The Uncommon
Iowan Center

LEARN BY doing

The Uncommon Iowan Center, one of the most highly anticipated additions to the Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, will invite students to engage in immersive, digital role-playing simulations that put them at the center of a national crisis. Curated interactive games accessed from physical and virtual classrooms will merge live-action role-playing, technology, and multi-media content to create the ultimate learn-by-doing civics lessons.

Embodying characters who hold pivotal roles in national decision-making, middle and high school students will utilize a cloud-based, device-agnostic platform to solve a simulated crisis in real time. Players will debate competing priorities, make data-driven decisions, and evaluate consequences of their choices.
The collaborative approach supports students’ understanding of the country’s foundational documents and history, while also developing social and emotional competencies essential for participation in an effective democracy.