... simulations and educational games in the learning process. Interestingly, almost 40 years ago, an author observed that there are three types of learning that can result from simulation and educational gaming: 1) learning the content of the ... games: 1) utility evaluations, 2) in-simulator learning, and 3) transfer of training. I guess the main point that can be ... (i.e. learning the content of a system). I think some of the hang-ups with evaluating simulations and games is that ... . Boocock & E. O. Schild (Eds.), Simulation Games in Learning (pp. 65-84). Beverly Hills , CA : Sage.

... combination of these. Simulation is certainly figuring much more prominently in the thoughts of learning and development ... I've been trying to understand better where simulation fits within the skills development process and whether simulation is the only/best option available to trainers and/or learners. My diagram shows a stepped transition from the abstract/theoretical/2D to the live application of the skill in a concrete/practical/3D environment. From a learning and ... easy to attain, that employees could skip all the preliminaries and just learn by doing the job for real. On the ...

I just saw a post from Design of Knowledge titled Simulations in Training: New T+D Article . I just had a quick thought that I wanted to comment on but wordpress wanted me to register...no thanks. So I'll post here. You can read the post and/or the T+D article, but here's the part that caught my attention... "And if the simulation is not supported by ... to correct my thinking on this, but doesn't that statement hold true for most, if not ALL, of the learning activities we create...not just for simulations? Consider the text book of old. Don't you gain more by reflecting on what ...

Caspian Learning has produced a useful taxonomy of immersive learning simulations in their white paper Serious Games in Defence Education (Word or PDF, 4MB). Although the paper addresses a single vertical market, the taxonomy is of general interest. Here's a list of the categories in the taxonomy (the descriptions are mine, not theirs ... ' advances on the basis of the user's selections from the options available. Real-time strategy sim Simulation ... point and click interface. The action unfolds in real-time. Construction and management simulation games ...

I got an email the other day from a listserv. I actually have no idea how I am on this mailing list (I suspect it is from a conference I attended in the past). Regardless, the title caught my eye, "Four modes of Experiential Learning". It goes on to provide a brief 2-3 sentences on each of the four modes: 1. Simulations 2. Scenarios 3. Case Studies 4. Mirror Worlds The last one particularly caught my eye. At first I was a little excited, because I thought this was going to be a new experiential learning tool that I could add to my arsenal. Turns out that it is just another term for an ...

... almost 40 years ago), Abt wrote that there were three types of learning that could result from simulations and games: Learning the content of the game Learning the processes of the game Learning the costs and benefits of decision making. Considering how individuals can learn from games, there is a very important way NOT to evaluate game play. Unlike ... learning. In S. S. Boocock & E. O. Schild (Eds.), Simulation games in learning (pp. 65-84). Beverly Hills , CA: Sage ... (Garris et al., 2002). Several authors have correctly cautioned that learning and game performance are not ...

... learning environment by using examples, stories, fantasy, paradox, incongruity, ambiguity, surprise, mystery, uncertainty, novelty, complexity, curiosity, humor, inquiry arousal, and variability. Not coincidentally, simulations and games use many of these same characteristics . It is not actually simulations and educational games that increase learning and motivation; rather, it is the characteristics inherent to simulations and educational games that cause the effect. I've ... ). Games, motivation, and learning: A research and practice model. Simulation & Gaming, 33 (4), 441-467. * ...

I'm attending the Interservice /Industry Training, Simulation, and Education Conference (I/ ITSEC ) which is the premier conference for the DoD on all things simulation and training related. It's always an enjoyable conference. The exhibit floor is huge (it has to be in order to fit the flight simulators and mega-booths), and it is always great ... service; and two paper sessions on games and learning. Some of the topics that were discussed... 1. Distributed Learning ... proprietary systems that are causing the field to take "steps back". 3. Game-based learning - Both the ...

Presentation: Best Practices for Implementing Immersive Simulations Presenter: Corti (Came in late - first person networking) - The 'big idea' (what is your hook) - Defining it - Project team - Vendor Selection - Design it + Paper ... : 80 rule. For immersive learning, at least 80 percent of the project needs to be done before you can show the client ... logic before coding (because this is what the end user sees) + Test from usability, learning design, IT compliance ... differences between the 2. Simulation is how you bring the content together. - Changing design during ...

I'm currently sitting at the Orlando airport getting ready to head back home from a great I/ITSEC conference. Today was spent wrapping up on the expo floor. Although I always wish that I had more time to spend with some of the vendors, I did manage to cover the entire explo floor. I attended one paper session on experiential learning. Ironically, the presenter was a colleague I use to work with at the National Defense University while I was at CTC. It wasn't planned ... years of attendence), I've realized how small the simulation and game community is. Probably the reason I did not get ...

Quote from The eLearning Guild web site: The big news this year is that, Immersive Learning Simulations work. Big time! Over 1,100 Guild members have completed and or updated the ILS survey. Of these, 380 Guild members representing over 320 different organizations have weighed in on their personal experiences creating and deploying ILS and their experiences are overwhelmingly positive, with more then 93% rating ILS as being better than other forms of rich-skill practice, and 76% reporting a positive ROI. The eLearning Guild Annual Gathering 2008 Conference & Expo - April ...

... also found that transparency works better than highlighting certain parts. 2. Attack on Learning Styles...Again - I went to yet another paper session that discussed whether or not learning styles exist (see my previous post on this topic ). The presenters echoed the learning style skeptics' claims that the research does not support the claims people are attributing to learning styles. Specifically, they found that 1) there is no compelling empirical evidence that matching a style to instructional strategy or teaching style increases learning, 2) a discussion of learning styles ...

I just finished my first web session for the eLearningGuild . Breeze is very cool. My session was Interactive 3D Simulation Training Using Macromedia Director MX (session 401) If you attended today, or view the video, I would love to get your feedback. Seriously...even if its negative. If you want to see the video again click the link below: The Simulation video (google video) Also, If you want to see more, I am leading several sessions at DevLearn2006. I am leading sessions on 3D simulations , MMO Games & Environments , and RSS: The New Learning Pipeline . In addition ...

After a short break skiing in the Swiss/French Alps (the break fortunately not involving any bones), I found myself thinking further about how much (most?) training activity across the planet fails to transfer into any lasting learning. When I learned to ski some 20 odd years ago, I started out on a dry slope which, back then, was more like skiing on a thick, plastic carpet with the ...

Organization that want to build an internal simulation deployment capability should first learn from the best ... ) computer games will better meet a need than any educational simulation. Evaluation criteria include: learning ... inflection point, the responsibility is shifted from external to internal. Now, Simulations With that as a bit of background, here are the skills an organization will need to develop, in order. acquisition - The best simulations will be ... understood after a few real simulation deployments. - Build versus buy is a critical long term issue, although ...

Quite a few people come to my blog in the quest to find engineering simulation and math learning resources, particularily MATLAB and Excel VBA tutorials.  My most popular post apparently is the University of Wisconsin Screencasts . Anyhow, I decided a bit more research was required on my part, and that work led me to the Mathtools.Net . This site, hosted by MathWorks, allows the engineering community to share technology focused math engineering links. It appears ... confusion. Finally, I will link this resource via the Engineering Learning Wki math section .

... and James Paul Gee who were tied in to some of the research that MIT was doing on games for learning. MIT has come out ... interdisciplinary studies in the field of digital media and learning. There is a lot of good information in these six books. They ... ). The six books are: Civic Life Online: Learning How Digital Media Can Engage Youth Digital Media, Youth, and Credibility The Ecology of Games: Connecting Youth, Games, and Learning Digital Young, Innovation, and the Unexpected Learning Race and Ethnicity: Youth and Digital Media Youth, Identify, and Digital ...

This is a Serious Games slideshow from the Harvard Business School's " The Business of Games: From the Reality of Virtual Worlds to Casual & Serious Games ." I am frequently asked if I know of any good examples...of basically everything in eLearning. I'm saving this slideshow as something to quickly send out to those who inquire about serious games. It's a great overview of some of the possibiliites even if you can't get the complete experience from the still images. Powered by ScribeFire .

Simulations are necessary because learning needs to be made a lot more fun." Another says, "Absolutely. I was a pilot ... e-learning library." Another says, "Oh, I love simulations. I was in the military and we practiced everything a ... to talk about simulations. The moderator starts out by asking the group why they are interested in simulations. One says, "Oh, I love simulations. I lead role-plays all of the time in my sales class, and they work really well." Then someone says, "That's right. I build online certification programs, and simulations are critical." Another says, "I agree.

Simulations, Computer Games, and Pedagogy in e-Learning and Other Educational Experiences and Simulations and the ... }) Print | Excerpt Simulations and the Future of Learning Accelerating Change 50 minutes, 23.2mb, recorded 2004-11-06 ... ) Six criteria are emerging as critical not just to simulations but to all ... : 4. Simulation elements that model reality. 5. Game elements that provide familiar and entertaining interactions.

As I was writing my dissertation, I came across an interesting article by Rabbit, Banerji, and Szymanski (citation below). They noted that: People who discover that they are adept at learning new video-games will tend to play them more often; but not all potentially adept learners may discover, or necessarily enjoy, their latent ability (p.252). Obviously, not everyone enjoys playing video games. Has anyone come across individuals like this when they were trying to ... , N., & Szymanski, A. (1989). Space fortress as an IQ test? Predictions of learning and of practiced performance in ...

SimBuilder Phasient Learning Tec.. 3 a 7.37 ViewletCam Qarbon 23 7.33 RapidBuilder (Software Simul.. XStream Software 12 7.27 ... -Learning Trends eLearning 2.0 LMS Web 2.0 Enterprise 2.0 Personal Learning Informal Learning Corporate eLearning eLearning Design Authoring Tools Rapid e-Learning Tools eLearning (e-Learning) e-Learning Software Blended e-Learning e-Learning Tools Open Source eLearning e-Learning ROI and Metrics ... Software Simulation Tools : eLearning ...

One well-understood simulation genre is game-based models . With the goal of "making learning fun," students engage familiar and entertaining games such as Wheel of Fortune®, solitaire, or memory, with important pieces of linear or task-based content replacing trivia or icons. More diagnostic than instructional, game-based models nonetheless might be the technique of choice by traditional educators and training groups looking to quickly goose their reputation, student ... all educational simulation designers will need to understand in the near future. Some authoring environments include: ...

... book titled " Simulations and the Future of Learning " from my bookshelf in order to see how close we were getting to the "future". His first chapter (called "Do you want fries with that e-Learning") has always been my favorite. In it he discusses what the world would be like if e-Learning truly worked. Some of the epiphanies include: Training people ... as I was reading. There is still so much work that needs to be done in the model, simulation, and gaming field specifically and e-Learning field in general. In a way, I guess that should be encouraging since it provides a degree of ...

I wrote a book called Learning By Doing , all about the use of computer simulations in formal learning programs. But in many ways, it should have been called "Learning By Doing Part I." Other, critical "learning by doing" techniques includes Microcosms , Apprenticeships , and Skunk Works . Microcosms are small, controlled, comparable, but "real" worlds or projects, such as growing a garden, planning a party, running a meeting, baking a cake. Apprenticeships are learning from someone with more experience, often in exchange for performing some menial task. Skunk Works are ...

Brent Schlenker …that’s me…will be doing an online presentation next week. Caution – self promotion ahead!  Proceed at your own risk.   I am finally able to present one of my favorite subjects:  Interactive 3D training simulations.  A special thanks to the eLearningGuild for the opportunity.    While the title of the talk specifically mentions Adobe’s ... and Activeworlds give us an entirely new and more powerful platform to support the incredible learning capabilities ...

Continuing the theme from the previous post, there are some good resources resources for educators and researchers interested in using virtual worlds in their disciplines. Linden Labs actually provides a great deal of the resources for Education and Non-Profit Organizations . SimTeach uses a wiki to establish a community for sharing information in virtual worlds. They also include a list of universities who are using SL and a list of guidelines for educators in SL.

Simulations are very dense learning experience. Most deployments of simulation based programs look successful if measured forward from what a student learned , but most simulation deployments look like failures if measured backwards from what percentage of material that the students could have learned, they did learn.

According to the Second Paradox, educational simulations can never be completely comprehensive and accurate, because once a perfect simulation model can be created, the process can be automated, and therefore formal learning is not necessary.

I always find Popular Science an interesting read, mostly because there are many applicable items to the field of Instructional Technology. The past couple of issues have had at least one article on the video game industry. In this months issue, there is an article about an innovator that is helping people overcome their fears, including how virtual reality simulations are being used in this battle. Although this isn't a new concept (there are articles from 1996 ... how the different technologies could be used in the learning domain. There is even something for those fixated on ...