Harnessing technology to prevent sexual assault on college campuses

Abstract

The current global pandemic has presented an opportunity to rethink how universities implement sexual assault prevention programs. The advantages and capabilities presented by technology such as digital gaming have not been fully utilized in sexual assault prevention programming. A user-centered design approach gives developers the opportunity to truly engage students in a learning process; a critical thinking required to explore sexual assault and contributing factors in a meaningful way. Digital gaming presents an active learning experience that engages students in a method of learning they may be more familiar with, and may actually prefer. By using digital gaming, sexual assault prevention can remain effective and accessible no matter the social and environmental circumstances.

Keywords:

• Sexual assault
• relationship violence prevention
• technology
• digital gaming and sexual assault prevention
• innovative prevention strategies

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States of America and received approval from the Institutional Review Board of the University of Georgia.

Funding

No funding was used to support this research and/or the preparation of the manuscript.