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ARDIN Summer School 2025

  • 7-11 July
  • Malta  2025
  • St. Martin’s Institute of Higher Education
  •  

Learn to explain what others cannot 

by making complexity understandable

APPROACH Intensive Training

Participants will learn to approach complex topics with a systemic analysis, turn it into a design for an Interactive Digial Narrative (IDN) and realize it in the form of a prototype.

Embedded in the rich cultural heritage of Malta, participants will choose a lens (i.e. education, entertainment, journalism) to engage the complexity of a cultural heritage site through mentored group work.  

The result will be an understanding of a systemic approach toward representing complex topics with IDN which will be applicable to a wide range of fields and topics.

APPLICATION Complex Topics

Many contemporary issues such as migration, climate change and armed conflicts are highly complex and expose the limitations of established forms of representation such as written articles, videos, or books.

IDNs are an evolution of narrative which excels in representing complexity. They are applicable to a wide variety of subject areas and represent an opportunity in communication, education, research, and entertainment. The summer school therefore targets professionals and researchers working in areas such as

  • Interactive Media Design
  • Public Communication
  • Digital Humanities
  • Media Studies
  • Game Design and Game Studies
  • Museum studies
  • Archaeology
  • Education
  • Journalism

EXPERTISE Expert Knowledge

This summer school is provided by established experts in the field of IDN.

The trainers combine expertise in game and VR development, AI, systemic analysis and design of Interactive Digital Narratives, Cultural Heritage representations, and feminist design approaches.

The training school builds on its three successful graduate training schools in Malta (2021), Messina (2022), and Gran Canaria (2023) organized by the EU COST action INDCOR, a grant connecting 250+ scholars and practitioners from 40+ countries.

Why use Interactive Digital Narratives?

Expert Trainers
Days of Training
Hours of instruction
Group activities

Trainers

Hartmut Koenitz

ARDIN President Professor Media Technology, Södertörn University

Mirjam Palosaari Eladhari

Associate Professor of Computer Science at Stockholm University

Frank Nack

Associated Professor, INDE Lab, University of Amsterdam

Lissa Holloway-Attaway

Associate Professor in Media Arts, Aesthetics and Narration at University of Skövde

Jonathan Barbara

Senior Lecturer, Saint Martin's Institute of Higher Education

Certificate and Credits

English

Language of Instruction

2 ECTS

Earned through readings, on-site instruction cultural visits, and group activities

3 ECTS

Earned through readings, on-site instruction cultural visits, and group activities
+ a written follow-up report

Certificate

Upon completion, participants will earn the ARDIN Expert in Complexity Representation certificate. 

Testimonials

The Training School has been very rewarding under many points of view: academically, because presentations and discussions with the instructors and the other participants have been very thought provoking and helpful for our own personal researches; culturally, because we could get to know Maltese culture and better understand some of the issues with representing and delivering in an understandable way a complex cultural heritage; personally, because gave us the possibility to meet very nice researchers from all around Europe who are working in different fields and with different backgrounds, but on similar matters; and for the networking, because we could establish long lasting friendships with promising representatives of the European community of researchers. Overall, it was the only School I ever attended which I wished it would have lasted longer. Thanks Jonathan and Maltese Team for having organized this

Mattia Bellini University of Tartu, Estonia

For me, the training revealed (much more than) 50 shades of complexity in cultural heritage. We had countless inspiring discussions enriched with the experience of various types of narratives on Malta. This experience will stay with me for a long time, as well as new, fantastic friendships

Weronika Szatkowska Kozminski University, Poland

It was the best summer school I have ever been into. Both the agenda and the level of seminars did meet my expectations greatly. Malta is also such a great place to host those events and has a complex heritage and history that sometimes is difficult to totally understand from a foreigner’s perspective. Nonetheless, the trainers did a spectacular work on this regard through IDNs knowledge and now I am going home feeling that I am part of the Island itself and a piece of my heart is left to be found again by my future self.

Julio Daniel Suarez Espinosa University of Murcia, Spain

The training school in Malta gave me a unique insight into the complexities of reflecting upon conflicting narratives of history and culture. As a self-taught scholar of IDNs, I was grateful for the sessions that gave me a strong overview and theoretical foundations to the investigations of IDNs. The practical exercises gave me much-needed energy and challenged me to see the constructedness of historical narratives. And last but not least, the generous hospitality of our Maltese hosts made the experience all the more memorable

Péter Kristóf Makai KWI International Fellow at Kulturwissenschaftliches Institut, Essen, Germany

The training school was one of its kind and provided me with rich cultural and historic insight into the complex heritage of Malta. The lectures provided a deep and holistic understanding of the core concepts of complexity and IDNs. Useful discussion sessions during the training evoked questions in my mind and forced me to ponder over my research from new perspectives. Guided tours, visits to historic sites, AR and VR experiences were a perfect way to understand the relationship between complexity and IDNs. Overall, the INDCOR training school was an enriching and welcoming experience for me, all thanks to the organizing team and Saint Martin's Institute of Higher Education.

Shafaq Irshad NTNU, Norway

The summer school was a great learning experience for me, who is at the juncture of designing an IDN system as part of my PhD research. The instructors covered perspectives of IDN that gave rise to healthy discussions on the various possibilities to look at digital narratives. Being the only online participant, I did not feel left out at any point. The organization by Mr. Barbara ensured I was very much involved in all the discussions and workshops. The workshop on dictionary entries was extremely exciting amongst all as there were discussions with the trainers as well as the other trainees. So much so that we are planning to develop our dictionary entry for presentation at the community level. I am looking forward to the next workshop.

Srushti Goud University of Turin

Event Schedule

8:30 - 9:00

Registration

  • Welcome Coffee and Registration

9:00 - 13:00

Welcome and Briefing

Jonathan Barbara

  • Welcome to Malta!
Hartmut Koenitz
  • Introduction to IDN
  • Uncertainty as Complexity
  • Complexity and IDNs
  • IDN Exploration: examples
Mirjam Palosaari Eladhari & Frank Nack
  • Briefing on group work: IDN prototype
  • Group formation
  • Assignment tasks for field trip

13:00 - 16:30

Field Trip 1

All Trainers

  • Public transport to Valletta
  • Lunch in Valletta (own expense)
  • National Museum of Archaeology
    • Carrying out group tasks
  • Reflection on the Day

20:30 - 22:00

Social event

All Trainers

  • Dinner in Valletta (own expense)

8:30 - 13:00

Field Trip 2

All Trainers

  • Transport to Qrendi
  • Hagar Qim and Mnajdra Archeological Park
  • Lunch (own expense)
  • Transport to SMI

13:00 - 17:30

IDN Design

Mirjam Eladhari Palosaari & Hartmut Koenitz

  • Principles of IDN Design
Lissa Holloway-Attaway & Jonathan Barbara
  • Introduction to group activity
  • The complex case of Neolithic IDN
  • Mentored group work
  • IDN Group Presentations
All Trainers
  • Reflection on the Day

20:30 - 22:00

Social event

All Trainers

  • Dinner (own expense)

8:30 - 14:00

Multi-perspectivity

Mirjam Palosaari Eladhari & Hartmut Koenitz

  • Design for Multi-perspectivity
  • Multiperspective IDN Exploration: examples
  • Briefing : Adding Multiperspectivity to IDN prototype
All Trainers
  • Group activity: Adding Multiperspectivity to IDN prototype
  • Group Presentations of progress on IDN prototype

14:30 - 18:00

Island Culture Experience

Lissa Holloway-Attaway & Jonathan Barbara

  • Reflection on Malta's Island status on the beach (bring swimwear).

20:30 - 22:00

Social event

All Trainers

  • Dinner (own expense)

8:30 - 10:00

Ethical IDN Design

Lissa Holloway-Attaway & Hartmut Koenitz

  • Ethical IDN Design

10:00 - 13:00

Field Trip 3

All Trainers

  • Transport to Paola
  • Tarxien Neolithic Complex
  • Lunch (own expenses)
  • Transport to SMI

13:30 - 16:30

Adding Lenses

All Trainers

  • Introduction to Group activity
  • Adding lenses to IDNs
  • Group activity: Adding lenses to IDN prototype
  • IDN Group Presentations
  • Reflection on the Day

20:30 - 22:00

Social event

  • Dinner (own expense)

8:30 - 11:00

Polishing and Final IDN Presentations

All Trainers

  • Group Activity: Finishing touches for IDNs
  • Group IDN Presentations

11:30 - 12:30

Career Development

Hartmut Koenitz

  • Career development for academics

12:30 - 15:00

Social event

All Trainers

  • Rooftop BBQ
  • Awards & Closure

16:00 - 20:00

Social event

All Trainers

  • Celebration TBA

Agenda at a glance

Daily briefings and visits to cultural heritage sites feeds an incremental development of an IDN prototype

Register your seat!

EARLY BIRD Academic

EARLY BIRD Academic

599*

Deadline: 15th April 2025

Register

EARLY BIRD Academic
EARLY BIRD PROFESSIONAL

EARLY BIRD PROFESSIONAL

799**

Deadline: 15th April 2025

Register

EARLY BIRD PROFESSIONAL
Regular Academic

Regular Academic

799

Deadline: 15th June 2025

Register

Regular Academic
Regular PROFESSIONAL

Regular PROFESSIONAL

1199

Deadline: 15th June 2025

Register

Regular PROFESSIONAL

Limited availability for reduced pricing *€299 for scholars from countries listed below
**€599 for professionals from countries listed below

Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Latvia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Rep., Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Cook, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Rep., Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Federal State of Micronesia, Fiji, French Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ivory, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao PDR, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marshall, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Swaziland, Samoa, Sao, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, St Vincent & Grenadines, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syrian Arab Rep., Tajikistan, United Republic of Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

A Sneak Peak Videos about Malta and its Cultural Heritage

National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta

Hagar Qim and Mnajdra Archaeological Complex

Tarxien Neolithical Complex in Tarxien

REACH US Get Direction to the Venue

Join us! Book your Seat now!
Limited places available

Questions?

Contact us on training@ardin.online