Making high school study choices fun & accessible with Kr8cht

About this project

Kr8cht is a fun and innovative adventure game for fifth and sixth-year primary school pupils that serves a dual purpose:

• By way of all kinds of choices, levels and dilemmas, children are able to gain a better understanding of themselves. They will learn how their daily activities, hobbies, and interests align with the domains of secondary education while exploring an exciting new world.

• Additionally, the game provides them with a more informed view of these different domains. What are their different purposes? What kinds of skills and subjects could you expect to be covered? You’ll find out soon.

Each different domain is represented by a different original character. For example, Bodi represents STEM, whereas Akim exemplifies language and culture.

Informative and helpful

In addition to other methodologies and tools, Kr8cht helps children make a well-considered and conscious choice for a particular field of study before they begin their secondary education.

The game consists of four parts and takes about 6 to 8 hours to complete. As a teacher, you’re able to monitor and gauge a child’s interests, allowing you to use these as a conversation starter during parent-teacher days, for example.

Some project history

The first iteration of Kr8cht was developed on behalf of Transbaso, a strategic research project by UGent, HOGent, V.U.B., UAntwerpen, and AP Hogeschool. The original story and game design were created by Curious Cats.

The project was later taken up within the Smart Education @ Schools project by imec. The great illustrations were created by Michèle Vanparys. Bits of Love made this into a scalable digital product featuring a custom level builder.

Goals

The structure of our secondary education system is quite extensive and commonly remains insufficiently explored. Children are frequently too uninformed about the offerings to adequately make their decision on what to study throughout their secondary education. 

The main goal of Kr8cht is to introduce primary school pupils to new concepts and to make several important points come across:

• Introducing pupils to the various different study domains within secondary education. In a playful way, they learn more about the contents of and the professions related to these fields of study.
  
• Giving children the freedom to discover their own interests and the opportunity to frame these interests within the available study domains.
  
• Providing pupils with an important conversation starter, to discuss their study choices with their friends, classmates, teachers, and family.
  
• Playing the game over a longer period of time gives children the opportunity to reflect regularly on what they like to do. This stimulates their reflection and decision-making abilities.
  

To learn more about using Kr8cht at your school, visit kr8cht​.be and start your adventure.