Slide 1



Slide 1 |[pic] |Today we’re going to talk about instructional simulations. We will learn about what they are and how they are used in educational and business training settings. We’ll look at the elements that make a simulation a successful teaching and learning tool and you will have a chance to evaluate a few web-based simulations.

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|Slide 2 |[pic] |Yes, if you use a computer simulation. These are some |

| | |of the ways that computer simulations are used to help |

| | |people learn new knowledge or skills. |

|Slide 3 |[pic] |Computer simulations can imitate weather conditions, |

| | |chemical reactions, nuclear accidents, medical |

| | |techniques, costs required to produce a particular |

| | |design, biological processes, cockpit and spacecraft |

| | |systems, and product safety testing to name just a few.|

| | | |

| | |Simulations have been around for a long time: flight |

| | |simulators and driving simulators are examples of |

| | |equipment simulators you may be familiar with. |

| | |Role-play and other game-type simulation has often been|

| | |used in business training in the past. Computer or |

| | |web-based simulations are becoming a very popular way |

| | |to teach important skills in business, industry, |

| | |government, and the military. Education is beginning |

| | |to use computer or web-based simulation more often |

| | |also. Better technology allows us to create |

| | |simulations more economically and more powerfully. |

| | | |

|Slide 4 |[pic] |These are the objectives for today’s class. Students |

| | |should be able to describe how a computer or web-based |

| | |simulation is used for learning and evaluate the |

| | |instructional soundness of a web-based simulation. We |

| | |will be providing a list of URLs for web-based |

| | |simulation products. |

|Slide 5 |[pic] |Simulations are used in education, training, and |

| | |research because they allow the learner to experience |

| | |real-world problems and situations within a controlled |

| | |situation without physical involvement. |

| | | |

|Slide 6 |[pic] |Because it imitates something real a simulation is |

| | |distinguished from a game. Sim City is both a game and|

| | |a simulation because it can imitate something real and |

| | |give you experiences that are possible in real life. |

| | |Simulations are active, the learner interacts with the |

| | |simulation by making decisions, entering data, etc. A |

| | |demonstration can be called a simulation of an event or|

| | |an activity. In order for a demonstration to be a |

| | |simulation the learner is actively changing things |

| | |within the demonstration to see how they respond. |

| | |Spreadsheets can be simulations – our budget project |

| | |(will be done later in the semester) could be a |

| | |simulation because the user was changing the value of |

| | |certain cells to see how the overall budget was |

| | |impacted. |

| | | |

|Slide 7 |[pic] |Here are some types of simulations that can be used for|

| | |instructional purposes. Any of these types of |

| | |simulations can be used in business or educational |

| | |settings. They can show processes, procedures, rules, |

| | |systems, and can provide practice with interpersonal, |

| | |conversational, and managerial skills. |

|Slide 8 |[pic] |Instructional simulations must have goals for knowledge|

| | |or behavior and the knowledge and/or skill will be used|

| | |in a real world setting. The simulation will also |

| | |provide opportunity for user interaction and will |

| | |provide feedback about progress through the simulation.|

| | | |

|Slide 9 |[pic] |Simulations give us practice with knowledge and skills,|

| | |and they don’t replace actual experiences. You can |

| | |repeat the practice until you are comfortable trying |

| | |the skill or knowledge in the real world. Simulations |

| | |can compress time and details and give learners very |

| | |complete experiences that will provide the right type |

| | |of practice for learning. |

| | |Simulations allow you to see a visual demonstration, a |

| | |scientific concept, and combine mathematical models |

| | |with real world context. |

|Slide 10 |[pic] |These are some of the strengths and benefits of |

| | |instructional simulations |

|Slide 11 |[pic] |There are a few weaknesses as well |

|Slide 12 |[pic] |When we think about what makes a simulation successful |

| | |for instruction we look at these things. |

| | |Are there learning goals and directions for using and |

| | |interacting with the simulation? |

| | |Does the learner know why they are using the simulation|

| | |Are they learning something new, practicing a skill, |

| | |getting information, ??? |

| | |Will the learner have knowledge of the final result of |

| | |the simulation? Will they know how well they did, or |

| | |what they learned? |

| | |Is the simulation user friendly? Do they have the |

| | |right knowledge to use the simulation properly? |

|Slide 13 |[pic] |We’ll evaluate 3 simulations using a Simulation |

| | |Checklist to see if the simulations are Real, Fun, |

| | |Accessible, Clear, and Educational. |

| | |Real – does the simulation replicate or imitate |

| | |something real? |

| | |Fun – can a learner participate in the simulation as if|

| | |it were real? |

| | |Accessible – users/students can access and use the |

| | |simulation quickly and easily, |

| | |Clear – user/student must know exactly what to do while|

| | |using the simulation, how to interact, and what to |

| | |expect for learning, clear goals, clear instructions |

| | |Educational – a learning objective that could be |

| | |assessed at the end of the simulation, knowledge or |

| | |behavior that is new or enhanced by using the |

| | |simulation |

| | | |

|Slide 14 |[pic] |If the simulation doesn’t replicate or imitate the real|

| | |world then it is not an instructional simulation. |

|Slide 15 |[pic] |Fun is user specific, students should use their |

| | |checklist with their own opinions on this one. If the |

| | |simulation they choose is for an audience that is |

| | |different from a college student, they can imagine what|

| | |another learner might think about the simulation being |

| | |fun. |

|Slide 16 |[pic] |The simulation should load quickly and work as |

| | |expected. |

|Slide 17 |[pic] |The user should be able to know exactly how to use the |

| | |simulation and what to expect from it. No confusion |

| | |allowed! |

|Slide 18 |[pic] |The simulation should have a learner goal or objective |

| | |that can be measured in some way. Did the learner |

| | |learn something? Was practice and feedback available, |

| | |did the learner interact with the simulation? |

|Slide 19 |[pic] |Here is an example site students can visit to see how |

| | |to use the checklist. The title is a hot link to the |

| | |site. |

| | |Clicking on the circle at the left side of the screen |

| | |will take you to a simulation where you can learn about|

| | |the social status and dress of people who lived in |

| | |Colonial America. This simulation lets you dress |

| | |people in the correct clothing for their social status.|

| | |The link on the right-hand side of the screen will take|

| | |you to a role-play simulation about being an apprentice|

| | |during the same time period. |

| | | |

| | |The next slide is another example site students may use|

| | |if they like. |

|Slide 20 |[pic] |Again, you can click on the title to go to this site. |

| | |This simulation lets the user set up and run a steam |

| | |engine. No need to go through it in depth, just for |

| | |evaluation purposes. |

| | | |

|Slide 21 |[pic] |Instructions for evaluating three simulation sites. |

| | |There is a checklist available and a listing of URLs |

| | |for simulation sites. There are 5 lists – break the |

| | |students into 5 groups and ask them to use one list |

| | |during class. They can visit the other links at |

| | |another time if they like. |

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