, or work on a real commission as part of a project. Whilst these aren't a formal Rise assessment like the [[giant->Boss Out]] or an 'exit' like the [[port-->Port Out]], they are an opportunity for students to prove their skill and get a reward, often in the form of additional accreditation.
We acknowledge that taking part in these opportunities is a learning experience in its own right, and that students might 'try their luck' at something before not succeeding and going away to continue to develop skills. We're also willing to be surprised by the things students come to us with - and if they have a skill that they've developed in their own time we want to find ways in which they can test and prove it.
[[Click here to go back to the game.->Dungeon In]](set:$story to "complete")
It's a short row across the strait to the island. Upon landing, you are taken aback by how idyllic it is. There's plenty to explore, so you disappear into the trees, planning to immerse yourself fully in the environment. (click-replace:'environment.')[environment.
There are beautiful birds and exotic animals, running water and a plentiful supply of coconuts. There is also evidence of a long-lost civilisation so you engage in some amateur archaeology and learn a huge amount about how people once survived and thrived on this island.(click-replace:'survived and thrived on this island.')[survived and thrived on this island.
You feel so at home that you recklessly chop up the boat and build yourself a hut. This feels like it could be a permanent home. (click-replace: 'permanent home.')[permanent home.
And yet one morning you start to get itchy feet again, so you decide to [[swim back->Port In]]. It turns out you didn't really need the boat anyway.]]]
(align:"==>")+(box:"X=")[[Behind the Scenes ->Island Out]](enchant:?page,(text-colour:lime)+(bg:black))
Increasingly, we're seeing students wanting to incorporate their own experiences into Rise. These might be existing activities, like volunteering for a university society or running their own business, or they might be activities that need space and time to develop further with the university's support. Rise can often provide an excuse for this to happen, and a mechanism to make it as worthwhile as possible. This is why we developed the idea of ''islands''; activities that don't take place within Rise but which feed from and into it.
What they actually get up to on these islands can vary. Some external opportunities look like [[towers->Tower Out]], whilst others look like [[castles->Castle Out]]. What students do with these opportunities, and where they come from, are out of our control.
What we can control is the way in which they think about them in relation to eveything else they've done. So we provide ''pathways out'' - running competitions for startup funding off the back of self-study, or connecting students with mentors - and ''pathways back in'' - running a reflective workshop on how to connect your Saturday job to your Rise assessment, for example. This encourages students to 'hack' Rise in new ways. We want to be surprised by the learning opportunities that they develop for themselves.
We also want to acknowledge that students do actually learn something from their Saturday job or from self-organised volunteering, and that this learning is valuable. However, to make sure students get the most of out it, that learning needs to be made explicit, which is why Rise reflective activities are so valuable here.
[[Click here to go back to the game.->Island In]](enchant:?page,(text-colour:lime)+(bg:black))
Twine is an open-source tool for buidling interactive text adventures. It's free and easy to use, and can be a great way to turn a regular piece of writing into something more adventurous with minimal coding.
Twine enables you to link passages together so that readers can work through it in their own order. With a little code, it also allows your text to become responsive so that it can react to the decisions that the reader has made.
[[Go Back->Intro Out]](Visited:where its tags contains "World")[You clamber back up the steps and return to the top of the plateau. It feels so small now you've started to explore the world.]
Standing on the edge and peering over, you can see a narrow stone staircase working its way down the cliff. Looking up towards the horizon you can see the rest of the world stretching out before you, and now you've warmed up a bit you feel like you're ready to explore. Where do you want to go?
Climb [[the tower->Tower In]].
Visit [[the village->Village In]].
Explore [[the shrine->Shrine In]].
Ascend [[the mountain->Mountain In]].
Battle [[the giant->Boss In]].
(align:"==>")+(box:"X=")[[[Behind the Scenes -> Plateau Out]]]
You talk to the captain of the ship. She's looking for a crew member with your skills, and is so impressed with your experiences here that she's keen for you to join. She can't guarantee that the next destination will be as exciting, but she can promise that you'll be surrounded by similarly adventurous shipmates.
This would mean saying goodbye to the World of Rise. Are you sure you want to go?
[[Yes->End]].
[[No->Port In]].
(align:"==>")+(box:"X=")[[Behind the Scenes ->Port Out]]You climb aboard the ship and before long it sets sail. The World of Rise slowly transforms into a dot on the horizon, and you begin to plot your next adventure.
Of course, you can always [[go back-> Plateau In]]...
(align:"==>")+(box:"X=")[[Behind the Scenes ->Port Out]]