title: Designing a serious game for community-based disease prevention in the Amazon

authors: Luz, Saturnino

subjects: serious games

abstract: Many developing regions around the world rely on community-based healthcare strategies and practices to deal with prevention and control of often neglected diseases, by educating the local population and healthcare professionals, on the mechanisms by which such diseases spread and how they can be controlled. In this paper we describe a multiplayer serious game designed to raise awareness, and foster adoption of preventive measures among local citizens and community-health professionals about Leishmaniosis. We also discuss how the underlying concept for this game and its mechanics have been iteratively designed and developed in collaboration with a group of people with relevant medical and research expertise as well as practical knowledge resulting from working with our target population.

text: Designing a serious game for community-based disease prevention in the Amazon Many developing regions around the world rely on community-based healthcare strategies and practices to deal with prevention and control of often neglected diseases, by educating the local population and healthcare professionals, on the mechanisms by which such diseases spread and how they can be controlled. In this paper we describe a multiplayer serious game designed to raise awareness, and foster adoption of preventive measures among local citizens and community-health professionals about Leishmaniosis. We also discuss how the underlying concept for this game and its mechanics have been iteratively designed and developed in collaboration with a group of people with relevant medical and research expertise as well as practical knowledge resulting from working with our target population.

year: 2014

title: Christian discipleship and interreligious dialogue: A theological exploration

authors: Pratt, Douglas

subjects: religion

abstract: What is the relationship between Christian mission and inter-faith engagement? What has interreligious dialogue got to do with Christian discipleship? Is one in competition with the other? Is one subsumed within the other? Is one effectively vitiated by the other? And what is the relation of mission to discipleship? Is it the case that ‘making disciples’ is the goal of mission? “Discipleship has been for centuries a way of thinking and speaking about the nature of the Christian life… But what is meant by Christian discipleship?” Is engagement in dialogue an authentic component of Christian discipleship and witness? Or is interreligious dialogue enjoined, in the end, by virtue of being subsumed to mission, whose aim is something other than the pursuit of dialogical relations? These are examples of the deep questions and theological issues that have arisen ever since, in the course of the twentieth century, a sea-change occurred with the wider Christian Church in regard to relationships with, and views about, other religions. This paper addresses just three questions: Is there a biblical basis for inter-faith engagement? What may we make of the ‘Great Commission’ in respect to interreligious dialogue? What is the understanding of mission in regards to discipleship, and how might that relate to interreligious dialogue?

text: Christian discipleship and interreligious dialogue: A theological exploration What is the relationship between Christian mission and inter-faith engagement? What has interreligious dialogue got to do with Christian discipleship? Is one in competition with the other? Is one subsumed within the other? Is one effectively vitiated by the other? And what is the relation of mission to discipleship? Is it the case that ‘making disciples’ is the goal of mission? “Discipleship has been for centuries a way of thinking and speaking about the nature of the Christian life… But what is meant by Christian discipleship?” Is engagement in dialogue an authentic component of Christian discipleship and witness? Or is interreligious dialogue enjoined, in the end, by virtue of being subsumed to mission, whose aim is something other than the pursuit of dialogical relations? These are examples of the deep questions and theological issues that have arisen ever since, in the course of the twentieth century, a sea-change occurred with the wider Christian Church in regard to relationships with, and views about, other religions. This paper addresses just three questions: Is there a biblical basis for inter-faith engagement? What may we make of the ‘Great Commission’ in respect to interreligious dialogue? What is the understanding of mission in regards to discipleship, and how might that relate to interreligious dialogue?

year: 2006-11

title: An evaluation of the effectiveness of social equity strategies for Maori students in the School of Science and Technology

authors: Rua, Mohi

subjects: Maori students

abstract: In 1991 the School of Science and Technology (SOSAT) at the University of Waikato
had a very low participation rate of Maori and students from other non-dominant
ethnic groups. This situation was serious enough to concerned the then Dean of the
School and strategies were developed to change this situation. Four major strategies
are used to encourage, support and retain Maori students to successfully pursue and
complete a degree in Science. They are: the Te Putahi o te Manawa programme - a
mentoring programme; a scholarship and grant writing strategy (in particular
assistance with Tuapapa Putaiao Maori Fellowships(TPMFs) administered by FRST);
school visits; and field trips with secondary schools in the Waikato region that have a
high proportion of Maori students. The Maori & Psychology Research Unit (MPRU) was contracted by Gary Bramley of
the Equity Office of the SOSAT to conduct this evaluation. Evaluative information was gathered through administering questionnaires,
completing key informant interviews, and completing focus group interviews. In this evaluation we sought to determine the effectiveness of the social equity
strategies for Maori students in the SOSAT at the University of Waikato.

text: An evaluation of the effectiveness of social equity strategies for Maori students in the School of Science and Technology In 1991 the School of Science and Technology (SOSAT) at the University of Waikato
had a very low participation rate of Maori and students from other non-dominant
ethnic groups. This situation was serious enough to concerned the then Dean of the
School and strategies were developed to change this situation. Four major strategies
are used to encourage, support and retain Maori students to successfully pursue and
complete a degree in Science. They are: the Te Putahi o te Manawa programme - a
mentoring programme; a scholarship and grant writing strategy (in particular
assistance with Tuapapa Putaiao Maori Fellowships(TPMFs) administered by FRST);
school visits; and field trips with secondary schools in the Waikato region that have a
high proportion of Maori students. The Maori & Psychology Research Unit (MPRU) was contracted by Gary Bramley of
the Equity Office of the SOSAT to conduct this evaluation. Evaluative information was gathered through administering questionnaires,
completing key informant interviews, and completing focus group interviews. In this evaluation we sought to determine the effectiveness of the social equity
strategies for Maori students in the SOSAT at the University of Waikato.

year: 1999-11-11