Interactive Teaching on AIDS

[Guest guest]

Interactive Teaching AIDS:

Stanford Team Launches New Approach to HIV/AIDS

Education. Doctoral student creates groundbreaking animation to

teach HIV/AIDS prevention in developing countries

Interactive Teaching AIDS:

http://www.InteractiveTeachingAIDS.org

Piya Sorcar bio: http://www.stanford.edu/~sorcar

STANFORD, CA – To combat the stigma associated with

discussing HIV/AIDS and sexual practices in India and

other developing countries, Stanford University School

of Education doctoral student Piya Sorcar has

developed a groundbreaking animation-based curriculum

to teach HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention in a

culturally sensitive manner to young adults around the

world.

Sorcar’s project, Interactive Teaching AIDS, is

already being used in several countries, including

India, South Korea, Canada, England, and Liberia. The

animation emphasizes the biology of HIV/AIDS,

presenting a storyline with a dialogue between a

curious student and a friendly yet authoritative

cartoon “doctor” on the biological facts about HIV,

its spread, and its prevention.

“HIV/AIDS is a difficult subject to talk about in

India and other developing countries,” said Sorcar,

who led a team of educators, doctors, and technology

experts who researched, developed, and tested the

tutorial through an extensive design process. “What we

often forget is that HIV is a virus, and we study

viruses in biology class all the time. It is important

to have a learning tool that makes learning fun and

comfortable while remaining consistent with cultural

norms.”

A recent study of the application in India, conducted

in September by Sorcar with 423 students in private

schools and colleges in Delhi, Haryana, and Punjab,

showed significant gains in learning and retention

levels after interacting with the 20-minute animated

tutorial. Prior to testing, only 65% knew that HIV was

not spread through coughing; after the tutorial, this

percentage increased to 94%. Students stated that they

were comfortable learning from the tool, and more than

90% said they learned more about HIV/AIDS through the

animated tutorial than any other communication method

such as television or school. One month after initial

exposure to the tutorial, students were rapidly

seeking and educating others about HIV/AIDS prevention

through their networks, with nearly 90% sharing

information they learned from the tutorial with

someone else.

“This project is timely and important, and strives to

provide an interactive approach to learning about AIDS

in ways that are culturally sensitive to cultural

norms while providing sound scientific knowledge,”

says Stanford University Education Professor

Goldman, an advisor to the project. “Her work is a

brilliant example of the synthesis of research and

design, and how it's possible for research to have

impact in the world.”

India has one of the largest HIV-infected populations

in the world. The country, which has several states

that currently ban sex education, is in the midst of a

heated debate about the federal government’s attempts

to introduce sexual and reproductive health education

in Indian schools. BBC News, which ran an article on

August 22 that presented opposing viewpoints of the

debate, noted that opponents to sex education find

current educational materials too graphic and

culturally insensitive for the local climate.

With the success of the project, Sorcar plans to

expand the Indian version to include several Indian

languages, as well as approach Bollywood actors for

their voice talent. In the following months, she plans

to visit India to work with educators, NGOs, and the

Indian government to discuss dissemination strategies.

Sorcar will also lead her team to develop versions for

other countries, starting with Africa and China.

Sorcar, whose family is from India, is passionate

about establishing India as a model for innovation in

education. She is the daughter of renowned animator

Manick Sorcar and granddaughter of the world-famous

magician P.C. Sorcar. Prior to Stanford, she attended

the University of Colorado at Boulder, where she

created news by earning three simultaneous bachelor's

degrees.

Interactive Teaching AIDS is sponsored by Time Warner,

The Lena Kay Rufus Memorial Scholarship Fund of the

Lutheran Community Foundation, The Medical Information

Research Center, and the South Korean Ministry of

Science and Technology, among others.

Blog post interview with Piya Sorcar:

http://thdblog.wordpress.com/2006/12/26/hivaids-awareness-and-prevention-through\

-animation-based-curriculum/