Game Based Training App U of Nine Appeals to Colleges
Game based training has caught the interest of colleges across the country. The different ways in which gamification could be implemented on campuses has not gone unnoticed. In a recent PRNewswire article, some gamification companies are meeting the new demand. According to the article an organization called ATIXA (Association of Title IX Administrators) is working in conjunction with an educational quiz based training company called Trivie to create some very useful resources for colleges.
Atixa focuses on Title IX and promoting gender equality, sexual crime and harassment prevention, and other forms of discrimination from occurring on college campuses. Trivie has a good reputation for creating easy and engaging educational based games. Together the two companies have begun producing an “app-based solution” for the problem of how to easily educate and inform students, faculty, and employees about sexual harassment, sexual violence, alcohol abuse, stalking, and other pertinent topics.
This app-based solution is called U of Nine and approaches the issues of educating those involved in schools by focusing on where student and faculty engagement tends to be the highest, technology. U of Nine utilizes mobile devices to give students and faculty access to these carefully designed games.
In order to ensure effectiveness ATIXA got input from focus groups (to determine what was and was not engaging), experts from the various topics (to ensure quality of information being presented), and pilot studies. The companies worked hard to fine-tune the quizzes and games to ensure that they are meeting the goals.
The main goal of U of Nine is to meet the mandated standards of Title IX in a way which will truly engage participants. It was not intended to replace current seminars and other training methods, but rather be another form of outreach for students, faculty, and employees. It serves as a way to re-enforce what is being taught through the other programs.
One of the best things about U of Nine is the cost-effective nature of the program. It also can be easy to distribute and a great way to reach sections of people who might otherwise ‘fall through the cracks’. For example: part-time students, adjunct faculty, and transfer students are all groups who may not necessarily make their way to the other educational seminars or speakers. The mobile quizzes and games can also be good for those who work or attend satellite campuses, are pursuing online degrees, or are studying abroad. It allows for distance education, while using a form of media that is extremely popular. Lawrence Schwartz, CEO of Trivie, commented, “In an environment of short attention spans and rapid technological change, the micro learning method is an effective way for colleges and universities to train their students and faculty on important information in real time. This granular, short-burst approach to training enables U of Nine campuses to better engage their students, reinforce Title IX and VAWA Section 304 compliance, and promote campus safety.”
The quizzes are very short, only 5 questions at a time. Studies have shown that many people do not have long attention spans. Having short, easy to complete games encourages participants to complete the challenge and even continue on through all of the quizzes.
This is just one example where game based training can reach the masses and appeal to different groups of people. It will be interesting to see what new ways college utilize this form of technology.
Image credit: flickr
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