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Simulations within Social Science


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When designing simulations for social science contexts, the following questions should be addressed:


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What are your educational goals?


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What kind of time and technological limitations will you face?


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Will you use a real or fictional case?


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What is your level of complexity?


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How many participants will you have and how will they be organised?


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What will the decision-making process be (within and between teams)?


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How will you use actions? Will they change the negotiation environment?


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What kinds of outcomes will you have, structured or open-ended?


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Will there be any constraints on participants? If so, what kind?


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When designing your simulation you will need to create balance between the ‘realism’ of the simulation and the requirements of assessment for all students to have opportunities to demonstrate their skills.


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There are three stages to a simulation: preparation, interaction and debriefing, and all or any of these might be assessed as discrete elements.


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Preparation: students might be required to undertake independent research; apply theoretical and content knowledge to the experiential learning of the simulation; establish negotiating position/strategy.


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For example, students may be asked to prepare a policy briefing to distribute in advance of the simulation.


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Interaction: you will be assessing how participants in the simulation perform against pre-defined and clearly communicated criteria.


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You may choose to focus on process [how they work] or on the product [which may be a physical output, or a verdict, resolution, agreement etc.], or both.


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Debriefing:  the opportunity for critical reflection from a position of neutrality outside the simulated scenario.


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This might require students to demonstrate their understanding of connections between content and experience. 


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A class-based debrief might be used to scaffold engagement with any post-simulation reflective assessment activity.