About Us


The game has various levels that can be adapted to the user’s skills. Everyone, regardless of age, can play, choose the difficulty level, and advance at their own pace. Children in pedagogical education are the main target group. We’re creating a solution to help the learning of foreign languages be easy and fun.
The project was born out of the research REDIT, which aimed to answer the language needs of immigrant children. SPROK is currently funded by Business Finland.

SPROK is a research-based, efficient, and engaging tool to teach culturally relevant language skills, with classrooms.
Language enables students to communicate with their peers and teachers, to have opportunities to advance in their studies, access higher education, to understand their rights within the community, and to have a broader range of job opportunities.
SPROK’s gamified digital solution can be adapted for adult language learners and second language learners.
In addition to children learning the language of the new home country, the game can also be adapted to be used for the learning of any second language.
SPROK is developed through user-centered design (UCD), which ensures that the needs of target audiences are met by involving them in the process. The design will also be supported by methods of cultural and linguistic sensitivity to meet the needs of a variety of learners.
Digital learning games have been used to improve language learning, motivation, and confidence in students. Games provide immediate feedback, consist of differentiated tasks, and are a safe environment for students to practice a language.
The content of the game will support the Finnish curriculum for preparatory education so that teachers of newly arrived schoolchildren can integrate it into their pedagogical lessons.

The SPROK Team

Emmanuel Acquah
emmanuel.acquah(at)abo.fi
ABOUT EMMANUEL

ABOUT ANETTE

ABOUT MARIA
Maria Hokkinen is SPROK’s Business Champion, preparing the commercialization of the R2B project. Hokkinen holds a PhD in Business Administration and has strong expertise in both business communications and research. Her research interests lie in the field of integration, especially from a consumer behavior, work life, and language learning perspective. She is also a skilled PR professional with an entrepreneurial background and qualifies as a school subject teacher. In the project, she is conducting market and competitor analysis, business model studies, networks and community engagement, and events production.

sheila.riikonen(at)abo.fi
ABOUT SHEILA
Sheila Riikonen is SPROK’s Business Champion, preparing the commercialization of the R2B project. She holds a master’s degree in social science from the University of Helsinki and a BA in Communications from the University of the Philippines – Diliman. Riikonen is a go-to-market specialist with experience in international business development for EdTech, SaaS, and hi-tech companies. She conducts market and competitor analysis, business model studies, networks and community engagement, and events production. She has references and multicultural expertise in international markets including EMEA, Americas, and APAC.

Blaine Taylor
blaine.taylor(at)abo.fi
ABOUT BLAINE

Jonna Weis
Research Assistant
jonna.weis(at)abo.fi
ABOUT JONNA
Jonna Weis is SPROK’s research assistant based in Vaasa. She holds a master’s degree in English language from University of Oulu, Finland. Her research interests focus mainly on language acquisition, having written a case study on the code-mixing of bilingual children for her master’s thesis. Her expertise also covers international business communication and translation. At SPROK, she collaborates with team members to help commercialize the project, including tasks of collecting, managing, and analyzing data. She is a language enthusiast, speaking Finnish, English, German, and Spanish and has an avid interest in cultural studies.

Tobias Björkskog
ABOUT TOBIAS
Tobias Björkskog, Project Manager at Novia University of Applied Sciences, is an experienced chief technology officer (CTO) and Project Manager with a background in the game industry. His expertise includes organizing education in game development, developing games/simulations as both a programmer and project manager, as well as helping game companies with their businesses.

Joakim Finholm
ABOUT JOAKIM
Joakim Finholm is an experienced Media assistant at Nokia University, where he tutors art students in media arts. His specialties are moving pictures and sound. Besides the work at Novia, Joakim also works as a cinematographer, audio engineer, musician, and artist.

Joachim Högväg
joachim.hogvag(at)abo.fi
ABOUT JOACHIM
Joachim Högväg handles UX Testing as an Expert at Experience Lab, Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies (FPV) at ÅAU in Vaasa. He has an M.A. in Cognitive Science and is a Certified Usability Analyst (HFI). Experience Lab by Mediacity marks 15 years of expertise in user experience and interactivity – exploring and measuring human experiences using tailored digital solutions such as eye tracking, EEG, psycho-physiological measures, questionnaires, and interviews. SPROK’s playable demos are tested with the lab’s unique methods and measuring tools.
ABOUT JOACHIM
SPROK Steering Committee

ABOUT PETER
Peter Vesterbacka is an entrepreneur from the FinEst Bay Area at the Heart of Eurasia, Helsinki, Finland. Branded communities co-created and started by Peter include the HP Bazaar, Mobile Monday, Slush, and Startup Sauna, to name a few. He was the Mighty Eagle at Angry Birds for many years, taking that brand to unprecedented heights. Vesterbacka is also an adjunct professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Tongji University, one of the leading universities in China. In 2011, Time Magazine named Peter one of the 100 most influential people on the planet.

ABOUT HEIDI
Heidi Ruhala is the CEO and founder of Ankkalampi – Daycare Chain. She has over 10 years of experience in entrepreneurship with strategy and business development as well as financial planning and investments. An added solid background in marketing and sales provides a strong understanding of customer expectations and satisfaction. She has an extensive network, excellent leadership, communication skills, strategic thinking, and a growth mindset.

ABOUT SEBASTIAN

Nancy L. Commins
ABOUT NANCY

Erno Lehtinen
ABOUT ERNO

ABOUT Wilhelm
Wilhelm Barner-Rasmussen (PhD 2003, Hanken School of Economics) is a professor of business administration at the School of Economics, Åbo Akademi. He has an interest in knowledge processes, focusing on communication and knowledge sharing at individual and group levels, and expertise in language issues in international business. His research has been published in Industrial Marketing Management, and Journals of International Business Studies, International Management, Management Studies, World Business, Human Resource Management and Management and Organization Review. He is on the board of the Nordic Academy of Management (NFF) and a member of the Advisory Board of the Research Group on Management and Language (GEM&L). He also represents Åbo Akademi in KATAJA, the Finnish doctoral program in business administration. In 2023, he joined the steering committee of Åbo Akademi’s minority research profile.

ABOUT MARIANA
Project Partners
Åbo Akademi University
Novia University of Applied Sciences

The SPROK project collaborates with schools in Finland and beyond. Both teachers and students are involved in the development process and contribute valuable knowledge and information based on the school context.
Project Funders
Business Finland
Svenska Kulturfonden

Networks
We welcome collaboration and would like to connect with you!
Please contact us if you are:

Language and Teaching Experts
Different languages have different issues during teaching and experts in these areas have different perspectives. These are invaluable to teaching within and between languages.

Educational Policy Experts
Understanding the various structures between EU nations is key to SPROK’s success and to understanding how to create functional classroom software for EU Classrooms.

Cultural Experts
SPROK’s entire process depends on culture being included in its language teaching. Experts on cultural values, perceptions, traditions, and history help us make language learning more effective and relevant in usage.

Game design and development enthusiasts

Multilingual speakers and students
English, German, Spanish, Italian, French…Europe is a continent of many languages. Do you have a passion for multilingualism? Stay in touch to be among the first to test the game!