Simulation is a powerful teaching tool for political science, but this teaching
method needs to be done properly in order to maximize its effectiveness. This paper is
designed to help faculty members unleash the power of simulation by 1) noting why this
method of instruction works so well, 2) reporting on the impact of simulation for overall
learning, 3) suggesting effective techniques for designing a simulation, implementing the
exercise and evaluating participants, as well as 4) recommending approaches for sorting
through simulation alternatives and finding one that will meet your needs.
THE POWER OF SIMULATION
The simulation teaching method works so well because students become much
more engaged with the subject matter than through more conventional approaches to
teaching (lecturing, debates, discussion, videos, etc.). By contrast, these other methods
place students in a passive role or in a rather rigid experience. In the case of lectures and
videos, the student is a passive consumer of prepackaged information, and activity is
limited to taking notes or asking questions. Debates and discussions are a little more
action-oriented, but even these approaches are rather rigid, producing more “heat” than
“light.”
Simulations are generally more open-ended and can move in many different
directions. Students must think on their feet, and are constantly responding to changes
that are taking place all around them.
This high level of engagement occurs because student motivation and
comprehension are linked in such a way that these mental activities “feed” off of each
other and accelerate, as well as expand, the overall learning process.
In the traditional classroom, motivation is a variable that often results in different
levels of student success. Generally, students import their motivation levels into the
classroom from their prior lives and academic experiences. As instructors, we can try to
manipulate motivation through coercive measures. However, it is rare that we can raise
the underlying motivation level on it’s own.
Comprehension of the course material is another variable that students normally
import into the classroom in the form of their natural intellectual gifts or the relative
richness of their life experiences. Ordinarily, students “get it,” or have those “ah ha”
experiences when the subject matter comes together for them. Some students are quite
adept at comprehending complex course content (e.g. the intricacies of the legislative
process) and others never really seem to understand.
In a simulation, the motivation level is normally increased because the interactive
experience is so new and different. Comprehension is also augmented because the
simulation student develops a very personal relationship with the abstractions.
The true beauty of simulation, however, is the interaction of motivation and
comprehension. As students get deeper into the simulation and the alternate reality
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Convention