Journey into the Brain

Our goals are (1) to develop a story-based game, using interactive multimedia to teach children,ages 7-12, about the brain, and (2) to evaluate the effectiveness of this program in increasing interestin and knowledge of this important organ. The program addresses the need to find new and entertainingways of presenting basic neuroscience information to young children. The primary rationale for theabsence of neuroscience from elementary school education is that it's too abstract, complicated, andspecialized as a science to be taught to young children. The central component of the program is astory-based CD-ROM game that takes the participant on a fantasy voyage through inner space to explorethe brain. In Phase I a prototype program will be developed and evaluated. In Phase II the story-basedgame will be completed and field tested. The final program will be marketed as both a consumer productand as a supplemental learning program for the target age group. The supplemental version will bemarketed to elementary and middle schools and will include teacher materials and a multimediapresentation program that can be used to prepare reports, stories, and other activities.