The University of Kent has won the Digital Innovation category of the Guardian University Awards 2020 for the innovative and highly acclaimed One Hour Degree, which was developed with the support of EDA student (now alumnus) Joe Riley.
Launched in 2019, One Hour Degree is an online simulation game designed to provide the complete university experience for those contemplating taking the three-year academic route. Created by the University’s Student Success Team, it enables prospective students to take an immersive series of “quests” designed to give authentic insight into the university experience, all within one hour. Players are able to choose to participate via either Kent’s Canterbury or Medway campuses.
The One Hour Degree was developed in collaboration with a number of specialists across the University. The game was written and developed by Alison Webb, Systems Development Manager in the Student Success Team, with programming skills input from BEng Computer Systems Engineering student and Javascript Developer (Work Study Scheme), Joe Riley. To date it has been played over 7,000 times by players in 124 countries.
Professor Richard Reece, Kent’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Education and Student Experience said: ‘This is fantastic news and many congratulations to all those involved with this truly innovative project. The global reach of the game has been phenomenal and its impact truly beneficial to both current and prospective students at Kent.’
Alison Webb said: ‘Not only was this a fantastic collaborative effort between many colleagues and departments, but it also highlighted the importance of speaking to students and gaining their insights on specific university experiences. We also had the benefit of a work-study student to really bring this to life. The analytics prove the game has been played far and wide and student feedback has been incredibly positive.’
The Guardian described the game as one that ‘introduces key concepts, terminology, locations and processes to new students before they arrive, while images of the campus helps those who have been unable to attend an open day’.
One Hour Degree does not require a login or user account and can be played by anyone with access to a web browser, on any device. It is available to play here:
www.kent.ac.uk/student/one-hour-degree.