European Project Semester (EPS)

Client?

Speel je wijs, a Dutch company specialised in educational innovation.

CONTEXT?

Mindfulness is slowly but surely finding its way into pre-primary and primary education. Teachers who experiment with mindfulness experience the beneficial effect that the practise has on themselves and on their students. Artistic teaching methods (making use of image, music, drama, movement and media) appear to be a good and fun way for children and young people to become familiar with mindfulness practices.

GOAL?

Together with your EPS teammates you elaborate on a mobile website (conceptualised and ‘grown’ by three former consecutive teams of EPS students) with inspiring tools and teaching methods that teachers can use to work with arts & mindfulness in their classroom and school context. A special focus last year was on children with behavioural problems: a target group that, possibly more than others, can benefit from a thorough training in mindfulness. 

Your focus will be on developing an AMiE SPOC: a Specific, Personalised (instead of Private) Open Course. The SPOC will be based on the AMIE Pedagogical Framework that has been developed and will guide interested teachers step by step in the world of art-based mindfulness and teach them how they can use the AMiE resources (like the website, music) that have been created.

You will be involved in the dissemination of the results of our larger AMiE project as well: on 31st of March, you and your team members will support the organisation of the AMiE conference that will take place in Antwerp. Additionally, your help with other ideas and practical support will contribute to the dissemination of all project outputs.

This EPS project is pioneering work in European education. The results of your project will be tested in several schools in Flanders/Belgium, Norway, Ireland, Portugal, the Netherlands and hopefully also in your own country.

FOR WHOM?

Students with a heart for education, psychology, mindfulness, arts and/or digital innovation social and a study background in

• Teacher Training
• Applied Psychology
• ICT-Electronics
• Applied Informatics
• Graphical and Digital Media
• Fine Arts
• Product Development
• …

Client? 

Handicap International, an international non-governmental organisation known for its fight against anti-personnel mines and cluster munitions. Handicap International prevents disabilities (through training, awareness-raising campaigns, etc.), supports people with disabilities and enables them to participate fully in society.

Context?

In order to make young people between 14 and 18 years of age aware of disabilities in their many facets and the need for social inclusion, Handicap International intends to develop an innovative training module tailored to these target groups. This module will also enable young people to learn more about the specific approach of Handicap International, an organisation that was co-founder of the International Campaign against Landmines and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997.

Goal?

Conceptualise and create – building on the result of a previous EPS team – a prototype of a digital ‘escape game’ that promotes, in an innovative and playful way, youngster’s learning on themes that are central to Handicap International's mission and vision (prevention of disabilities, support for people with disabilities, full participation in social life by people with disabilities, etc.).

As an EPS team you develop learning content that is adapted to the target groups. You develop a storyline, game scenarios and characters that appeal to the imagination of young people. The graphic design and technological conceptualisation lead to a prototype that a next generation of EPS students and Handicap International can further develop. 

For whom?

Students with a  heart for, and a study background in

• ICT-Electronics and/or Applied informatics
• Design (Graphical and Digital Media, Interaction design, Product design, Art): designing, prototyping, conceptual thinking, storytelling, etc.
• Teacher Training
• Occupational Therapy
• Applied Psychology
• Social Eductional Care Work
• Product Development
• Etc.

Client?

Jeroen Cluckers and the ‘AI-Driven Design’ AP research team of which he is part of. 

Context and goal?

"A movie that gives one sight and sound... I make it so that you are in the story, you speak to the shadows, and the shadows reply, and instead of being on a screen, the story is all about you, and you are in it. Would that be to make real a dream?"    
_{From: Pygmalion's Spectacles, Stanley G. Weinbaum, 1935}  

In this EPS-project, you will learn how to immerse the viewer into virtual reality (VR), using artificial intelligence as your creative partner. Can virtuality feel as real as reality? With a powerful combination of immersive storytelling, VR and artificial intelligence under the hood, you will be able to blend real and virtual worlds, on a quest for total immersion.  

We need an interdisciplinary team of world builders: IT-developers, storytellers, artists, designers, 3D-modelers, marketeers, scientists, researchers, organizers and communicators.   

Will you join us in hyperreality? 

For whom?

Students with a heart for and a study background in

• ICT-Electronics
• Storytelling
• Arts
• Graphical and Media Design
• 3D-Modelling
• Marketing
• Engineering
• Product Development
• …

Client?

Ann Debeuf and the ‘Responsible Design’ AP research team of the department Media, Design & IT.

Context?

Sustainable graphic design is the way forward. Use your creativity for good!

Did it cross your mind that design might have something to do with the environment? Have you ever heard of Sustainable Graphic Design? As environmental problems become more serious, sustainable graphic design becomes more popular, at last.

And if you think digital is always less polluting than print, think again. Since digital is often overlooked in sustainability, this will be our focus.

Don’t worry, you don’t have to sacrifice sustainability for your creativity or vice versa. Sustainability is just one co-pilote in your design process, amongst other.

Goal?

Think big on how to create an eco-friendly website (or an app, animation, …) and how this works in practice. In team, you will gather clear information on what affects the final CO2-emissions of a website or any online interaction, for that matter.

Think further than technical facts as hosting, the role of equipment, the work environment, … Consider for example human behaviour or human incentives for making other choices.

Think very broad before choosing a focus.

The creative and most challenging part is how to spread the message. What is the best way to communicate your findings to other web developers, designers and future designers, companies, … Will you try your tips and tricks on your own website? Or is there a better way to promote your green findings?

The results of your project can be spread in the creative industry and can be used in design schools (all over Europe?)

For whom?

Students with a heart for and a study background in:

• IT / programming / hosting
• Applied Informatics
• Graphical and Digital Media
• Graphic & Web Design
• Product Development
• ICT-Electronics
• Communication
• Psychology (human behaviour)

Client

‘Logo Antwerpen’ is a local multi-stakeholder consultation platform where health is central.

On behalf of the Flemish government, Logo Antwerpen contributes to the realization of the Flemish health objectives at local level:

• More people in motion and with a healthy weight
• Fewer smokers, drug and alcohol users
• More resilient people
• Fewer accidents in the private sphere
• More people participating in cancer population screenings
• A high-quality vaccination policy in Flanders

Context?

Despite the fact that the right to health is enshrined in the Belgian constitution and in numerous international human rights treaties, this right appears to be far from guaranteed, especially for people with a lower social status (educational level, opportunities on the labour market, income level, etc.).

One of the causes that contribute to a relatively more unhealthy lifestyle of socially disadvantaged groups is the fact that awareness campaigns are not yet sufficiently geared to these hard-to-reach target groups.

Goal?

How can immersive technologies contribute in a creative way to raising awareness about the importance of a healthy lifestyle, more specifically to raising awareness aimed at socio-economically disadvantaged groups in our society? That is the challenge for this team of EPS students who also use the technological knowledge built up in AP's Immersive Lab for this challenging objective.

For whom?

Students with a heart for and a study background in

• Health Sciences
• ICT-Electronics and/or Applied informatics
• Design (Graphical and Digital Media, Interaction design, Product design, Art): designing, prototyping, conceptual thinking, storytelling, etc.
• Social Work
• Applied Psychology
• Social Educational Care Work
• Product Development
• Etc.

Eager to take a quick peek at the process and results of the 2022 projects? Below you can find some of the project recap movies. Those will certainly provide you a clear and brief insight into each project!

• Project recap A-City Teachers
• Project recap Arts & Mindfulness in Education
• Project recap Escape from Social Exclusion
• Project recap Inclusive Playtime
• Project recap Mental Resilience in Performing Arts
• Project recap Plan Academy