Peer Review

Ayiti: The Cost of Life

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: May 11, 2018 by Sociology

Bookmark

Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:

In this game developed for Unicef, players guide a Haitian family of five through their struggle to survive with limited resources and few opportunities to better themselves. The game forces players to balance the health, education, and happiness of each player, while trying to prevent the family from going into debt.

Type of Material:

Simulation.

Recommended Uses:

Individual exercises or small group exercises. It could be used in a group setting as a competion between groups. Which group was most successful? How do the different approaches to the game impact the outcome?

Technical Requirements:

Adobe Flash, web browser.

Identify Major Learning Goals:

Learners will be able to describe some of the challenges that those facing serious poverty encounter and make challenging decisions as if they were a family in poverty.

Target Student Population:

Middle School, High School, College General Education courses.

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

None.

Content Quality

Rating:
Strengths:: It is a simulation that allows students to apply their knowledge of the barriers to overcoming poverty.
Concerns:: The instructions are not clear on how to play the game. It suggests you can select roles for the family members, but the site is unclear how this is accomplished. This could lead to frustration in playing the game. The screens switch and would not allow the selection of roles.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:
Strengths:: This would be a good group exercise after completing information on inequality/poverty from a global perspective. Learning objectives are outlined in the introduction.
Concerns:: Does not identify prerequisite knowledge.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:

Strengths:

Engaging.

Concerns:

Instructions are unclear.

Other Issues and Comments:: If the material is an app, how does the material respect privacy of others, meet PG rating standards, how frequently it's updated.
Creative Commons: