Reality Lab: Digital Tools for Wider Participation - a Pre-study
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | Karlstads universitet - Ledningskansli |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 400 000 |
| Project duration | August 2017 - January 2018 |
| Status | Completed |
Purpose and goal
The purpose of the pre-study has been to investigate the possibilities and conditions to establish a reality lab for widening participation. Can development of digital aids for widening participation use service design and service innovation? The aim of the pre-study was to investigate a number of requirements in seven target areas and on the basis of the results produce a project plan. The pre-study has successfully completed 23 of 25 requirements and done less well for two of the requirements, which were caused by factors outside the pre-study, and leading to a project plan.
Expected results and effects
Definitions make the lab open and accessible to business and education actors have been established. Networks have been created through participation at conferences, contacts at other universities, study visits in the UK and exchanges with a program for students with neuropsychiatric disabilities. An important relationship has been established with the industry organization Swedish Edtech Industry. Through it, the reality lab has a channel for 150 edtech companies. Of these, ten companies have already expressed an interest in participating when the Reality Lab is established.
Planned approach and implementation
The pre-study was conducted from August 2017 to January 2018 and was carried out by two persons. Work packages have been divided on the basis of competence and hours assigned to the work. To a large extent, the work has been carried out independently with the respective work packages, but a number of work packages have been carried out in collaboration. The project group has had weekly meetings where work progress was checked off and up-coming work was planned. The preliminary study had a very ambitious requirements list and fewer requirements may have given the final result higher quality.