EStars, the educational esports company, has partnered with The Open University to launch a new online training course that helps teachers understand the fast-growing world of esports.
In the official press release, the company pointed esports as one of the biggest entertainment industries on the planet, which means it creates a wide range of jobs in areas like game design, event planning, marketing, broadcasting and business.
Yet most schools still do not have teachers who know how to deliver esports lessons or qualifications. Therefore, The Open University will work with EStars to build and host the course on the university’s OpenLearn Create website so it can reach teachers anywhere.
The programme has six units. It begins with the basics, such as What Is Esports and Where Did It Begin, and moves toward how esports can be used in the classroom to build transferable skills. Teachers can watch videos, read articles and take quizzes while earning CPD (Continuing Professional Development) hours.
“The sector is growing at a rapid rate internationally and all manner of roles and career pathways are out there for talented people, but they need to be supported by schools and the teachers need to understand the industry,” said Mags Byrne, CEO of EStars.
Professor Klaus-Dieter Rossade from The Open University stated that the partnership is a pillar to “grow skills, knowledge and awareness within the key audience of schoolteachers, where familiarity of this new and fast-growing sector can be a challenge.”
The esports education wave isn’t stopping with this launch. In the UK, British Esports has rolled out new safeguarding and coaching courses with help from UK Coaching, UNICEF UK and the NSPCC. Over in Saudi Arabia, Savvy Games Group has teamed up with King Saud University.
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