Simulations and Role Play I

Sherri L. Wallace, University of Louisville
Helen G. Boutrous, Mount Saint Mary's College
William A. Brantley, Walden University

Simulations and Role Play I Summary
Past conversations and summaries of the simulations and role play tracks (S&RP) at the APSA Teaching and Learning conferences (TLC) reveal that these myriad active-learning techniques and exercises often can teach the complexities and dynamism of politics more effectively than do more conventional lectures by purposely engaging students in the learning process (PS, July 2004: 481). S&RP serve as useful mediums through which students can apply and interact with our discipline in a reflective way through the utilization of a variety of cognitive and affective methods that expand students’ knowledge base and skills in critical thinking, problem solving, and communication while making learning more lasting, fun and memorable for students long after the class has ended (PS, July 2005: 419). Because students come to college from diverse backgrounds with varying levels of skills and preparation, S&RP are a valuable complement to the traditional teacher-centered methods of content delivery through the formal lecture (PS, July 2006: 540). Experiential learning, unlike the customary “stand-and-deliver” lecture, facilitates and encourages the synthesis and evaluation of information by having students “learn by doing,” thus, creating active and empowered learners as opposed to passive receivers (PS, July 2006: 542). As in real life, simulations require of students a mixture of skills such as effective communication, strategic thinking, consideration of history, or the handling of budgets to address any particular political problem (PS, July 2006: 541). This, in turn, broadens and enhances students’ research, writing, analytical, and critical thinking skills across various fields of knowledge. The benefits of S&RP for faculty accrue through the immediate feedback that helps them to better engage and connect with the students, which makes the teaching process more effective, fulfilling and exciting. Additionally, the use of S&RP provides a way for instructors –both new and tenured, part-time and full-time – to demonstrate new cutting-edge pedagogical techniques and mastery of the discipline (PS, July 2006: 542). All S&RP workshop summaries, including our own, have concluded that the end results are “win-win” for both students and faculty. The students achieve deeper learning via a practical, pleasurable and unforgettable experience, and faculty receive better teaching evaluations and a cadre of returning students in classes. This year, the discussants in the S&RP I Track sought to extend the conversation toward a deeper appreciation and understanding of S&RP’s potentiality as ripe avenues for faculty research as well as teaching.

Papers Presented
The papers presented in the 2007 S&RP I Track represented a cross-section of the potential uses for simulations in classroom teaching, including various political contexts, levels of technology, time spans and subjects. Like the previous TLC S&RP workshops, the discussants of the S&RP Track I explored multiple ways simulations might facilitate students’ understanding and learning of complex political concepts and ideals. Discussants agreed that they must give careful attention to pedagogical goals while using simulations. This is necessary because S&RP requires more preparation time than the traditional lecture. More time is needed to develop supporting materials and assessment tools including time for students to engage in reflective debriefings. Instructors must also carefully monitor the group activities and use peer evaluations to avoid the free-rider problem and ensure widespread and meaningful participation of students while, at the same time, meeting their needs (PS, July 2006: 541).

A number of presentations focused on simulations and games in international relations. Brock Tessman (University of Georgia) discussed the benefits of extended simulations in the course syllabus and classroom. Chad Raymond and Kerstin Sorensen (Elon University) highlighted the dis/advantages of student-centered crisis simulations while Cynthia Boaz (International Center for Nonviolent Center Conflict & SUNY Brockport) demonstrated the potential of “A Force More Powerful,” an interactive simulation that animates nonviolent strategies in decision-making. George Ehrhardt (Appalachian State University) revealed how game theory can be effectively utilized in the undergraduate classroom. After describing the state of game theory in international relations pedagogy, his presentation laid out how four different games can help instructors convey abstract concepts to students as an effort to help bridge the gap between a theoretically based curriculum and real world events. Michael Brittingham (McDaniel College) took an innovative approach to explore what can happen through the use of freeform simulations in teaching politics. He discovered that although there are “boundless possibilities,” the farther away from the dependence on knowledge of real world events the students moved, the more they got into the “logic” of the game. Tricia Mulligan and Jeanne Zaino (Iona College) challenged the customary structure of S&RP discipline divide. In their creative presentation on a department-wide crisis simulation, they discussed the benefits of not only moving outside the boundaries of the traditional classroom but attempting to bridge the gaps between the disciplines within departments through the integration of students from all subfields of the discipline, upper and lower division, as well as majors and non-majors. Loren R. Cass (College of Holy Cross) revealed that creating student-incentive structures for maximum participation in classroom simulations can be effectively accomplished by using the case of the Post-Kyoto Climate Negotiations where both success and failure are built into the game. Bedriye A. Koleman and Laura P. Moyer (University of Georgia, Athens) focused on integrating a series of games and activities throughout a course to teach students to recognize cognitive mistakes and biases in decision-making and how to overcome them, thereby engaging and enhancing students’ critical thinking skills. The same was true for William J. Lahneman (Towson University), who demonstrated through a truly unique simulation on decision-making in National Intelligence that helps students learn about the process of intelligence analysis and the skills required to produce effective analytic products by using excerpts from the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction and the unclassified White Paper (media version) derived from it. Students assume team-based roles of individual analysts mimicking the professional NIE process in order to answer the question: “Does Iraq have WMDs?” using actual intelligence products. The simulation exposes them to the ambiguities associated with incomplete information, the challenge of conveying substantive uncertainty, and the attendant difficulty in conveying accurate analysis to policy makers through written and oral briefing instruments.

Other singular presentations focused on the need to integrate different methods throughout a course to meet the needs of all students’ learning styles. Pam Mason (John Carroll University) reflected on the use of S&RP like “Athens at the Dawn of Democracy” and “Thucydides Theatre” as ways of deepening students’ learning central ideas/concepts in the history of western political thought. Helen Boutrous (Mount Saint Mary’s College) revealed that for female students from traditionally underrepresented populations, simulation and role-play exercises not only provide the skills-building benefits necessary for success in academia, but, increases their sense of political efficacy, engagement and participation. By including simulation or experiential learning in five separate political sciences courses, the benefits for students have been enhanced and reinforced with a taste for competition that has resulted in better performance in their classes, mentoring and scholarship opportunities, and increased acceptances to graduate and law schools. Bill Brantley (Walden University) demonstrated that the teaching of public administration, both undergraduate and graduate, needs to be reformed in order to reflect the practice of public administration in today's networked government. By using blended learning with simulations as the core of the course, future public administrators can acquire the negotiation, project management, and critical thinking skills needed to manage public agencies in the future.

Lessons Learned/Conclusions Reached
Overall the 2007 workshop reiterated former S&RP Track themes such as: the incalculable challenges of using exercises and games in class; the need for both institutional and departmental support for extensive projects to reduce monetary costs and/or to coordinate student availability; the high investment costs of S&RP in terms of start-up funds, time and energy for instructors; and the recognition of the need to move beyond the creation and use of simulations in isolation among faculty within and across disciplines/universities (PS, July 2006: 541). The presentations demonstrated that S&RPs have indeed evolved in rigor and techniques. In addition to raising serious questions and possible solutions on how S&RPs can and should be factored in merit evaluations for those faculty who engage them, the discussants explored how such faculty could receive more FTEs while students could receive more credit hours for S&RP engagement when taking teaching and class loads into account. A possible solution could be to create simulation learning labs that supplement courses like those found in the natural science and engineering disciplines.

In addition, the 2007 S&RP Track I discussants extended the conversation toward what needs to happen to actualize these ideals about S&RP as inimitable, inventive pedagogical approaches worthy of recognition as pioneering research that can influence our teaching and understanding of politics. The discussants grappled with how to highlight S&RP as a crucial and vital pedagogy within and across our respective disciplines through the research, writing and publication of a base of literature via annotated bibliography and scholarship that is associated with this kind of practical, experiential and/or active learning and how it can be exploited and built upon in a larger university setting and outside world. The discussants explored ways to publicize and advance scholarship on simulations that accurately employ pre-/post-test methods and other learning outcome assessments as a means of creating a base framework for future developments. Such scholarship would help to educate or “proselytize” higher administration, department chairs and colleagues on the utility of these modes for facilitating and fostering civic engagement and active learning for students and promote an interest in producing “citizens” as well as “scholars.” To achieve these goals, faculty engaging in S&RP must work to develop institutional standards for what simulations should do through more collaboration on S&RP models, best practices, within/across universities, and the organization and sharing between conferences via list servs, web blogs, and web site links. The immediate outcome of the 2007 discussion was the creation of a list serv that linked the track discussants and began the arduous, yet rewarding process of integrating S&RP within the overall discourse on teaching and learning within the discipline.