Perhaps the most important point that underlies the educational software built at ILS is that by applying a little creativity, the Institute can convert what might seem like inherently passive learning situations into active ones. The challenge is to figure out how to find active learning regardless of the situation. As is evident in the Sickle Cell Counselor, the user is presented with a challenging problem in order to capture their natural motivation to learn.
By using the idea of goal-directed learning, what was an initially passive idea, to get information about sickle cell disease into the minds of the general public, was made into an active experience. This reinforces the idea that learning begins with a goal. Rather than teach a set of decontextualized facts about genetics, Sickle Cell Counselor gives people a compelling reason to explore the underlying knowledge. Because users are eager to help their "clients," they want to learn what they can to give better advice. This is the idea behind goal-directed learning. The users' goals serve to organize their experience.
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