Mikael Hellstrom - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
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Papers by Mikael Hellstrom
Canadian Studies in Population, 2013
Never before has European social integration been one of the foremost topics of discussion in pol... more Never before has European social integration been one of the foremost topics of discussion in political and civic debates across EU member states. At a time when national and European political representatives are striving to defend economic and financial stability within the Euro-zone, the emergence of a European society in which specific social groups stand out due to their values and social practices becomes crucial. Thus far, the free movement of persons that enables people to move, settle, travel, study, work and retire in any member state is one of the most important principles established by the European Union and it has had a direct impact on citizens' lives. Even though intra-EU mobility is marginal according to official figures (only around 2% of citizens' move to another EU country), this phenomenon should be taken as the prime indicator of the rise of European citizenship.
Issues and Trends in Educational Technology, 2017
Game mechanics can motivate users beyond what is normally expected. Research has shown that this ... more Game mechanics can motivate users beyond what is normally expected. Research has shown that this technique can be used to enhance the learning experience for students on all educational levels. The paper details the experiences of transforming traditional lecture-based courses in undergraduate political science to gamification and game-based learning, and it presents the reader with a toolkit for how to make such a conversion based on the author's experiences. An overview of selected scholarly literature on teaching informs the reflection on this transformation. The paper concludes that gamification and game-based learning can provide benefits in political science education when leveraging formative assessment, flipped classrooms, and game-based learning. It also finds that there might be some institutional barriers to the adoption of these tools, primarily associated with the institutionalization of the bell curve as a guideline for the distribution of student grades. The paper ends with some reflections on possible future research areas.
The Multiplayer Classroom describes how a course in computer game design can be based on the same... more The Multiplayer Classroom describes how a course in computer game design can be based on the same structure as a computer game (Sheldon 2012). Students play this game through the entire term. Sheldon also had students take on roles based on Bartle’s taxonomy of player types (Bartle 1996), leveraging it to structure group work and accommodating different learning types.
During the Winter term of 2015, I taught two courses in Political Science at the University of Calgary: Topics in Comparative Politics in the Industrialized World and Introduction to Public Administration. Having previously leveraged gamification principles in teaching extensively (Hellström 2015), operationalizing Sheldon’s design was a logical next step. This paper describes that effort, including challenges and opportunities for how Sheldon’s design can be used. The design requires a complete change in the point of departure for the course, from the implementation of Bartle’s Taxonomy, to how the curriculum is presented to the students through potentially asynchronous game events rather than through the linear structure of the classic lecture series. These techniques will be familiar to those who are acquainted with computer games or live action role-playing (larp). The paper will also include some reflections on potential for future research in terms of how game-based learning could enhance the postsecondary political science classroom.
Larp events do not take place in isolation, but rather within a wider context of a community of p... more Larp events do not take place in isolation, but rather within a wider context of a community of participants. Community norms are a significant force for homogenization. Thus, when larp events are organized, organizers can use language to communicate which practices are emphasized as important, and how the larp should normatively be conducted. These norms are invoked for the purpose of legitimizing the larp and can be transformed into attributes of symbolic capital vested with power and larp events can be seen as an expression of established community practices. Thus, the event builds on, and generates, authoritative attributes, symbolic capital, which has significance for community homogenization. The purpose of this paper is to locate common authoritative symbols in the larp presentations from two cities, Edmonton, Canada, and Stockholm, Sweden. Four larps have been included to capture a wider range of practices. Using Pierre Bourdieu's theory, which discusses the significance of symbolic capital for the stratification of social space, the documents of the larps are analysed to identify common denominators. These can reveal central community values that could be significant as a homogenizing force within a larp community. The inquiry concludes that different symbols for proper larp have been adopted in the two cities, where the Edmonton community has a strong emphasis on rule-books and mechanics, while the Stockholm community is focusing more on the exploration of dramatic themes and authenticity. This indicates that the two communities can be thought of as different social spaces, distinctly separate from each other. The paper also includes a short discussion about the potential implications of authoritative symbols for larp practices in the communities.
Larp events are not isolated, but happen in a larger context of a community of larping participan... more Larp events are not isolated, but happen in a larger context of a community of larping participants. Like all communities, members will share ideas about good and bad practices and behaviour and develop norms that tie the members together. Organizers can then use language to communicate which practices they emphasize as important, and what they consider good or bad practices for their event. Such norms can invoked for the purpose of legitimizing the larp in the community and can then be transformed into attributes of symbolic capital with a power of their own. In this way, the events build on, and generate, such symbolic attributes, which take on significance for community homogenization. Larp events can thus be seen as an expression of established community practices. The purpose of this article is to locate common attributes of symbolic capital in the presentations of eight larps from two cities, Edmonton, Canada, and Stockholm, Sweden. The documents of the larps are analysed usin...
Canadian Studies in Population, 2013
Never before has European social integration been one of the foremost topics of discussion in pol... more Never before has European social integration been one of the foremost topics of discussion in political and civic debates across EU member states. At a time when national and European political representatives are striving to defend economic and financial stability within the Euro-zone, the emergence of a European society in which specific social groups stand out due to their values and social practices becomes crucial. Thus far, the free movement of persons that enables people to move, settle, travel, study, work and retire in any member state is one of the most important principles established by the European Union and it has had a direct impact on citizens' lives. Even though intra-EU mobility is marginal according to official figures (only around 2% of citizens' move to another EU country), this phenomenon should be taken as the prime indicator of the rise of European citizenship.
Issues and Trends in Educational Technology, 2017
Game mechanics can motivate users beyond what is normally expected. Research has shown that this ... more Game mechanics can motivate users beyond what is normally expected. Research has shown that this technique can be used to enhance the learning experience for students on all educational levels. The paper details the experiences of transforming traditional lecture-based courses in undergraduate political science to gamification and game-based learning, and it presents the reader with a toolkit for how to make such a conversion based on the author's experiences. An overview of selected scholarly literature on teaching informs the reflection on this transformation. The paper concludes that gamification and game-based learning can provide benefits in political science education when leveraging formative assessment, flipped classrooms, and game-based learning. It also finds that there might be some institutional barriers to the adoption of these tools, primarily associated with the institutionalization of the bell curve as a guideline for the distribution of student grades. The paper ends with some reflections on possible future research areas.
The Multiplayer Classroom describes how a course in computer game design can be based on the same... more The Multiplayer Classroom describes how a course in computer game design can be based on the same structure as a computer game (Sheldon 2012). Students play this game through the entire term. Sheldon also had students take on roles based on Bartle’s taxonomy of player types (Bartle 1996), leveraging it to structure group work and accommodating different learning types.
During the Winter term of 2015, I taught two courses in Political Science at the University of Calgary: Topics in Comparative Politics in the Industrialized World and Introduction to Public Administration. Having previously leveraged gamification principles in teaching extensively (Hellström 2015), operationalizing Sheldon’s design was a logical next step. This paper describes that effort, including challenges and opportunities for how Sheldon’s design can be used. The design requires a complete change in the point of departure for the course, from the implementation of Bartle’s Taxonomy, to how the curriculum is presented to the students through potentially asynchronous game events rather than through the linear structure of the classic lecture series. These techniques will be familiar to those who are acquainted with computer games or live action role-playing (larp). The paper will also include some reflections on potential for future research in terms of how game-based learning could enhance the postsecondary political science classroom.
Larp events do not take place in isolation, but rather within a wider context of a community of p... more Larp events do not take place in isolation, but rather within a wider context of a community of participants. Community norms are a significant force for homogenization. Thus, when larp events are organized, organizers can use language to communicate which practices are emphasized as important, and how the larp should normatively be conducted. These norms are invoked for the purpose of legitimizing the larp and can be transformed into attributes of symbolic capital vested with power and larp events can be seen as an expression of established community practices. Thus, the event builds on, and generates, authoritative attributes, symbolic capital, which has significance for community homogenization. The purpose of this paper is to locate common authoritative symbols in the larp presentations from two cities, Edmonton, Canada, and Stockholm, Sweden. Four larps have been included to capture a wider range of practices. Using Pierre Bourdieu's theory, which discusses the significance of symbolic capital for the stratification of social space, the documents of the larps are analysed to identify common denominators. These can reveal central community values that could be significant as a homogenizing force within a larp community. The inquiry concludes that different symbols for proper larp have been adopted in the two cities, where the Edmonton community has a strong emphasis on rule-books and mechanics, while the Stockholm community is focusing more on the exploration of dramatic themes and authenticity. This indicates that the two communities can be thought of as different social spaces, distinctly separate from each other. The paper also includes a short discussion about the potential implications of authoritative symbols for larp practices in the communities.
Larp events are not isolated, but happen in a larger context of a community of larping participan... more Larp events are not isolated, but happen in a larger context of a community of larping participants. Like all communities, members will share ideas about good and bad practices and behaviour and develop norms that tie the members together. Organizers can then use language to communicate which practices they emphasize as important, and what they consider good or bad practices for their event. Such norms can invoked for the purpose of legitimizing the larp in the community and can then be transformed into attributes of symbolic capital with a power of their own. In this way, the events build on, and generate, such symbolic attributes, which take on significance for community homogenization. Larp events can thus be seen as an expression of established community practices. The purpose of this article is to locate common attributes of symbolic capital in the presentations of eight larps from two cities, Edmonton, Canada, and Stockholm, Sweden. The documents of the larps are analysed usin...