http://ed.stanford.edu/suse/news-bureau/displayRecord.php?tablename=susenews&id=363

Stanford team launches new approach to HIV/AIDS education

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

November 27, 2007

Doctoral student creates groundbreaking animation to teach HIV/AIDS
prevention in developing countries

Contact: Amy Yuen, Communications Manager, Stanford University School
of Education, (650) 724-9440, amy.yuen@stanford.edu

Relevant Web URLs:
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
Shelley 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.

-30-