Changemakers as digital makers: Connecting and co-creating

Emma Whewell; Helen Caldwell; Mark Frydenberg; Diana Andone

doi:10.1007/s10639-022-10892-1

Changemakers as digital makers: Connecting and co-creating

Educ Inf Technol (Dordr). 2022;27(5):6691-6713. doi: 10.1007/s10639-022-10892-1. Epub 2022 Jan 24.

Authors

Emma Whewell¹, Helen Caldwell¹, Mark Frydenberg², Diana Andone³

Affiliations

¹ University of Northampton, University Drive, Northampton, NN1 5PH UK.
² Computer Information Systems Department, Bentley University, Waltham, MA 02452 USA.
³ Politehnica University of Timisoara, Pta Victoriei No. 2, Timisoara, Romania.

Abstract

This paper presents data from two international projects focused on the interaction between changemaking and digital making in university students. The data is drawn from the contributions of 63 university students located in the United States, Romania, Spain, Belgium, Norway, Denmark and England. Using a design thinking methodology and a thematic analysis of student responses, the aim was to understand how the creative use of immersive technologies, such as augmented and virtual reality, might create an environment for changemaking practices in an international context. Findings suggest that students demonstrated not only enhanced digital skills and student engagement but increased cultural competence and global mindfulness. International digital collaboration can create conditions for students to develop changemaker attributes and identify as changemakers within the spheres of entrepreneurship and education, preparing them to be a force for change in the world.

Keywords: Augmented and virtual reality; Cooperative/collaborative learnings-cultural projects; Distributed learning environments; Twenty-first century abilities.