MULTIMEDIA SICKNESS SIMULATOR FOR PREDOLESCENTS

该项目将开发、评估和传播多媒体软件，使8至11岁的用户能够模拟和观察人体轻微创伤和身体疾病的过程。教育的重点将是通过互动参与学习，并以认知理论为基础，获得与年龄相适应的知识和采用自我保护技能。我们会进行三个层次的评估：1）进行形成性和过程性评估的焦点小组讨论，以观察潜在用户对产品的反应，并在产品开发过程中征求改进产品的建议; 2）以课堂为基础的教师评估和软件和教案的审查;以及3）目标组成员的随机试验，以测量治疗前到治疗后的知识获得和在三个月内采用自我保护技能。该产品将有内置的网络链接，允许用户访问更多的创伤和疾病信息，链接到其他相关网站，并与其他用户和专家进行交流。通过网络，用户还可以下载扩展包，其中包括新的疾病场景，新角色，新工具和新环境。用户还将能够了解和购买其他教育软件产品从千年健康。建议的商业应用：该产品的使用点是快速增长的学校互联网和基于PC的软件市场。目前有许多其他商业上成功的模拟软件包;最有名的可能是SimCity。由于学校中的互联网，在线课程市场有望爆炸性增长。到该产品发布时，预计95%的学校将连接到互联网。这些学校越来越多地通过网络寻找教学内容。

This project will develop, evaluate, and disseminate multimedia software to enable 8 to 11 year-old users to simulate and observe processes of minor trauma and physical illnesses in the human body. Educational emphasis will be on age-appropriate knowledge gain and adoption of self-protective skills, through interactive participation in learning, and based in cognitive theory. We will conduct three levels of evaluation: 1) focus group discussions for formative and process evaluation to observe potential users react to the product, and to solicit suggestions on improving of the product as it develops; 2) classroom-based teacher evaluations and reviews of software and lesson plans; and 3) a randomized trial of target group members to measure pre-treatment to post-treatment knowledge gain and adoption of self-protective skills over a three-month period. The product will have build-in Web links to allow users to access more trauma and illness information, link to other related sites, and communicate with other users and experts. Through the Web, users will also be able to download expansion packs that include new sickness scenarios, new characters, new tools, and new environments. Users will also be able to learn about and purchase other educational software products from Millennium Health. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: Points of use envisioned for this product are the rapidly growing school Internet and PC-based software markets. There are many other commercially successful simulation software packages currently available; probably the best known is SimCity. The online curriculum market is poised for explosive growth because of the Internet in schools. By the time this product is released, it is predicted that 95% of schools will be connected to the Internet. These schools are increasingly looking for instructional content over the Web.