Noting the dependency of healthcare education on practice-based learning, Michael Begg, Rachel Ellaway, David Dewhurst, and Hamish Macleod suggest that creating a virtual clinical setting for students to interact with virtual patients can begin to address educational demands for clinical experience. They argue that virtual patient simulations that…

For those with a vested interest in online technologies for learning, the knowledge and skills that constitute successful participation in massively multiplayer online games (MMOs) places these games squarely among the most promising new digital technologies to date. In this article, the author broadly outlines the qualitative results of a two and…

Probability is an essential tool for understanding heredity and modern genetics, yet many students have difficulty with this topic due to the abstract and quantitative nature of the subject. To facilitate student learning of probability in genetics, we have developed a set of hands-on, cooperative activities that allow students to determine…

This paper is intended as a guide for the use and development of simulation games in the classroom. To justify the use of such games at a time when the public is demanding a return to "the basics," the paper cites 30 ways in which simulations can contribute to student learning, including the following: (1) simulations help to motivate students;…

Discussion of the difference between an educational simulation and other interactive learning events highlights the effects terminology can have on both facilitators and participants. Five common mistakes made in running simulations are identified, and gaming terminology used in Britain and in the United States is discussed. (three references)…

The advantages and disadvantages of simulations in consumer education are summarized and guidelines presented to teachers on developing their own games. Four specific game topics are suggested. (SJL)

Reviews the rationale for the use of simulation and game exercises as part of counselor education programs. Counselor competencies in the areas of knowledge, skills, and self-awareness are discussed; and the use of experience-based learning activities is explained, including the debriefing stage. (Contains three references.) (LRW)

Definitional questions are raised first, followed by discussion of simulations and their place in the mathematics classroom. Variety and classification are discussed, plus some comments on designing simulations. (MNS)

Examines some of the reasons that role playing and simulation are not heavily used as teaching techniques in language classes and discusses the need for a better understanding of the nature and scope of the techniques. Ways in which these techniques might be more fully exploited are suggested. (Author/JL)

Describes use of computer simulation which generates bird songs so that students can analyze song motifs and sequences as an introduction to descriptive analysis of behavior in an animal behavior course. Advantages of the simulation are discussed together with computer hardware/software needed and data presentation, analysis, and generation…

Discussion of the use of programming as a learning activity focuses on software-realized scaffolding. Emile, software that facilitates programming for modeling and simulation in physics, is described, and results of an evaluation of the use of Emile with high school students are reported. (Contains 95 references.) (LRW)

Computers in non-school settings, educational computer games, and education without schools are the primary topics covered in this three-section paper. The first section describes the use of personal computers in two different, non-school environments: the home and computer clubs. A "diary study" by Yaakov Kareev is summarized, in which…

Describes a computer simulation providing population change profiles at 5-year intervals for 100 years, projecting natural rate of increase and total population, per capita gross national product, energy consumption, age-specific fertility rates, and survival ratios. Data sources for the simulation, sample printed output, and learning activities…

Discusses use of simulation/role playing to help students understand unfamiliar, controversial situations and practice decision making in a nonthreatening context. Essential steps in simulation/role playing, four actual simulation/role playing situations, and their learning outcomes are described, and information sources for further information on…

Describes a computer curriculum for 7- to 12-year-old children which is designed to integrate the computer into multiple subject areas and stimulate the development and sharpening of critical-thinking skills. The course is divided into eight conceptual units, each containing educational computer games or simulations and some related off-line…