Simulations as Active Assessment?: Typologizing by Purpose and Source

Abstract

Assessment through simulation is something that political science pedagogy has yet to explore in a robust manner. This article advances analysis of social science simulation and assessment by laying out a typology of active-learning activities that isolates and examines their potential for assessment. In short, we argue that there are essentially two ideal types of games: organic and illustrative. The first calls on students to reveal behavior by making their own decisions while the second calls upon students to use knowledge gained through class content to guide their decisions. To this we add that, while we often use simulations for formative reasons (to help students understand and learn), we don't often consider that the summative or assessment function is also widely available to us. Across the disciplines, we know that business schools, language programs, and the military all actively use simulation and gaming not simply for formative purposes but also for assessment. Given this typology, this article explores how we might do so in the social sciences.