GET A LIFE! A FUTURE WORK LIFE SIMULATION TOOL FOR UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

The paper aims to report and discuss the development process of a web-based open source futures simulation tool as well as the uses and experiences of the simulation. The purpose of the simulation is to promote proactive attitudes and futures orientation as well as life and work skills among higher education students. Get a Life 2.0 project [1] has produced a web based tool for students to reflect upon the future of work life and career development. The objective of the tool is to yield safe yet exciting experience on the various possible futures of work. The main design and methodological focus is on simulating very complex phenomena such as the work and social life of an individual in a changing environment: global context of work. Different issues of the changing world of work have been included in various scenario paths. Two focal points of the simulation development are 1) how to build user-friendly career planning products with futures orientation and create content for them and 2) how to use futures studies and simulations as tools for reflective learning and self-assessment. The simulation is built upon a web based open source and free game engine developed in the Get a Life 2.0 project. The game engine is designed as an user-friendly product with a ready-to-use game editor interface. With the game making tool anyone can create various types of simulation of their own.