TeachAids

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TeachAids (pronounced {{IPAc-en|ˌ|t|iː|tʃ|ˈ|eɪ|d|z}}) is a nonprofit social enterprise that develops global health education technology products for HIV/AIDS, concussions, and COVID-19, based on an approach invented through research at Stanford University.{{cite news |title=Moving pictures, moving minds|url=http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VENSTS8yMDExLzA5LzI0I0FyMDEwMDA%3D&Mode=Gif|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710034703/http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VENSTS8yMDExLzA5LzI0I0FyMDEwMDA%3D&Mode=Gif|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 10, 2015|author=Mahafreed Irani|work=The Times of India|date=24 September 2011 |accessdate=4 October 2011 }}{{cite news |title=Overcoming barriers through technology|url=http://www.thehindu.com/health/policy-and-issues/article2424489.ece|author=Paromita Pain|work=The Hindu|date=5 September 2011 |accessdate=5 September 2011 }}

{{Infobox organization

| name = TeachAids

| logo =
File:TeachAIDS logotype 2018.svg

| type = U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit

| founded_date = 2009

| founders = Piya Sorcar
Clifford Nass
Shuman Ghosemajumder
Ashwini Doshi

| location = Palo Alto, California

| area_served = Worldwide

| origins = Stanford University

| key_people = Piya Sorcar (CEO)

| focus = education technology

| homepage = [http://www.teachaids.org teachaids.org]

}}

The TeachAids software for HIV education, their first area of focus, has been cited as a model health intervention.{{cite book |title=Health Communication in the New Media Landscape|url=http://www.springerpub.com/product/9780826101228|last1=Parker|first1=Jerry C.|last2=Thorson|first2=Esther|year=2008 |publisher=Springer Publishing|location=New York, NY|isbn=978-0-8261-0122-8|page=393}}{{cite news |title=Stanford-affiliated nonprofit sets standard for AIDS education|url=http://news.stanford.edu/news/2012/july/nonprofit-aids-education-072512.html|author=Max McClure|date=25 July 2012 |publisher=Stanford University|accessdate=9 July 2015}} Since the materials bypass issues of stigma, they allow HIV prevention education to be provided to communities where it has previously not been allowed.{{cite news |title=TR35: Piya Sorcar: Software that can be localized to teach taboo topics|url=http://www.technologyreview.com/tr35/profile.aspx?TRID=1102|work=MIT Technology Review|date=23 August 2011 |accessdate=23 August 2011 }}{{cite news|title=Star touch to animated film on HIV/AIDS|url=http://expressbuzz.com/cities/hyderabad/star-touch-to-animated-film-on-hivaids/226342.html|work=The New Indian Express|date=27 November 2010|accessdate=16 December 2010}}{{Dead link|date=June 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }} In other communities, the tutorials provide the highest learning effects and comfort rates of any tested educational approach. Their HIV products are animated, interactive software tutorials, developed for individual cultures and languages, and incorporating the voices of celebrities from each region. In India, these include national icons such as Amitabh Bachchan,{{cite web|url=http://www.indiawest.com/entertainment/global/amitabh-bachchan-joins-s-f-bay-area-nonprofit-teachaids/article_7db6b21c-7cb3-11e4-acab-5b0e15f111e5.html|title=Amitabh Bachchan Joins S.F. Bay Area Nonprofit TeachAids|publisher=India West|accessdate=24 June 2015|archive-date=28 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170628014157/http://www.indiawest.com/entertainment/global/amitabh-bachchan-joins-s-f-bay-area-nonprofit-teachaids/article_7db6b21c-7cb3-11e4-acab-5b0e15f111e5.html|url-status=dead}} Shabana Azmi,{{cite news |title=Animated film to educate students on HIV|url=http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JSC8yMDEwLzExLzI1I0FyMDA1MDA%3D&Mode=Gif|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710033626/http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JSC8yMDEwLzExLzI1I0FyMDA1MDA%3D&Mode=Gif|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 10, 2015|work=The Times of India|date=26 November 2010 |accessdate=16 December 2010 }} Nagarjuna{{cite news |title=Animation lessons on HIV/AIDS awareness released|url=http://www.hindu.com/2010/11/27/stories/2010112765081200.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101204231641/http://www.hindu.com/2010/11/27/stories/2010112765081200.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 December 2010|work=The Hindu|date=27 November 2010 |accessdate=16 December 2010 }} and Sudeep Ssanjeev. In Botswana, they include musicians Scar, Zeus, and former President of Botswana, Festus Mogae.{{cite news|title=Former President of Botswana, Festus Mogae, joins TeachAIDS Advisory Board|url=http://teachaids.org/blog/former-president-of-botswana-festus-mogae-joins-the-teachaids-advisory-board/|work=TeachAIDS|date=16 September 2010|accessdate=16 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206080535/http://teachaids.org/blog/former-president-of-botswana-festus-mogae-joins-the-teachaids-advisory-board/|archive-date=6 December 2010|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}

TeachAids operates globally, with its software in use in more than 80 countries. Its materials are made available for free under a Creative Commons License,{{cite news |title=10 Game-Changing Projects from Creative Commons' Team Open|url=http://www.shareable.net/blog/10-game-changing-projects-from-creative-commons-team-open|author=Cat Johnson|work=Shareable|date=14 January 2015|accessdate=9 July 2015}} funded by sponsorships, grants, and donations. Backers include Barclays,{{cite web|url=http://www.barclays.co.bw/supporting-communities.html|title=Barclays: Supporting our Communities|publisher=Barclays|accessdate=9 July 2015|archive-date=10 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710123422/http://www.barclays.co.bw/supporting-communities.html|url-status=dead}} Cigna,{{cite news |title=Tech Laureate TeachAIDS Expands in India|url=http://www.indiawest.com/news/business/tech-laureate-teachaids-expands-in-india/article_66824dbf-64bb-5d13-bdab-b5faa15b68d7.html|work=India West|date=21 October 2012 |accessdate=9 July 2015}} Covington & Burling,{{cite web |title=Public Service Activities 2011|url=https://www.cov.com/~/media/files/corporate/publications/2012/03/public_service_activities_report_2011.pdf|work=Covington & Burling|date=2011|accessdate=9 July 2015}} Google, Microsoft, UNICEF,{{cite web|title=UNICEF Botswana Annual Report 2010|url=http://www.unicef.org/botswana/Final_BCO_Public_Annualreport2010_20July.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713065850/http://www.unicef.org/botswana/Final_BCO_Public_Annualreport2010_20July.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 13, 2015|work=UNICEF|date=20 July 2010|accessdate=9 July 2015}} and Yahoo!.

History

File:Festus Mogea with George Bush July 10, 2003.jpg, Festus Mogae (right), a TeachAids advisor, helped bring the tutorials to Botswana.]]

TeachAids began in 2005 as a research project at Stanford University. From 2005 to 2009, a new interdisciplinary approach to HIV/AIDS education was developed through IRB-approved research by Piya Sorcar.{{cite web |title=Research finally shows that online education works—for sex, alcohol, and health|url=http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/04/10/17676894-research-finally-shows-that-online-education-works-for-sex-alcohol-and-health|author=Anya Kamenetz|author-link=Anya Kamenetz|work=NBC News|date=10 April 2013 |accessdate=9 July 2015}} Key advisors included professors Shelley Goldman (Learning Sciences), Martin Carnoy (Comparative Education), Cheryl Koopman (Psychiatry), Randall Stafford (Epidemiology), and Clifford Nass (Communication).{{cite web |title=Teaching Taboo Topics Without Talking About Them: An Epistemic Study of a New Approach to HIV/AIDS Prevention Education in India|url=http://gradworks.umi.com/33/53/3353027.html|author=Piya Sorcar|work=Stanford University|date=1 March 2009 |accessdate=1 March 2009 }}

The project's goal was to find a way to address the frequently taboo subjects associated with sexual issues and HIV/AIDS specifically. One major finding was that 2D cartoon figures were the optimal balance between comfort and clarity in terms of visual representation for sex-related topics.{{cite news |title=Treating Africa's Biggest Diseases|url=http://tech.caltech.edu/TECH/archive/05_05_2008.pdf |work=The California Tech|date=5 May 2008|accessdate=9 January 2011 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110830142607/http://tech.caltech.edu/TECH/archive/05_05_2008.pdf|archivedate=30 August 2011|url-status=dead}} On that basis, animated storyboards were created which emphasized the biological aspects of HIV transmission and used cultural euphemisms to overcome social stigma.{{cite news |title=Let's NOT Talk About Sex, Baby|url=http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=e5589d57e3d6e65b0e17efb1fd28bba4|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080306063918/http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=e5589d57e3d6e65b0e17efb1fd28bba4|url-status=usurped|archive-date=March 6, 2008|work=New America Media|date=1 December 2007 |accessdate=16 December 2010 }} In addition, specific pedagogical techniques (e.g., instructional scaffolding) were utilized to create a coherent conception of HIV transmission for learners, as opposed to the fragmented knowledge created by mass media campaigns.[https://www.amazon.com/Handbook-Research-Digital-Media-Advertising/dp/1605667927 Handbook of Research on Digital Media and Advertising]. Matthew Eastin, Terry Daugherty, Neal Burns. Information Science Reference, July 31, 2010. {{ISBN|1-60566-792-7}}. Chapter: [http://www.igi-global.com/bookstore/Chapter.aspx?TitleId=43374 Teaching Taboo Topics Through Technology].

Early research versions of the software were sponsored by Time Warner, the Government of South Korea, and Neeru Khosla, and used custom illustrations drawn by Sorcar's father, award-winning animator Manick Sorcar. Pilot versions were subsequently created in English, Hindi, Kinyarwanda, Mandarin, and Spanish. Additional experts contributed to the design and evaluation of the materials, including Stanford professors David Katzenstein (Infectious Disease), Douglas Owens (Medicine), and Roy Pea (Learning Sciences).{{cite web |title=About TeachAids|url=http://teachaids.org/about|work=TeachAIDS|date=16 December 2010 |accessdate=16 December 2010 }}

TeachAids was spun out of Stanford in 2009 as an independent 501(c)(3) organization, co-founded by Piya Sorcar, Clifford Nass, Shuman Ghosemajumder, and Ashwini Doshi. It began developing its infrastructure and new versions of its software for additional countries and languages around the world. The first additional versions of the software in Indian English, Telugu, and Tswana were launched in 2010.{{cite news |title=A New Approach to Global HIV/AIDS Education|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-piya-sorcar/a-new-approach-to-global-_b_790420.html|work=The Huffington Post|date=1 December 2010 |accessdate=16 December 2010 }}

Celebrity partners

File:Amitabh Bachchan - TeachAIDS Recording Session (19284544383).jpg (left); Bachchan in 2013 TeachAids recording session (right)]]

The TeachAids interactive software implements animated avatars of cultural icons to improve pedagogical efficacy. Over time, numerous international actors, musicians, and celebrities have lent their voices and likenesses to the TeachAids materials. These include:

Amitabh Bachchan
Amol Palekar
Anu Choudhury{{cite web|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1131122/jsp/odisha/story_17598480.jsp#.VZ6RhHjFv1I|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131125120822/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1131122/jsp/odisha/story_17598480.jsp#.VZ6RhHjFv1I|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 25, 2013|title=Hush-Hush Topic Gets a Voice|publisher=The Telegraph|date=22 November 2013|accessdate=8 July 2015}}
Anu Prabhakar
Anushka Shetty
Jayanthi
Imran Khan
Moloya Goswami
Nagarjuna Akkineni
Navdeep
Prashanta Nanda
Swati Reddy
Shabana Azmi
Shruti Haasan{{cite web|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/screen/shruti-haasan-lends-her-voice-for-aids-awareness/|title=Shruti Haasan lends her voice for AIDS awareness|date=19 December 2014|publisher=Indian Express|accessdate=8 July 2015}}
Siddharth
Sudeep
Suhasini Maniratnam
Suriya
Vijay Raghavendra
Zerifa Wahid
Zeus

The TeachAids advisory board includes film director Mahesh Bhatt, HIV/AIDS treatment pioneer Nimmagadda Prasad, Global Fund for Women founder Anne Firth Murray, and former President of Botswana Festus Mogae. Actress Amala Akkineni is a trustee of TeachAids in India.

In 2020, Kate Courtney starred in a concussion education video for their CrashCourse virtual reality series.{{Cite web|last=Cyclingnews|date=2020-07-14|title=Kate Courtney presents CrashCourse concussion brain fly-through|url=https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/kate-courtney-presents-crashcourse-concussion-brain-fly-through/|access-date=2021-11-27|website=cyclingnews.com|language=en}}

Worldwide use

File:Suriya - TeachAIDS Recording Session (13567066435).jpg

File:Anushka Shetty - TeachAIDS Recording Session (12106643625).jpg in 2013 TeachAIDS recording session]]

The TeachAids tutorials are available for free online and are used in more than 80 countries around the world, distributed by over 200 partner organizations. Numerous AIDS service organizations, AIDS education and training centers, NGOs, and government agencies distribute and utilize the tutorials as part of their own HIV/AIDS prevention efforts. Some of the organizations partnered with TeachAids include CARE, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, and the U.S. Peace Corps.{{cn|date=September 2022}}

In India, the National AIDS Control Organisation approved the TeachAids materials in January 2010,{{cite web|title=National AIDS Control Organisation of India approves TeachAIDS curriculum|url=http://teachaids.org/blog/naco-approves-teachaids/|work=TeachAIDS|date=15 January 2010|accessdate=17 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719203133/http://teachaids.org/blog/naco-approves-teachaids/|archive-date=19 July 2011|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}} marking the first time HIV/AIDS education could be provided decoupled from sex education. Later that year, the Government of Karnataka approved the materials for their state of 50 million and committed to distributing them in 5,500 government schools.{{cite web|title=Karnataka government to implement TeachAIDS tutorials in 5,500 schools|url=http://teachaids.org/blog/karnataka-government-to-implement-teachaids-tutorials-in-schools/|work=TeachAIDS|date=7 June 2010|accessdate=16 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728083607/http://teachaids.org/blog/karnataka-government-to-implement-teachaids-tutorials-in-schools/|archive-date=28 July 2011|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}} In Assam, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi helped launched TeachAids. Odisha, Andhra Pradesh,{{cite web |title=Partnership between APSACS and TeachAIDS|url=http://apsacs.org/teachaids.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140813172858/http://apsacs.org/teachaids.html|url-status=usurped|archive-date=August 13, 2014|work=Andhra Pradesh State AIDS Control Society|date=2013|accessdate=9 July 2015}} and other Indian states have also joined with official support and distribution.

File:TeachAIDS Screenshots 1 (5386016934).jpg

In Botswana, the TeachAids tutorials were adopted nationally as the standard method for HIV/AIDS education. In 2011, the Ministry of Education began distributing the tutorials to every primary, secondary, and tertiary educational institution in the country, reaching all learners from 6 to 24 years of age nationwide. June 15 in Botswana was declared "National TeachAIDS Day".

In the United States, the [https://spice.fsi.stanford.edu/ Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education] distributes the tutorials on CD along with a custom educator handbook, both of which are made available at no cost.{{cite web |title=TeachAIDS Educator Handbook: A Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Prevention Curriculum|url=http://spice.stanford.edu/catalog/teachaids_educator_handbook_a_comprehensive_hivaids_prevention_curriculum/|date=16 December 2010|accessdate=16 December 2010 }}

The creation of TeachAids has been cited as an important innovation in achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goal for combating the spread of HIV/AIDS.{{cite book |title=Millennium Development Goals Technology Road Map|url=http://www.globalwireonline.org/2015/01/05/buy-now-millennium-development-goals-technology-road-map/#.VZ6XFXjFv1I|last1=Whyte|first1=Talia|last2=Nakello|first2=Marjane|year=2015 |publisher=Global Wire Books|location=New York, NY|asin=B00R5D2Z6C|page=10}}

In 2012, TeachAids was named one of 12 global laureates by The Tech Awards,{{cite web|title=The Tech Awards Laureate: TeachAIDS|url=http://thetechawards.thetech.org/the-laureates/teachaids|work=The Tech Awards|date=2012|accessdate=9 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150703020742/http://thetechawards.thetech.org/the-laureates/teachaids|archive-date=3 July 2015|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}{{cite web |title=28 Award Winners Highlight Innovation in Social Entrepreneurship|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/devinthorpe/2012/09/30/28-award-winners-highlight-innovation-in-social-entrepreneurship/|work=Forbes|date=30 September 2012|accessdate=9 July 2015}} referred to as the "Nobel prize of tech philanthropy".{{cite web |title=Tech Museum chooses honorees for annual awards|url=http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_16127072|work=San Jose Mercury News|date=21 September 2010|accessdate=9 July 2015}}