Games have their place


Simulations and games can fit in with very different design strategies and philosophies. At the simplest level, they can be used as a way of providing practice in applying a process or procedure to which the learner has already been exposed through a formal, structured lesson. This is how simulations are normally used in online IT training – you teach a task and then have the learner try it out using a representation of the live application.

A simulation can also be used more adventurously as an inductive tool – leading the learner towards possible learning conclusions – as a component in a discovery-learning strategy. The simulation not only provides a safe environment in which the learner can explore new ways of doing things, it might even generate a motivation to learn in the first place. What better way to lift a learner out of that comfortable state of ‘unconscious incompetence’? Tasks that look so easy from the sidelines, prove to be more difficult in practice: “I didn’t know I couldn’t do it until I tried” is a familiar response to a well-designed simulation.

A simulation need not be a solo experience – there are opportunities for group games too. Says David Klaila: “E-learning can be especially effective when conducted as a team exercise. When two to four learners gather around a computer, they can discuss strategies and interact in much the same way as in a classroom”. When that's not possible, David suggests that e-learning developers take a page from the gamer’s book and make online discussion facilities available, so learners can ask each other questions and provide each other with encouragement.

Not all designers are as convinced about the value of group collaboration in simulations. According to Roger Schank: “When people get together in groups, their behaviour changes because they are afraid to fail in front of their peers. Peer group collaboration may actually inhibit learning.” It is the lack of group collaboration that makes Schank favour simulations over classroom role-plays, which many learners will find too competitive: “Computer simulations work so well because they enable users to fail in private”.

Case study: SmartForce

start example

One vendor who is taking the potential of simulations really seriously is SmartForce (now SkillSoft). Its software simulations replicate GUI environments and allow learners to practice complex tasks associated with common PC applications. Programmers benefit from simulations in which they can enter code in all the ways supported by the live software.

Business-modelling simulations are used in subjects such as finance and accounting. They allow students to manipulate a wide variety of financial variables in a virtual company and learn how these variables interact.

For people-orientated subjects, SmartForce are using role-play simulations that challenge students to solve real-life problems in realistic situations. The student interacts with virtual characters and consults a wide variety of resources, including white papers, presentations and web links, in order to realise the goals of the scenario.

end example




E-Learning's Greatest Hits
E-learnings Greatest Hits
ISBN: 0954590406
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 198

flylib.com © 2008-2017.
If you may any questions please contact us: flylib@qtcs.net