An educational app developed by an 伊迪丝考恩大学 (188bet金宝搏官网登录) 研究小组 has proved equally as effective in teaching high school students about Meningococcal Disease (MD) as classroom-led programs.
合作开发 阿曼达·杨基金会, the interactive online game MIApp is specifically designed for high school students in Years 7 to 10.
Amanda Devine教授 from 188bet金宝搏官网登录’s School of Medical and Health Sciences said MIApp had the potential to save more lives by making meningococcal disease education accessible to every rural, 区域, metro or home-schooled secondary student throughout Western Australia.
“MD是一种罕见但非常严重的疾病, 疫苗可预防的传染病, of which adolescents and young adults are at particular risk,迪瓦恩教授说.
The disease resulted in 43 cases and the death of six Western Australians in 2017, 仅在2016年至2017年期间，病例就翻了一番.
MIApp和面对面学习一样有效
Dr Lauren Bloomfield from 188bet金宝搏官网登录’s School of Medical and Health Sciences said the research trials were conducted among 788 students in Years 7 to 10, 在西澳六所高中.
“We evaluated changes in students’ knowledge about meningococcal carriage, 使用该应用程序后的疾病和疫苗接种, and compared these to students who received an in-class education presentation, which is currently the primary mode of student education offered by the Amanda Young Foundation,布卢姆菲尔德博士说.
Both groups demonstrated a significant improvement in key knowledge of MD infection and prevention.
“The median score for correct responses in both groups increased from 37.5 to 87.5%. The majority of students who played MIApp also agreed that it was easy to use and more enjoyable than a presentation.”
中学教师必不可少的学习资源
Julie Boston博士 from 188bet金宝搏官网登录’s School of Education said the results show that overall, students using MIApp had a very similar improvement to their knowledge of meningococcal disease as those who attended a presentation.
“This fantastic result means the education program can be delivered in schools across WA and beyond – this is particularly helpful for schools in 区域 and remote areas who don’t currently have access to face-to-face sessions,波士顿博士说.
Amanda Devine教授 said students using MIApp will learn how to best protect themselves from the disease – and what to do if they suspect they may have caught it.
“Teachers who use MIApp in the classroom can be confident that their students are gaining the same important knowledge of this serious disease through interactive, 引人入胜的, 自导式游戏玩法,迪瓦恩教授说.
Schools and teachers who take part in the free MIApp education program will also receive a curriculum-aligned teaching and learning resource.
令人自豪的伙伴关系
迪安娜豪厄尔, Education Manager at 阿曼达·杨基金会 said she was proud of the of the partnership formed with 188bet金宝搏官网登录 through the MIApp project.
“My overall aim has been to have a suite of online resources for K to 12 that teachers can freely access from our website. With MIApp, and the teaching resources, now available online – we are complete.”
阿曼达·杨基金会创始人巴里·杨说:
“Lorraine and I have been dedicated to reducing deaths from meningococcal disease since the death of our daughter Amanda in 1997.
“Our Health Promotion Officers have been presenting to schools for over 20 years. 188bet金宝搏官网登录的演讲非常有效, due to our limited resources our outreach is not as extensive as we would like.
“MIApp provides us with an opportunity to reach all schools in Western Australia with the same health message.
“Thank you to our major sponsor Lotterywest and co-contributors 伊迪丝考恩大学, the WA Department of Health and our own foundation for supporting this project.”
MIApp是免费的，可在应用程序商店购买. 学校和教师可以下载PC版或iPad版, user guide and teaching resources via the Amanda Young Foundation website.
MIApp was developed by experts from 188bet金宝搏官网登录’s School of Medical and Health Sciences, 教育学院和科学学院, 与阿曼达·杨基金会合作. 有关更多信息，请访问 Meningococcal Infection, Awareness, Prevention and Protection (MIApp) research project website