Simulations

There are a variety of different simulations.  Some are education, some are not.  A simulation is something that lets you act out or imagine 'what if?'  What if I do this or this happens, what is the outcome?  According to Wikipedia, a Simulation is the "imitation of the operation of a real-world process or system over time". 

Perhaps the most important thing to consider when choosing an educational simulation is that it is:

1. Topic appropriate
2. Content appropriate
3. Age appropriate
4. Screened and tested to make sure there is nothing unexpected

It is important to make sure that your simulation is topic appropriate.  No matter what you are teaching, there is likely a simulation that fits your topic.  

Once you determine that the topic is appropriate, it is important to make sure that the content is appropriate.  Some simulations, although educational, may contain adult situations that could make students uncomfortable or be seen as inappropriate for your students.

Age appropriate means that the content is clear enough to be understood by your students, that the simulation is not too complex to use for their age level, or that it is not too juvenile for older students.  Choosing a simulation that is at the wrong age level could cause students to become disinterested or frustrated.  Even worse, the students miss the purpose of the assignment or are not engaged and learning.  

The last, and perhaps most important item is to ALWAYS PRE-SCREEN YOUR MATERIALS!  I can't stress this enough.  I have heard more than one horror story of a professor or lecturer using materials or a video that they assumed as appropriate.  One of my colleagues used a lecture in a Personal Health Class.  The lecture for the day was about sexuality.  Everything was going fine until she hit the slide on fetishes and found that the lecture contained sound effects - many of which were quite inappropriate.  Another colleague did not fully screen a video.  She watched the first half and assumed the rest was fine.  The video was educational about sexually transmitted infections (STI).  When the video came to the part of that she had not previously watched, there was a graphic scene about condom use and how a condom functions during intercourse.  This was a university class and everyone was an adult.  However, my colleague was very embarrassed and likely would not have shown the video, had she watched the entire thing.  She later commented that she froze and allowed the video to continue, because it was educational, but she also didn't want to appear unprepared.  

I was trying to find some simulations that I could potentially use in a class.  One is called Real Lives 2020.  This simulation allows the student to live as another person.  This could potentially be useful in a variety of fields.  I teach in Health Education, Public Health, and Geography.  This simulation could apply to all three of these disciplines, among others.  Basically, you pick where you are going to live, it could be India, Cambodia, the United States, Ukraine, China, or any other country.  You live life, and your life is shaped by your choices.  All of our lives are shaped by our choices, but normally it takes a lifetime to see the results of living in poverty or a poor diet.  This speeds it up and the choices soon show the results through diseases, lost wages, increase problems, or whatever issues. 

Here is a video of someone playing the game.  He chose someone in the United States for the video, because it is something with which many people will be more familiar.  When playing, the simulated person may be in a country that the student knows little about, making it a learning experience for how the person lives.  Information like health, happiness, and other factors are charted on the left.  The life choices and situations that the person cannot control are shown through the changing measures. 

 Here is another simulation called Babydow where the student takes care of a child.  This could be a very effective tool in multiple class levels, from teaching sex education and parenting to adolescents, to expecting mothers, or to college students in a Personal Health or Sexual Health class.  You must feed, spend time with the child, and the progress is measured through:

Wellness - which includes energy, satisfaction, fun, and cleanliness.

Growth - which includes hygiene, food, walking, curiosity, and speech.

Abilities - which includes motor skills, creativity, memory, and dexterity.  

What the student does with the child determines how that child will do.  Will they thrive?  Did the student anticipate how many factors go into caring for a child?  It is an educational opportunity to show the importance of everything, not just feeding the child and changing it's diaper.  The child can be customized by a variety of factors, including race and features to make the child seem more personal.

Other simulations do not take place on a computer, but allow the student to simulate what would happen in a real life situation - especially ones where health or even the person's life is on the line.  This allows people in the healthcare field to get used to working in trauma situations and using tools without being in an actual emergency situation.  In this video, the students are learning what to do, how to diagnose, what steps need to be taken, and how to save lives.  If the students make a mistake, their is a learning opportunity instead of a lost life.

These simulations have a potential to education, engage, and allow students to take risks that they might be cautious to take in a real life setting.  The amazing thing about simulations is that the students can dare to dream.  Dreams can get you in trouble sometimes in real life.  You reach to far and the project fails or someone gets hurt.  When it works, it is amazing, but there is always risk.  Simulations allow students to take those risks, to see 'what if?', and to learn and try again.