RATIONALE:
Social Learning Theory+ Social Simulation
Learners observe and model the behaviors, attitudes, and emotional reactions of others. They socially interact with others, engage in real-life experience, and imitate and modify the objects/cases in real life.
SIMULATION
Simulation is a process of designing, and practicing a model generated from the representational structure of the real world and adapting the model to the specific contexts.
SIX-STEP SIMULATION MODEL
1. Topic selection: selecting a topic.
Students identify the topic they plan to explore and set up a clear goal of their simulation
project.
2. Literature review: Reviewing the literature which relates to this topic.
This is to inform students of the theoretical foundations of this topic. The ideas from the literature will guide them to look for the right educational programs in practice.
3. Program investigation: Investigating at least two programs.
This is to help learners to see how the ideas they found in the literature reviews are being
incorporated into practical programs. This will help students to see clearly how
theories are applied in practice.
4. Program design: Designing the educational program by simulating the programs which have been investigated in step 3.
After students have investigated the programs which relate to their topic, they transfer what they have learned into their own program design. This is a step for students to imitate and adapt the main features of the practical programs into their own educational cases. This willgive students an opportunity to simulate the best practice in the field efficiently. In designing a learning activity, students don’t need to start from scratch and waste their time in creating something that already exists in practice.
5. Program evaluation: Inviting multiple educators to evaluate the newly created program.
This is to evaluate the reliability and validity of the created program and to help students find out if the newly created program fits in the new context.
6. Program demonstration: Demonstrating the project.
This provides an opportunity for students to review and reconstruct the entire semester’s work into a single educational product. Students will have a chance to see how their simulation project evolves step by step and finally constructed into an educational product.
In this simulation projects, students were recommended to use multi-media tools such as blogs, Facebook, PhotoPeach, Voicethread, etc. to share and present their projects.
In the process of simulating other programs, learning from previous and current peers is important for students to understand the process of simulation. In each of six steps, the instructor provided the guidelines and also examples of previous students' work to guide the current students' simulation projects. Current students are also required to share the process and the results of their projects in their blogs. This will support students to explore their own topic in depth, and at the same time to learn the other topics through following and commenting on others' projects in blogs.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SIMULATION DESIGN
1. The imitating nature of the simulation project which allows students to scaffold the best practice in the field and to create new knowledge within a short period of time.
2. Simulated projects which help students make strong connections between theory and practice.
3. A high level of interactions and knowledge-sharing among current students, previous students and the professionals outside the class.
4. Comprehensive knowledge application.
5. Structured guidelines and divided tasks which support students to simulate the complex, non-linear social phenomenon in a manageable way.
6. Freedom and autonomy which is highly interest-based, combining both individual work and group work (individual work, group work, individual work within the group work), and covers both the depth and width of the course topics.
7. Multi-media tools used in the process of simulation.
8. The structures of the simulatee and simulator are similar.
9. It highlights the imitating nature of the simulation.
SELECTED REFERENCES
Johnson, D. I. (2004). Bargaining simulation: applying bargaining plans and strategies. Communication Teacher, 18(2), 57-60.
McCrary, N. E., & Mazur, J. M. (2010).Conceptualizing a narrative simulation to promote dialogic reflection: using a multiple outcome design to engage teacher mentors. Educational Technology Research and Development, 58(3), 325-342.
Newman, A. (2007). Real-time computer-mediated communication: email and instant messaging simulation. Business Communication Quarterly, 70(4), 466-470.
Vescoukis, V. C., Retalis, S., & Anagnostopoulos, D. (2003). Network-based business simulation activities in technical professional education. Interactive Learning Environments, 11(3), 169-191