The collaborative board game is an evidence informed training tool that will be used to bring about conversation, ideally leading to attitude and behavioral change.

The game is still in development. First, six UMBC students helped us to conduct a systematic review of barriers and facilitators to success for immigrant students in K-12 education, and synthesized this information into common themes. Second, the team conducted reviews of many existing board games to determine how to best accomplish our goals and we landed on something that is a mix of Forbidden Island, building puzzles, and group consensus building. Third, the research assistants helped to translate the information gained from the systematic review into a deck of cards that facilitates the play of the board game. You can learn more about the game by listening to the Retrieving the Social Science’s podcast here. Next, students tested the game and gave feedback. Currently, we are making the game more professional and printing multiple copies.

The main goals of the game include:

  1. Increase awareness about the challenges and emotions associated with being an immigrant or ESOL student 
  2. Highlight the importance of collaboration between school staff members to ensure the success of their immigrant and ESOL students 
  3. Provide education about the support systems available to immigrant and ESOL students 
  4. Open a dialogue about what success may look like for different students

The game can be used in UMBC classes to increase empathy and understanding of our UMBC students in the hopes of creating a more inclusive and knowledgeable workforce post-graduation. But, the game can also be used in local schools to train staff. In these instances, participants will play the game, discuss what they learned and how it relates to their experiences with students, and engage in an action planning session. The action planning exercise is designed to help school personnel discuss opportunities for change, and to commit to doing something to help their immigrant students. With one in four students being part of an immigrant family, we cannot afford to overlook this key student population.