Simulations In Higher Education Research Articles

Knowledge objects and knowledge practices in interdisciplinary learning: Example of an organization simulation in higher education

ABSTRACT Background Higher education is expected to prepare students with interdisciplinary learning (IDL), which is important for their educational and working life opportunities. The cocreation of knowledge in interdisciplinary teams offers multiple opportunities for the emergence of collective knowledge objects (KOs) and knowledge practices (KPs). Methods During iterations of an organization simulation course, interdisciplinary student teams created an offer of human resource services for a client. To analyze the students’ IDL (84 students in 12 teams), we conducted an interaction analysis, drawing on sociocultural and knowledge practice perspectives on technology-mediated learning. First, video-recordings of two teams’ meetings were analyzed to trace the tensions, negotiations, and cocreation of KOs. Second, students’ reflective diaries were analyzed to identify collective KPs. Findings The negotiation and cocreation of KOs were mediated by multiple material resources and participants’ disciplinary knowledge. In their diaries, students described the following collective KPs: 1) attending to interdisciplinary problems, 2) responsibility taking, 3) framing expertise and contribution, 4) crossing interdisciplinary boundaries, 5) exploring and concretizing new knowledge, and 6) reflecting and expanding upon practices and knowledge. Contributions The study widens our understanding of the intertwined dynamics of KOs and KPs through which students collectively create and engage in interdisciplinary learning.

Using Spent's Online Poverty Simulation To Teach Family and Consumer Sciences College Students About Poverty

Family and consumer sciences (FCS) is an interdisciplinary field in which professionals, regardless of their specialty area, will most likely need to interact with individuals and families in poverty. Several tools are available to help instructors teach college students about poverty. The Community Action Poverty Simulation (CAPS) has been widely used throughout FCS programming (Nickols & Nielsen, 2011); however, other poverty simulations (e. g., Spent https://playspent. org) are not referenced in the literature. More than 100 students in college-level family resource management courses completed the Spent poverty simulation from 2015 through 2019. In this paper, we provide an overview of the state of poverty and the use of poverty simulations in higher education. The authors offer tips for readers looking to implement a virtual poverty simulation in their FCS courses.

Application of Simulation Modeling as a Teaching Pedagogy in Business Education

Simulations in higher education serve as an effective pedagogical tool to surge learners’ motivation and support in harnessing 21st-century skills. However, the cost of the software required expertise, and its complexity is some of the deterrents to its smooth adoption. It rarely allows you to learn what is happening in the background. How are the decision variables linked and affected? This research proposes and tests system dynamic (SD) based simulation modelling based on Sterman (2000) to investigate the use of simulation as a pedagogy to showcase growth in population(demand-side), its relationship to residential construction (supply-side), and finally predicts the total residential construction spending. The simulation case depicts a real-life business scenario where users are able to dynamically vary the decision variable values, and visualize its effect on dependent variables and the overall impact on the simulation goal. Even students and non-Economist can efficiently perform quality analyses for experiential learning.

Representational scaffolding in digital simulations – learning professional practices in higher education

PurposeTo advance the learning of professional practices in teacher education and medical education, this conceptual paper aims to introduce the idea of representational scaffolding for digital simulations in higher education.Design/methodology/approachThis study outlines the ideas of core practices in two important fields of higher education, namely, teacher and medical education. To facilitate future professionals’ learning of relevant practices, using digital simulations for the approximation of practice offers multiple options for selecting and adjusting representations of practice situations. Adjusting the demands of the learning task in simulations by selecting and modifying representations of practice to match relevant learner characteristics can be characterized as representational scaffolding. Building on research on problem-solving and scientific reasoning, this article identifies leverage points for employing representational scaffolding.FindingsThe four suggested sets of representational scaffolds that target relevant features of practice situations in simulations are: informational complexity, typicality, required agency and situation dynamics. Representational scaffolds might be implemented in a strategy for approximating practice that involves the media design, sequencing and adaptation of representational scaffolding.Originality/valueThe outlined conceptualization of representational scaffolding can systematize the design and adaptation of digital simulations in higher education and might contribute to the advancement of future professionals’ learning to further engage in professional practices. This conceptual paper offers a necessary foundation and terminology for approaching related future research.

Implementing a Large Scale Interprofessional Poverty Simulation

ABSTRACT This article shares one university’s experience in deploying the Community Action Poverty Simulation (CAPS) for interprofessional learning. Little guidance exists for implementing large-scale interprofessional simulations in higher education, especially with students from various healthcare professions. We will present our efforts implementing CAPS with students from a variety of healthcare majors. First, we provide background about our institution and CAPS in an effort to describe our implementation initiative including learners and facilitators. Second, we cover the adaptation of CAPS to include best practices in simulation. Specifically, we review prebriefing and debriefing, as well as logistics in implementing the poverty simulation as an interprofessional activity at a large university. Finally, we discuss learning and institutional outcomes related to CAPS.

Business simulation in higher education: A case study from a network cooperation perspective

The importance of cooperation between higher education institutions (HEIs) has increased and allows the development of competitive advantages, particularly through the transfer of knowledge and technology. Establishing well-conceived and well-managed cooperation networks can bring benefits and overcome obstacles. This article assesses the importance of cooperation between HEIs, characterizing the type of partner suitable for the establishment of cooperation and analysing the benefits and barriers that may arise. To achieve this objective, a qualitative approach based on a case study was adopted. Portuguese HEIs cooperating in the Business Simulation (BS) project were analysed. The results obtained reveal that cooperation between HEIs, more specifically in the BS project, is fundamental for the exchange of knowledge, the acquisition of new technology and platforms, and the acquisition of new work practices. However, it will be necessary to overcome barriers, principally of a more technological nature. This study uses a new and innovative structure, employing a model that expands knowledge on the topic by identifying three dimensions that influence cooperation between HEIs. The authors also present implications for theory and practice and propose an agenda for future research.

Facilitating Diagnostic Competences in Simulations in Higher Education A Framework and a Research Agenda

Diagnosis is a prerequisite for successful professional problem-solving: A physician identifies an appropriate treatment based on a diagnosis of the patient’s disease, and a teacher selects an appropriate learning task based on an assessment of the student’s prior knowledge. Education in academic professions such as medicine or teaching is often focuses on the acquisition of conceptual knowledge from lectures and books; opportunities for students to engage in practical diagnostic situations are typically rare. However, applying such conceptual knowledge in diagnostic activities is regarded as necessary for developing diagnostic competences. In this article, we focus on simulations in which students can actively engage in practicing diagnostic activities concerning cases from professional practice. We review and link research perspectives on diagnostic competences, their components and their development. This is partly done by exploring the commonalities and differences in research on diagnostic competences in medicine and teaching. Then, we present approaches to simulation, followed by different types of instructional support in such simulations. In particular, we focus on different forms of scaffolding during problem-solving, and on the possibly complementary roles of expository forms of instruction in these kinds of environments. Building on the perspectives reviewed, we propose a framework for fostering diagnostic competences in simulations in higher education and outline an interdisciplinary research approach concerning the instructional design of such simulations.

Realising the potential of virtual world-based simulations in higher education: a visual perspective

The purpose of this paper is to explore and illustrate the pedagogical possibilities of employing virtual world simulations across many disciplines of higher education and inspire educators to further develop their applications. We first present a discussion of the varied approaches to pedagogy along with the identification of the pros and cons for each one. Next, we present an introduction to virtual world concepts and key issues surrounding their use for educational purposes. A specific discussion of the virtual world Second Life is presented. Following, we present and depict by subject areas, the many potential and actual implementations of virtual world simulations in higher education. Virtual worlds are found to potentially accommodate many of the interactive and experiential pedagogical approaches and learning styles.

Realising the potential of virtual world-based simulations in higher education: a visual perspective

The purpose of this paper is to explore and illustrate the pedagogical possibilities of employing virtual world simulations across many disciplines of higher education and inspire educators to further develop their applications. We first present a discussion of the varied approaches to pedagogy along with the identification of the pros and cons for each one. Next, we present an introduction to virtual world concepts and key issues surrounding their use for educational purposes. A specific discussion of the virtual world Second Life is presented. Following, we present and depict by subject areas, the many potential and actual implementations of virtual world simulations in higher education. Virtual worlds are found to potentially accommodate many of the interactive and experiential pedagogical approaches and learning styles.

Theorising simulation in higher education: difficulty for learners as an emergent phenomenon

ABSTRACTDespite the widespread interest in using and researching simulation in higher education, little discussion has yet to address a key pedagogical concern: difficulty. A ‘sociomaterial’ view of learning, explained in this paper, goes beyond cognitive considerations to highlight dimensions of material, situational, representational and relational difficulty confronted by students in experiential learning activities such as simulation. In this paper we explore these dimensions of difficulty through three contrasting scenarios of simulation education. The scenarios are drawn from studies conducted in three international contexts: Australia, Sweden and the UK, which illustrate diverse approaches to simulation and associated differences in the forms of difficulty being produced. For educators using simulation, the key implications are the importance of noting and understanding (1) the effects on students of interaction among multiple forms of difficulty; (2) the emergent and unpredictable nature of difficulty; and (3) the need to teach students strategies for managing emergent difficulty.

Making good decisions: Having confidence in simulations in higher education

To achieve the desired learning outcomes it is critical that developers and users of simulations understand human decision-making. How participants will make decisions in the simulation is a function of both the participant's expertise and their interaction with the exercise design. It is an important pedagogical issue to know whether the design of the simulation reinforces and builds a participant's ability to respond in a normative reasoned fashion to a decision situation, or to experience the situation in its complexity and respond in a synthetic intuitive fashion. To comprehend the implications of these two viewpoints I present the debate between promoters of the normative views and the descriptive views on decision-making. By performing a critical analysis of these different perspectives, I offer insight on how the decision-making philosophy used in the design of simulations affects both the use of the simulation and the measurable learning outcomes.

Simulation in Higher Education: A sociomaterial view

This article presents a sociomaterial account of simulation in higher education. Sociomaterial approaches change the ontological and epistemological bases for understanding learning and offer valuable tools for addressing important questions about relationships between university education and professional practices. Simulation has grown in many disciplines as a means to bring the two closer together. However, the theoretical underpinnings of simulation pedagogy are limited. This paper extends the wider work of applying sociomaterial approaches to educational phenomena, taking up Schatzki’s practice theory as a distinctive basis for doing so. The question ‘What is being simulated?’ is posed, prompting discussion of multiple bodies, performances and experiences. The potential of adopting such a framework for understanding simulation as a pedagogic practice that brings the classroom and workplace together is illustrated with reference to clinical education in nursing.

Pedagogical Reflections on the Use of Disability Simulations in Higher Education

Disability simulations have been used to provide postsecondary students with experiential learning opportunities in many disciplines including physical education. Critics (French, 1992) suggest that it is not possible to simulate disability experience and therefore question their efficacy. The purpose of this study was to interpret the meanings given to disability simulations by undergraduate students in physical education. A narrative research approach was employed to collect disability simulation stories from a convenience sample of 57 undergraduate students (41 female, 16 male) in a required physical education course. Their hand-written stories were transcribed and analyzed thematically to reveal three themes; thank goodness I don’t have a disability, I see things differently now, and I’m just not sure about all of this. The findings suggested that disability simulations may result in varied learning outcomes, including those which are unintended. Future research into the efficacy of disability simulations as a pedagogical tool is warranted.

Dramaturgical and communicative validities in the classroom: developing a simulation exercise for undergraduate social science classes

Many simulations in higher education demonstrate a limited range of validity measures. Communicative and dramaturgical validities are often ignored in favour of normative validity. A case study of a week-long simulation with undergraduate social science students shows how knowledge combinations based on dramaturgical and communicative validities can initiate a research agenda for simulation development. in a dialectical relationship can be used to improve the development of simulations for the benefit of learning. Such dialectical relationships are drawn from experiential learning theory.

Integrating blended teaching and learning to enhance graduate attributes

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the role of computer based business simulations in higher education as innovative tools of teaching and learning to enhance students' practical understanding of real business problems. Whether the integration of business simulation technologies will enable significant innovation in teaching and learning and will significantly enhance the quality and efficiency of traditional management teaching and learning methods is to be examined.Design/methodology/approachPrevious research has established that simulations can be an effective integrative learning mechanism for the student participant seeking to understand management concepts, techniques and practices. A number of prominent training institutions have adopted simulations in order to increase business acumen, financial literacy and build competency.FindingsThe research carried out seems to confirm that simulations can be powerful, engaging, dynamic and effective teaching and learning tools. The immersive worlds of simulations can be designed to replicate actual economic, market and business events where students experiment in real time with alignment and commitment surrounding complex corporate strategies, business models and initiatives.Originality/valueTo achieve the required convergence of the business curriculum, the paper suggests that a broad‐based integrative approach needs to be adopted to overcome the silo effect of supply driven disciplinary models, which have traditionally prevailed in business education.

Games and Simulations in Higher Education

Games and Simulations in Higher Education