Benefits for Students and Faculty

While the participants in the track had differing opinions and concerns about how simulations should be designed and implemented within the classroom, there was unanimous agreement that the use of such pedagogical methods are extremely beneficial for both students and faculty. In terms of student learning and development, there were several common themes consistent through all of the presentations and subsequent discussions:

• Simulations enable students to apply the content of courses into real life situations. This provides students with a much deeper understanding of differing perspectives, which is particularly important for students who might not have experienced much outside of their own hometowns or geographical regions.
• Simulation learning enhances students' research, writing, analytical, and critical thinking skills.
• Simulation learning fosters a greater sense of student ownership and responsibility in the classroom. This has been shown to increase student's civic engagement beyond the classroom. Additionally, simulation learning can create links between courses that can facilitate campus-wide learning, which is the essence of a liberal education.
• Simulations make learning more exciting and fun by actively engaging and including students in the educational process. This can, in turn, increase their motivation to learn and actively participate. Furthermore, simulation learning provides students with a memorable experience that they can take with them beyond the classroom, whether they decide to enter the work force or pursue graduate studies.

Benefits to faculty members include:

• Use of simulations help instructors better engage and connect with their students, which makes the teaching process more fulfilling and exciting. This is especially important for faculty who teach the same classes regularly, as it provides them with a way to keep things fresh and exciting.
• Simulations provide faculty with clear feedback on teaching effectiveness. They can provide a greater sense of how well students are learning and retaining the material in a way that they can practically use, as opposed to simple memorization, which is easily forgotten after the exam or when the semester has concluded. Moreover, such feedback can also assist faculty in modifying their teaching methods to optimize student learning.
• The use of simulations provides a way for junior faculty and newly minted Ph.D.'s entering the profession to demonstrate teaching innovation and mastery, which for many universities is just as important as researching. The effective use of such cutting-edge pedagogical techniques has professional benefits in helping junior faculty obtain tenure.

A Shoe for Every Foot: Design Considerations for Simulations

Simulations are used across the discipline in a variety of classes including American government, international relations, political theory, and comparative politics, with time commitments ranging from a single class period to a full semester. Simulations, however, are not “one-size-fits-all.” Finding a simulation that fits the learning objectives of your course requires consideration of a variety of factors:

• Know your comfort level. Simulations do involve giving up some control of the classroom to students. Any instructor running a simulation for the first time ought to begin with a simple exercise rather than a semester-long commitment.
• Know your student population. Relevant variables to consider include class size, students' background, and whether your course is an introductory or upper-division course.
• Know your own goals. Your design should be driven by what you hope to accomplish. If you are seeking to illustrate one or two concepts and offer students a common concrete experience upon which to reflect, your design will look quite different than if you are seeking to have your students develop sophisticated skills through extensive hands-on experience.
• Know your institution. A more supportive institutional environment provides for more flexibility for incorporating innovative teaching techniques.
• Have realistic expectations. It is important not to underestimate the time commitment or other costs you may incur in running a simulation. With a good design, these costs are more than exceeded by the benefits, but you can make that judgment only if your expectations. And be flexible. By their very nature, simulations are frequently unpredictable. This is a virtue. Unexpected events often hold a great deal of educational potential.
• Consider how much advance preparation your students will need. In some cases, a five-minute instructional briefing may be all that is necessary. For more sophisticated designs, students may need a great deal of instruction on playing their roles or using technology.
• Communicate clearly with students about expectations and grades. Let students know that there is more to the exercise than simply “playing a game.” Students are more likely to take the simulation seriously if they understand what they are expected to do and how they will be graded. Formal grading may be unnecessary for a single-class-session game, but longer simulations should have graded components. Popular methods include reflection essays and evaluating the quality of role playing. Many simulations involve the production of documents such as briefs or proposals, which are readily evaluated for quality.
• Consider the resources available to you. These resources may include technology, teaching assistants, outside experts, and other academic or simulation-design materials. Many simulations also offer opportunities for student leadership either in the actual roles or in administration of the activities.
• Consider how realistic you want your scenario to be. Hypothetical or fictional scenarios can be less messy and help students focus on the major principles or concepts without distraction. However, scenarios drawn directly from real-life may be more engaging.
• Plan on a debriefing period. Students frequently need a chance to articulate their feelings about the simulation experience. This is a critical time for helping students to link concepts with their experiences.
• Plan on and build in assessment. If an argument for simulations is that they aid student learning, it is helpful to be able to demonstrate that they accomplish their goals. A well-designed assessment can also be useful as a diagnostic tool for further refining of a simulation design.