The Inukshuk fund and 7th Floor Media introduce Safe Water Challenge, meeting a critical need for First Nations communities
VANCOUVER January 9, 2007
According to Health Canada, as of February 29, 2008, there were 93 First Nations communities across Canada under a Drinking Water Advisory. Water safety is a critical issue for First Nations communities and Water Monitors play a key role in ensuring the water in the many rural and remote First Nations communities in British Columbia and throughout Canada is safe to drink. With Inukshuk funding, 7th Floor Media developed Safe Water Challenge to address the critical demand for trained water monitors in BC's First Nations communities.
Safe Water Challenge was designed with and for First Nations learners. This engaging animated game allows users to 'learn by doing' as they take on the role of the community based water monitor and make choices affecting the health and well-being of an imaginary First Nations community. In the Sampling Challenge and the Testing Challenge, the game educates players about the kind of work a water monitor does, to help them assess whether they have the skills needed if they wish to pursue further online education courses to become a water monitor. The game also allows learners to assess their interest and personal suitability for this kind of work.
Funded by Inukshuk, and developed by 7th Floor Media with the assistance of BC Chiefs Health Committee, Keewatin Career Development Corporation, Phillip Djwa, and content specialist Judith Law, the project demonstrates how rich multimedia games delivered over the Internet can overcome barriers to learning and address a significant need in First Nations communities. Safe Water Challenge will reduce access barriers and improve completion rates for First Nations students wishing to pursue post-secondary education in this field. Additionally, it provides a successful prototype for the use of games for online learning and assessment. Standard online education, which is heavily text-based and relies on a high degree of computer literacy, can result in significant attrition and a low success rate. 'Serious games' like Safe Water are a way to make online learning more effective.
Safe Water Challenge was enthusiastically received during a presentation at the recent First Nations Community ICT Summit held in Vancouver. 7th Floor Media, Co-Director Julie Zilber explains the success of the project saying that "we really enjoyed the process of working on this project. We relied heavily on focus testing in the creation of this game which is fun and visually appealing while presenting the learner with a lot of information about a very important topic. We are excited about the possibilities for online learning that the success of 'Safe Water' represents."
Safe Water Challenge is online at 7thfloormedia.com/safewater or on CD-ROM.