DALI

Funding programme

Erasmus+ KA204 – Strategic Partnerships for Adult Education

Project reference

2020-1-NO01-KA204-076492

Period

2020–2023

Coordinating organisation

University of Bergen (Norway)

Participating countries

Norway, Spain, Germany, United Kingdom

Official project website

Visit official website

DALI (Data Literacy for Citizenship) aimed to improve adults’ ability to understand, interpret, manage and critically engage with data in their everyday lives.

The project addressed the growing importance of data literacy for informed decision-making, digital participation, privacy protection and active citizenship.

Its educational approach combined a research-based data literacy competence framework with non-formal, game-based learning activities designed for young adults, general adults and older adults.

Specific learning objectives

• Data awareness: Recognise the presence of data in everyday activities, digital services and social interactions.
• Understanding data: Identify different types of data, understand how data are generated and recognise their potential uses.
• Critical thinking: Question the origins, quality, interpretation and possible biases of data.
• Data collection: Understand how personal and other types of data are collected through applications, devices and digital services.
• Data management: Develop basic competences related to organising, storing, managing and protecting information.
• Data interpretation: Recognise meaningful information within data and consider its implications for everyday situations.
• Data communication: Explore ways of communicating information and telling stories using data.
• Privacy and data protection: Increase awareness of personal information, privacy settings, data security and digital rights.
• Ethical data use: Consider the ethical and social consequences of collecting, sharing and exploiting data.
• Informed decision-making: Encourage the critical use of data to support personal and collective decisions.
• Digital citizenship: Understand how data influence social participation, public policies and relations between citizens and organisations.
• Data activism: Introduce opportunities for citizens to defend their data rights and participate in collective action concerning data use.
• Data advocacy: Encourage participants to communicate the importance of data literacy to other people and communities.
• Personal agency: Strengthen participants’ perceived ability to make informed choices and act independently in data-driven environments.
• Social interaction: Promote discussion, collaboration and the exchange of personal experiences through educational gameplay.
• Intergenerational learning: Create opportunities for participants of different ages to explore data-related issues together.
• Accessible adult education: Develop flexible learning resources adapted to different educational needs, experiences and levels of digital familiarity.
• Educator competences: Provide facilitators with methodological guidance for planning, implementing and evaluating game-based data literacy activities.

The DALI Data Literacy Framework organises these learning objectives into three main competence areas:

• Understanding Data: Knowledge, awareness and critical thinking about data.
• Acting on Data: Collecting, managing and sharing data responsibly.
• Engaging Through Data: Understanding policy and regulation, making decisions, participating in data activism and practising data advocacy.

Ethics and Privacy constitute a fourth transversal dimension integrated into the three competence areas.

The project developed its educational games to address specific competences within this framework, particularly at the introductory proficiency level.

DALI developed a collection of original educational games designed to support data literacy among adults through physical and digital learning activities.

The DALI Toolkit contains 17 games: 12 analogue games and five digital games. The analogue collection includes board games, card games, memory activities, storytelling games and a paper-based escape room.

The games were created within the Erasmus+ project rather than adapted from existing commercial games. Their educational design follows the DALI Data Literacy Framework.

Physical board, card and tabletop games

1. DALI Life

A race-style board game in which participants move along a track and encounter events and actions related to data literacy, privacy and digital citizenship.

The game encourages discussion about the influence of data in everyday life and the implications of digital decisions.

• Format: Board game with event cards, action cards, dice and tokens.
• Learning focus: Data awareness and everyday digital experiences.
• Game approach: Movement along a track, card-based events, decision-making and discussion.

2. DALIcious Week

A card-based game involving the management of activities, time and personal resources over the course of a week.

Participants explore the relationship between everyday activities, personal information and the organisation of data.

• Format: Card game with optional game boards.
• Learning focus: Data management and personal information.
• Game approach: Planning, resource management and decisions involving different types of cards.

3. Daliopoly

A card-based educational game in which players collect sets of cards and explore concepts associated with data security, regulation and responsible information management.

The game introduces the social and regulatory dimensions of data use and encourages discussion of relevant terminology.

• Format: Card game with artefact and action cards.
• Learning focus: Data policy and regulation.
• Game approach: Set collection, card effects and competitive interaction.

4. Data Chain

A team-based card game in which data activists compete against data brokers.

The game explores the interests of different actors involved in the collection, management and exploitation of data.

• Format: Team-based card game.
• Learning focus: Data activism and the social consequences of data use.
• Game approach: Asymmetric roles, team competition and card-based actions.

5. Data Iceberg

A memory game designed to help participants recognise and classify different types of data generated through everyday activities.

Its educational purpose is to make visible forms of data production that citizens may not normally recognise.

• Format: Physical memory game using cards and playing boards.
• Learning focus: Understanding data and recognising data generation.
• Game approach: Memory, matching and classification.

6. Data Takeover

A card-based game with role-playing elements that explores the economic value of data and the ways in which information can be collected, controlled and monetised.

Participants encounter different actors involved in the data economy, including hackers, influencers, journalists, lawyers and public relations professionals.

• Format: Card and token game.
• Learning focus: Critical understanding of data value and data exploitation.
• Game approach: Role differentiation, resource management and strategic decisions.

7. Databi

A cooperative educational game in which participants collaborate to decipher clues and solve challenges involving data.

The game uses shared problem-solving to introduce data-related concepts and communication strategies.

• Format: Cooperative board and card game.
• Learning focus: Data advocacy and collaborative interpretation.
• Game approach: Cooperation, clues, deduction and shared decision-making.

8. Game of Phones

A card game focusing on the relationship between social interactions, online content, personal information and digital citizenship.

Participants explore information sharing and consider how their online activities connect with data creation and disclosure.

• Format: Educational card game.
• Learning focus: Sharing data and ethical communication.
• Game approach: Card-based social interaction, communication and reflection.

9. Protearn Your Data

A board and card game focused on collecting, identifying and protecting data.

The game introduces basic concepts related to digital information, personal data and security practices.

• Format: Board game with cards, dice and player tokens.
• Learning focus: Data collection and protection.
• Game approach: Card-based challenges, movement and data-related decisions.

10. Where Is Data in Your Story?

A storytelling card game in which participants construct short narratives using cards representing individuals, locations, activities and data.

The activity connects data literacy with everyday experiences and communication.

• Format: Storytelling card game.
• Learning focus: Data-informed decision-making and communication.
• Game approach: Card combinations, narrative construction and social interaction.

11. WiFi and Data!

An educational board game designed to increase awareness of data generation through digital interactions and connected technologies.

Participants explore how ordinary online activities produce information and how digital environments affect everyday life.

• Format: Board game with cards, dice and playing pieces.
• Learning focus: Awareness of data generation.
• Game approach: Board movement, card-based activities and discussion.

12. DALI Escape Room

A collaborative paper-based escape room comprising interconnected puzzles that participants must solve to uncover a secret password.

The game combines data-related learning challenges with teamwork and problem-solving.

• Format: Printable escape room activity.
• Learning focus: Data literacy, problem-solving and collaborative reasoning.
• Game approach: Cooperative puzzle-solving, deduction and sequential challenges.

Complementary digital games

The toolkit also includes five digital educational games:

• Data Iceberg (digital): A web-based activity for recognising different types of data.
• Databox: An immersive digital experience designed for computers and virtual reality environments.
• DataFy: A short quiz game introducing fundamental data literacy concepts.
• DataWheel: A digital mini-game supporting the development of intermediate data knowledge.
• Escape from Alcatracks: A browser-based game addressing privacy settings and online data protection.

These digital games complement the physical educational activities but should be distinguished from the Board Game-Based Learning components when assessing the project’s methodological contribution.

Game availability

The official DALI Toolkit provides a searchable catalogue and printable game resources, alongside information about learning objectives, suggested participant numbers, playing time and supporting materials.

Explore the DALI Games Catalogue

The resources were designed for adult learners with different levels of digital familiarity. Several games also include adaptations for other age groups or intergenerational settings.

Game approach

The project’s primary classification is Custom-Designed Educational Games.

All physical games were developed specifically for DALI, although some incorporate mechanics familiar from commercial board and card games.

DALI adopted a research-informed Game-Based Learning methodology combining educational game design, networked learning, participatory approaches and structured facilitation.

The project developed a pedagogical model known as the Game-Based Networked Learning Strategy (GBNLS), linking each educational game to specific competences within the DALI Data Literacy Framework.

The methodology was designed for use in non-formal adult education and adapted to different learner profiles, including young adults, general adults, older adults and professional groups.

Pedagogical foundations

The DALI approach integrates principles of connected learning, learner agency, experiential education and educational game design.

A central methodological reference is the Activity-Centred Analysis and Design (ACAD) framework, which organises educational design into three interconnected dimensions.

1. Epistemic design: Identifies the intended knowledge and skills, learning tasks, challenges, game mechanics and rules associated with each educational activity.
2. Social design: Defines participant roles, social interactions, collaborative processes and adaptations for different learner profiles.
3. Set design: Establishes the physical environment, educational materials and game components required to support learning activities.

Methodological development process

1. Competence framework development: The project established a research-based framework describing the knowledge, skills and attitudes associated with adult data literacy.
2. Target group analysis: Learner profiles were developed for young adults, general adults and older adults to inform game design and adaptation.
3. Learning objective mapping: Specific data literacy competences were associated with individual games and learning activities.
4. Participatory co-design: Multidisciplinary teams combined expertise in education, instructional design and game development to create educational resources.
5. Game prototyping: Original board games, card games, puzzles and digital activities were developed according to their intended educational purposes.
6. Iterative testing: Game prototypes were tested with participants and facilitators, generating feedback on educational relevance, usability and gameplay.
7. Adaptation: Materials, rules and facilitation procedures were adapted to different age groups and learning environments.
8. Facilitator preparation: Supporting manuals and guides were developed to help educators understand the pedagogical purpose and implementation requirements of the games.
9. Field implementation: The games were tested across different European educational contexts.
10. Evaluation and refinement: Participant and facilitator feedback informed revisions of the games and their supporting resources.

Structure of educational sessions

The project’s implementation framework recommends a structured learning experience consisting of three main stages.

• Before gameplay: The facilitator introduces data literacy, explores participants’ existing knowledge and explains the objectives and rules of the selected game.
• During gameplay: Participants engage with the game’s challenges while the facilitator supports interaction, clarifies rules and observes the learning process.
• After gameplay: A closing activity encourages participants to reflect on their experience, connect game situations with everyday data practices and identify relevant learning outcomes.

The field-trial report recommends educational sessions lasting approximately 90–120 minutes, including introduction, gameplay and reflection. Individual games may require considerably less time.

Role of the facilitator

Facilitators may act as moderators, educators, referees or helpers, depending on the selected game and participant needs.

Their responsibilities include:

• Selecting games that address appropriate data literacy objectives.
• Adapting materials and activities to participants’ abilities and experiences.
• Creating accessible and supportive learning environments.
• Explaining game rules and clarifying unfamiliar data-related concepts.
• Encouraging interaction, discussion and collaborative problem-solving.
• Connecting in-game experiences with real-world data practices.
• Facilitating structured reflection and collecting learning feedback.

Reflection and debriefing

Reflection is an explicit component of the DALI pedagogical approach.

The post-game stage is intended to help participants move beyond game completion towards a more critical understanding of data collection, privacy, informed decisions and citizenship.

Unlike game-based interventions without documented follow-up activities, DALI includes methodological guidance addressing what facilitators should do before, during and after gameplay.

Adaptation and flexibility

The educational resources were developed with different adult age groups in mind and allow adaptations according to participant characteristics, prior knowledge and learning contexts.

The project also explored intergenerational learning situations involving participants of different ages.

This flexibility constitutes an important methodological feature, although changes to game materials or rules should preserve their intended learning objectives.

DALI was implemented between December 2020 and December 2023 through a partnership of five universities from Norway, Spain, Germany and the United Kingdom.

The project combined research, competence framework development, educational game co-design, prototype testing, adult learning activities and systematic collection of participant and facilitator feedback.

Participating organisations

• University of Bergen (Norway): Project coordinator, through its Centre for the Science of Learning and Technology (SLATE).
• Universidad de Murcia (Spain): Research, educational design and project implementation.
• Universitat de les Illes Balears (Spain): Pedagogical development, implementation and evaluation.
• Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (Germany): Adult education research, game development and implementation.
• Coventry University (United Kingdom): Game-based learning research, design and evaluation.

Implementation stages

1. Research and competence mapping: Development of the DALI Data Literacy Framework and identification of educational needs among different adult populations.
2. Pedagogical design: Development of the Game-Based Networked Learning Strategy and its application to educational game design.
3. Game co-creation: Multidisciplinary teams created physical and digital educational games targeting different data literacy competences.
4. Prototype testing: Early game versions were tested and refined using feedback from researchers, facilitators and participants.
5. Field trials: Educational game sessions were implemented in Norway, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom between November 2022 and May 2023.
6. Evaluation: Participant and facilitator questionnaires collected information about gameplay, usability, enjoyment, perceived learning and educational quality.
7. Resource finalisation: The games and methodological materials were refined and published through the DALI Toolkit.
8. Dissemination and training: The project organised professional training and dissemination activities, including an international learning event in Bergen in September 2023.

Field-trial implementation

The official DALI Implementation Framework reports the following activities:

• 42 educational sessions organised during the field-trial period.
• 104 field trials involving different game experiences.
• 384 adult participants participating in the activities.
• 341 participant survey responses collected during the evaluation process.
• 34 facilitators reported in the summary table.
• 11 intergenerational field trials involving participants of different ages.

Some project documentation provides different facilitator totals depending on the reporting section. The figures above reproduce the official field-trial summary table.

Participant evaluation

The evaluation instruments assessed several dimensions of the learning experience, including:

• Participant autonomy and opportunities for decision-making.
• Clarity of game components and instructions.
• Ease of use and game functionality.
• Educational relevance and content quality.
• Perceived enjoyment during gameplay.
• Perceived learning and development of data literacy awareness.
• Suggestions for improving game design and facilitation.

Results reported in the field-trial evaluation

The project reported generally positive participant and facilitator perceptions.

• 72% of participants provided positive responses to the item concerning enjoyment of gameplay.
• Approximately 50% reported having fun while learning and improving their data-related strategies.
• More than 70% considered the games’ dynamics appropriate.
• Facilitators generally evaluated the pedagogical alignment and usability of the games positively.
• Qualitative feedback identified greater awareness of everyday data practices, privacy concerns and the importance of critical thinking.

Subsequent scientific evaluation

A peer-reviewed study published in First Monday in 2025 analysed responses from 338 participants who played non-digital DALI games.

The study examined the relationship between perceived enjoyment, perceived learning, age, previous gaming experience and game design characteristics.

Its main findings included:

• Enjoyment and perceived learning: A significant positive correlation was identified between perceived fun and perceived learning (Spearman’s rho = 0.544, p < .001).
• Age: No statistically significant main effect of age group was found for perceived enjoyment or perceived learning in the overall analysis.
• Previous gaming experience: No statistically significant main effect was observed for the type of prior gaming experience.
• Game design: Perceived ease of use and clarity of instructions were positively associated with enjoyment and perceived learning.

A further study published in 2026 in Studies in Continuing Education analysed learner agency using data from the same cross-national sample of 338 participants. It reported associations between perceived agency, enjoyment and game quality.

Interpretation and evidence limitations

These studies provide valuable quantitative evidence concerning participants’ experiences and perceptions of educational games.

However, the main analyses were descriptive and correlational, relying on self-reported perceptions of learning rather than independently demonstrated changes in data literacy competence.

The findings do not establish that enjoying a game causes better learning, nor do they demonstrate that playing DALI games is more effective than alternative teaching methods.

The published studies also should not be treated as completely independent samples when they analyse overlapping project data.

Overall evaluation status

DALI provides documented implementation, participant feedback, facilitator evaluation and peer-reviewed research.

Its evidence base is stronger than that of projects reporting only game development or informal testing. Nevertheless, controlled comparisons and objective measures of learning gains would be required to establish causal educational effectiveness.

DALI produced an extensive collection of open educational resources supporting adult data literacy through playful and game-based learning.

The resources include physical games, digital games, a competence framework, pedagogical documentation, facilitator guidance, evaluation reports and recommendations for educators and policymakers.

1. DALI Games Catalogue

The official catalogue presents the project’s educational games, including printable tabletop games, card games, puzzles and digital activities.

Users can explore games according to educational objectives, format, number of players and approximate playing time.

DALI Games Catalogue

2. DALI Print-and-Play Resources

The DALI Toolkit provides printable materials for the project’s analogue games, allowing educators to prepare physical game components for educational activities.

These resources include board layouts, cards, rules and other materials required for gameplay.

DALI Toolkit – Printable and Digital Educational Games

3. DALI Handbook

The handbook describes the theoretical and methodological foundations of the project and the Game-Based Networked Learning Strategies associated with individual games.

It provides guidance on pedagogical planning, learning objectives, game design and implementation.

DALI Handbook – Facilitator Resources

4. DALI Facilitator’s Guide

The facilitator’s guide provides practical recommendations for implementing educational games with different adult audiences.

It includes information about learner profiles, game characteristics, participant numbers, playing time, adaptations and activities before, during and after gameplay.

DALI Facilitator’s Guide

5. DALI Data Literacy Framework

A multilingual competence framework defining the knowledge, skills and attitudes associated with adult data literacy.

The framework includes three principal dimensions: Understanding Data, Acting on Data and Engaging Through Data, together with Ethics and Privacy as a transversal dimension.

DALI Data Literacy Framework

6. DALI Implementation Framework – Report on Field Trials

A project evaluation report describing the field-trial methodology, participant characteristics, implementation activities, survey instruments, facilitator feedback and assessment results.

Implementation Framework: Report on Field Trials (PDF)

7. Policy Recommendations and Guidelines for Educators

The project developed recommendations for public institutions and educational organisations interested in promoting data literacy.

These include the importance of open data, privacy protection, digital awareness, inclusive workshops and game-based educational approaches.

DALI Policy Recommendations and Educator Guidelines

8. Scientific Publications

Several research publications document the theoretical framework, game co-design process and subsequent evaluation of the DALI learning experiences.

• Co-creating Pedagogically Informed Games for Data Literacy (2024)
• Data Literacy for Citizenry Through Game-Based Learning: Adult Perceptions of Fun and Learning with the DALI Toolkit (2025)
• Game-Based Strategies for Data Literacy: Exploring Agency in Adult Learning (2026)

Resource availability and licensing

The official project website and DALI Toolkit remain accessible as of November 2026.

The toolkit identifies a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 licence for its educational resources. Users should verify the applicable licence for individual files before redistribution or modification.

The availability of a dedicated games catalogue, printable resources, methodological guidance and implementation documentation makes DALI particularly relevant for educational reuse and replication.

DALI is a particularly valuable case for the European Board Game-Based Learning Observatory because it combines original educational tabletop game development with an explicit pedagogical framework, documented implementation and peer-reviewed evaluation.

Its relevance extends beyond the production of educational games. The project demonstrates how game design, competence mapping, facilitated learning and evaluation can be integrated within a coherent educational methodology.

Methodological strengths

1. Central role of physical games: Board games, card games and other analogue activities constitute a substantial component of the educational toolkit rather than occasional supporting activities.
2. Competence-based design: The project developed a specific data literacy framework and linked individual games to defined learning objectives.
3. Explicit pedagogical foundations: The Game-Based Networked Learning Strategy and ACAD framework provide a structured approach to epistemic, social and material game design.
4. Diversity of game mechanics: The physical games employ different approaches, including board movement, card collection, memory, storytelling, cooperation, asymmetric roles and decision-making.
5. Target group adaptation: The project addresses young adults, general adults and older adults, incorporating adaptations for different educational needs and experiences.
6. Facilitator guidance: The educational resources describe the role of facilitators and recommend activities before, during and after gameplay.
7. Structured implementation: The project documented 104 field trials involving 384 adult participants across four countries.
8. Evaluation transparency: The consortium published an implementation report describing its instruments, procedures, quantitative findings and participant feedback.
9. Scientific dissemination: Subsequent peer-reviewed publications provide additional evidence about game-based learning experiences, participant perceptions and learner agency.
10. Resource accessibility: A public toolkit with printable games and methodological guidance supports educational reuse beyond the original partnership.

Methodological limitations and considerations

1. Purpose-specific educational games: The games were designed primarily to address particular data literacy competences. Their recreational appeal outside educational contexts has not been systematically established.
2. Heterogeneous game formats: The toolkit combines board games, card games, storytelling, escape rooms and digital activities. These formats should not be treated as methodologically equivalent when assessing Board Game-Based Learning.
3. Predominance of self-reported outcomes: The main evaluation studies focus on enjoyment, perceived learning, learner agency and usability rather than objectively measured learning gains.
4. Correlational evidence: The association between enjoyment and perceived learning does not demonstrate a causal effect of gameplay on competence development.
5. Limited comparative evidence: The available evaluation does not establish the superiority of DALI games over alternative educational approaches through controlled comparisons.
6. Game-level differences: The games address different competences and use different mechanics. Aggregated results may conceal variations in educational effectiveness between individual games.
7. Uneven testing exposure: Some games were played considerably more often than others, limiting the comparability of their evaluation evidence.
8. Dependence on facilitation: Learning outcomes may depend on the quality of the introductory activities, explanation of data-related concepts and post-game reflection.

Connection with modern Board Game-Based Learning

DALI represents the development of custom-designed educational board and card games rather than the educational adaptation of existing modern commercial board games.

This distinction is methodologically significant.

The project offers a strong example of designing games from predetermined educational objectives. Its competence framework establishes what participants should learn before defining the mechanics and materials used to support that learning.

However, the educational alignment of a game does not automatically ensure its quality as a recreational experience or its effectiveness as a learning intervention.

Modern commercial board games follow a different development logic, prioritising gameplay, player interaction and recreational engagement. Their educational application requires identifying relevant competences and designing appropriate learning activities around existing mechanics.

These two approaches can complement each other. DALI provides valuable methodological insights for educational game design, while the adaptation of commercial games may offer additional opportunities to exploit mature game systems and intrinsic recreational motivation.

Implications for future BGBL research

DALI suggests several directions for strengthening the methodological quality of educational board game initiatives:

• Establish explicit relationships between game mechanics and the competences they are intended to develop.
• Distinguish different physical game formats rather than treating all game-based learning activities as equivalent.
• Document facilitator procedures and post-game reflection.
• Evaluate individual games separately to identify differences in educational potential.
• Use objective measures of learning alongside enjoyment and perceived competence.
• Include comparison groups or alternative educational conditions when testing effectiveness.
• Investigate learning retention and the transfer of game experiences to everyday behaviour.
• Examine the effects of prior gaming experience and age on both enjoyment and objectively measured learning.
• Preserve printable game components, rules, implementation guides and evaluation documentation in accessible repositories.

Overall assessment

DALI constitutes a strong example of research-informed Board Game-Based Learning in European adult education.

Its principal contribution is the integration of competence-oriented game design, diverse physical game mechanics, structured facilitation, international implementation and published evaluation evidence.

Although the available findings do not demonstrate causal improvements in data literacy, the project provides substantial methodological and empirical documentation supporting its inclusion in the European BGBL Observatory.

DALI is particularly relevant as a reference model for future initiatives seeking to combine educational game development with systematic evaluation and transparent dissemination of results.