Life and Death in the Age of Malaria

Awardee: Linda Baumann, Laurie Hartjes
Team Members: Les Howles, Dan LaValley, Rica Dieterle, Jasun Carr
Department: Nursing

*Awarded the National Institute of Nursing Research, National Institutes of Health fellowship. Congratulations to Laurie Hartjes and others who contributed to the success of Life and Death in the Age of Malaria!

This multi-level game addresses an emergent campus-wide need to educate study abroad students about the serious and potentially fatal consequences of malaria infection. Users will manage virtual students who travel to malaria endemic locations on every continent and face a variety of travel dilemmas. Specific knowledge and actions are needed during all three phases of travel (planning, abroad, returned) to reduce the risk of serious health problems, including death. Users can access virtual consultants to increase their knowledge base and maximize their game score for keeping students alive and healthy. The interactive design provides practice with complex decision-making, including grappling with common barriers to the use of risk reduction behaviors. Immediate feedback is provided for the impact of management decisions, as reflected in the movement of a risk meter and a change in overall score At the conclusion of the game, a risk reduction summary and print-ready checklist for travel preparation will be provided. Simulation design is based on self-regulation theory and multimedia learning principles. An evaluation component will test embedded self-regulation constructs.

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