Description

This educational game is designed to allow students studying epidemiology or disease ecology concepts to apply their knowledge to solve a "real life" (simulated) epidemic (technically an epizootic). I use this activity in an upper-level undergraduate disease ecology course. The module can cover 1-3 course periods, depending on which components you include. In the longest version, class 1 is spent on discussion of papers within expert groups, class 2 is the game, and class 3 is a reflection period where teams can go back and try to fix their management mistakes (Part II of the worksheet). In my course, the expert readings and most of the reflection (Part II) are done outside of class for homework.

In this jigsaw-style activity, students are first assigned to Specialist Groups (snake ecology specialists, wildlife vaccination specialists, abiotic reservoir specialists, and pet trade specialists) that read two relevant scientific papers each. The students are then re-distributed into expert Control Teams containing one of each specialist type. Each Control Team is given a starting budget and tasked to control an epidemic of an emerging fungal pathogen without overspending their budget. Working with a website-facilitated choose your own adventure narrative, students make decisions to spend their time and budget on research (e.g., field surveys, vaccine development) or interventions (e.g., culling snakes, banning pet snake trade). Upon making a decision, they test the outcome by clicking a button in NetLogo, which updates a stochastic, spatially-explicit epidemiological simulation of the outbreak. Teams also begin with seven “charisma points”, and some decisions have unexpected impacts on their team’s charisma. Teams can also apply for more funding. There are dozens of possible decisions, and students are encouraged to think in an adaptive management framework.

To do this activity, one student per group must have access to the website (https://srhopkin.wixsite.com/unitedsnakes) and one student must have NetLogo (https://ccl.northwestern.edu/netlogo/) downloaded to their laptop as well as the NetLogo model and background file included in the attached files. (The student should download NetLogo before class because it takes several minutes). 

Cite this work