Reducing the Risk: Effects of Different Educational Interventions on College Students’ Knowledge of HIV/AIDS

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the HIV/AIDS knowledge of undergraduate college students before and after two different types of educational interventions – lecture-style or an interactive game. It is anticipated that students who receive content via the interactive game will obtain greater HIV/AIDS knowledge than those students who obtain equivalent content via lecture. I will use an introductory level course from any college to recruit students by coming during a scheduled class time of two or more sections of the course and conducting my study with permission of the instructor(s). In the classroom setting, after explaining the study to the students, I will distribute the informed consent form, followed by a questionnaire packet. Those students who do not agree to participate in the study will be invited to leave the classroom. Those who do agree to participate and who sign the consent form will be asked to stay in the classroom and do the following: - Complete the Demographic Data Sheet - Complete the Brief HIV Knowledge Questionnaire (pre-test) - Receive the educational intervention (lecture or interactive game, depending on the course section) - Complete the Brief HIV Knowledge Questionnaire (post-test) Benefits include increased knowledge on HIV/AIDS prevention and another step in decreasing the rate of HIV infection