The large introductory classes at many universities present a particular challenge for instructors wishing to guarantee participation opportunities for their students. Yet, large courses can actually afford advantages for instructors looking to replicate many features of the U.S. Congress. We describe two separate Congressional simulations in an…

Simulations offer opportunities for students to receive instruction in political strategies and practice developing political skills without the real-world consequences faced by policymakers. Budget simulations introduce students to collective action problems prevalent at all levels of American government and can be used in a variety of courses.…

Active learning--and gaming, in particular--is now a well-established part of many political science courses. First, we discuss the design and implementation of a "Gateway Game", a pedagogical tool with broad applicability and test its effectiveness in increasing student motivation, satisfaction, and learning. Crucially, we provide…

Is in-depth political learning possible in college-preparatory courses known for curricular breadth at an accelerated pace plus a high-stakes exam? A multidisciplinary research team conducted design-based implementation research (DBIR) for seven years across three school systems for the purpose of achieving deeper learning in an 'advanced' high…

Much of the research on the use of simulations in the political science classroom focuses on how simulations model different events in the real world, including political campaigns, international diplomacy, and legislative bargaining. In the case of American Politics, many simulations focus on the behavior of Congress and the legislative process,…

It is often a difficult proposition for introductory American government students to comprehend different electoral systems and how the rules of the game affect the representation that results. I have developed a simulation in which different proportional-based electoral systems are compared with a single-member plurality electoral system. In…

I examine the impact of simulations on student learning and on the growth of civic competence in an introductory American government class. By civic competence, I refer to an individual's skill and ability to make sense of vast amounts of political information; to work with others (and in civil opposition to other people's ideas) where…

Presents a teaching simulation which was designed to stimulate the interest of students in a college level political science course (American government). The simulation transforms a class into the Confederal Congress and is designed to increase the students' information retention and bargaining abilities. Pre- and posttesting is discussed.…

Describes a simulation for an introductory American government course. It was based on the Panama Canal treaties ratification process, a decision pending in the Senate which was due to culminate before the end of the course. By keying the simulation to a real event, participants obtained real-world feedback on how closely their roles approximated…

Lectures and classroom games are compared in terms of fact and concept, of inducing change in certain political attitudes, and of student evaluations in an introductory American government course. The results are inconclusive. (DE)

Describes an undergraduate class simulation project used to engage student interest in and knowledge of both "The Federalist Papers" and anti-federalist writings. Discusses the importance of simulation in the classroom and provides information concerning implementation of this technique. Notes that the simulation provides experience in…

Simulations are widely viewed to be effective pedagogical tools; however, evidence concerning their effects on student learning has been largely anecdotal or unsystematic in nature. In addition, most of the literature focuses on fairly complex simulations that require more class time and demand more of students than may be possible in many…

While many political scientists advocate simulations as an effective teaching tool to facilitate student learning, we have very little systematic evidence that this is true. In this research note I provide experimental evidence showing that six of eight measures of student learning were significantly higher in introductory American Government…

Teaching civics, political science, and government at all levels is the topic of this annotated bibliography. The following kinds and amounts of materials are cited: (1) 8 citations from "Resources in Education" (RIE); (2) 9 citations from "Current Index to Journals in Education" (CIJE); (3) 42 commercially available…

This simulation involves secondary school students in a reenactment of the political period of 1971-1974 and the Watergate scandal. By taking on the roles of the various persons and committees involved with Watergate and by representing their views, students (1) learn about the pre-Watergate political atmosphere of divisiveness in the United…