Julie Madelen Madshaven

• Madshaven, Julie Madelen; Omlin, Christian Walter Peter & Spanos, Apostolos (2025). Making Historical Consciousness Come Alive: Abstract Concepts, Artificial Intelligence, and Implicit Game-Based Learning. Education Sciences. 15(9). doi: 10.3390/educsci15091128. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  As new technologies shape education, helping students develop historical consciousness remains a challenge. Building on Nordic curricula that emphasize students as both “history-made” and “history-making” citizens, this paper proposes an approach that integrates artificial intelligence (AI) with implicit digital game-based learning (DGBL) to learn and develop historical consciousness in education. We outline how traditional, lecture-driven history teaching often fails to convey the abstract principles of historicity (the idea that individual identity, social institutions, values, and ways of thinking are historically conditioned) and the interpretation of the past, understanding of the present, and perspective on the future. Building on Jeismann’s definition of historical consciousness, we identify a gap between the theory-rich notions of historical consciousness and classroom practice, where many educators either do not recognize it or interpret it intuitively from the curriculum’s limited wording, leaving the concept generally absent from the classroom. We then examine three theory-based methods of enriching teaching and learning. Game-based learning provides an interactive environment in which students assume roles, make decisions, and observe consequences, experiencing historical consciousness instead of only reading about it. AI contributes personalized, adaptive content: branching narratives evolve based on individual choices, non-player characters respond dynamically, and analytics guide scaffolding. Implicit learning theory suggests that embedding core principles directly into gameplay allows students to internalize complex ideas without interrupting immersion; they learn by doing, not by explicit instruction. Finally, we propose a model in which these elements combine: (1) game mechanics and narrative embed principles of historical consciousness; (2) AI dynamically adjusts challenges, generates novel scenarios, and delivers feedback; (3) key concepts are embedded into the game narrative so that students absorb them implicitly; and (4) follow-up reflection activities transform tacit understanding into explicit knowledge. We conclude by outlining a research agenda that includes prototyping interactive environments, conducting longitudinal studies to assess students’ learning outcomes, and exploring transferability to other abstract concepts. By situating students within scenarios that explore historicity and temporal interplay, this approach seeks to transform history education into an immersive, reflective practice where students see themselves as history-made and history-making and view the world through a historical lens.

• Madshaven, Julie Madelen; Spanos, Apostolos; Omlin, Christian Walter Peter; Reichert, Frank & Simonsen, Christian Robere (2025). AI-ASSISTED GAME-BASED LEARNING IN TEACHING HISTORICAL CONSCIOUSNESS: BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES. INTED Proceedings. doi: 10.21125/inted.2025.1217. Full text in Research Archive
• Isabwe, Ghislain Maurice Norbert; Madshaven, Julie Madelen & Sundbø, Haakon (2023). Active learning in interactive system design courses, INTED2023 Proceedings. International Academy of Technology, Education and Development (IATED). ISSN 9788409490264. doi: 10.21125/inted.2023.0842. Full text in Research Archive
• Madshaven, Julie Madelen; Markseth, Tonje Fjeldstad; Jomås, David Bye; Isabwe, Ghislain Maurice Norbert; Ottestad, Morten & Reichert, Frank [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2021). Investigating the User Experience of Virtual Reality Rehabilitation Solution for Biomechatronics Laboratory and Home Environment. Frontiers in Virtual Reality. 2. doi: 10.3389/frvir.2021.645042. Full text in Research Archive

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• Madshaven, Julie Madelen; Sundbø, Haakon & Reichert, Frank (2023). Enhancing the digital skills of teachers in an online setting. Full text in Research Archive

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