Subject: [IFETS-DISCUSSION:1059] Re: IFETS-DISCUSSION digest 154
From: Albert Ip (a.ip@meu.unimelb.edu.au)
Date: Fri 09 Feb 2001 - 12:06:15 MET
From: "Albert Ip" <a.ip@meu.unimelb.edu.au> Subject: [IFETS-DISCUSSION:1059] Re: IFETS-DISCUSSION digest 154 Date: Fri, 9 Feb 2001 22:06:15 +1100
Hi IFETSers,
Following from last November's interesting debate on the use of free form
role play, I believe the current discussion can be as interesting too.
As we attempt to make learning available to the web, we are faced with the
technical issues in transforming "our way of doing thing" onto the web. I
believe that this transformation hass two sides. From the teaching side,
the opportunity of change can be seen as a change agent to improve our own
teaching and understanding of the learning. Equally important, we like the
technical people to understand the real issues we face and give us systems
which do things our ways. The current discussion is partly motivated by
this thinking.
The role play simulation generator refered to in the pre-discussion paper is
a *technical* system designed to deliver role play simulation, originally
for political science simulations. I believe it is important to separate
the content expertise from the technical expertise and hence the system was
designed as a generator so that content expert can design, create and
deliver role play simulation. More on that in later part of the discussion.
At this point, I would suggest we start from a more general angle and later
we shall move to the more specific.
Let me just re-iterate the proposed discussion questions:
Is Role Playing a pedagogy that can be applied to disciplines beyond
politics and soft skill training?
My reason for prosing this question is that the role play simulation
generator I have was originally built to deliver political science
simulations. I was later convinced by people that it can be used in other
discipline as well. Last November's discussion certainly reconfirmed this
view. However, I would also like to see other people's feeling and
experience in this aspect.
Are there other important fundamentals in an ideal simulation to support
effective learning?
In the pre-discussion paper, I have listed 4 elements which I believe
support role play simulation, i.e.
- Scaffolding (tasks that lead the players to achieve particular learning
outcomes);
- Resources (information that is subject matter and content specific provide
either
as reading material for the learners or to set up the scenario for the
simulation);
- Interaction facilities (sim-mail, sim-conferences and private chat rooms
for
communication); and
- Social structure
Implicit in this is the notion of scenario, or "game plan" in which the
designer of the role play simulation may have in mind certain stages of
development in order to guide the learners towards a positive outcome in
line with the learning objectives. Again in the November discussion, people
has suggested "emotion" factors and so on. I am happy to continue the
discussion along the line. However, I would be more interested in looking
at "implementable" features. :-)
The use of the role play simulation generator in the Political Science
course at the University of Melbourne demonstrated the volume of activities
that students can produce in an engaging role play simulation. Faced with
ths problem of handling the huge communication load, we were asking
ourselves how can we reduce the tedious work of the moderator so that the
moderator can concentrate in guiding the role play development. Hence, what
are the ideal features that a simulation engine should have to support this
level of teaching and learning?
These are the questions I have when I wrote the pre-discussion paper and you
may have other burning issues as well. I welcome more ideas and we may run
the discussion in several related, yet separate threads.
looking forward to an interesting discussion,
Albert
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