T6 – Using, Moderating and Creating Web-based Role Play Simulations in Educational and Organizational Environments

Albert Ip, Managing Director, Digital Learning Systems, Australia
Instructor e-mail: albert@DLS.au.com

Role Play Simulations have been used as a tool for teaching and training in many areas and disciplines. The idea behind using simulations as pedagogical tools relies on the idea that experience is the best motivator. The simulations described in this workshop are NOT rule-based (or model-based) simulations of physical systems. Role-play simulations are for modeling human interactions, such as those encountered in social sciences or management studies and based on the abstraction that human interactions are communicative events. The technique described in this tutorial has been used successfully in the past three years in many university and professional development courses. See  http://www.roleplaysim.org/papers/.

The role play simulation design is incorporated into a role play simulation generator Fablusi™. Participants will be given opportunity to use of this software for a limited time (valued at approximately US$500 depending on number of roles in the simulation).

At the end of the tutorial, participants should

Intended Audience/Level:

No technical expertise other than experience in Web surfing is required.

This tutorial is intended for innovative faculty members interested in adopting collaborative and innovative learning experience based on online role play simulation.

Facilitator Bio:

Albert has over fifteen years experience in educational software development.  He is the creator of the innovative online role-play simulation generator, Fablusi™ and the online survey authoring system, SnapSurvey™. He is a technical consultant to Education Network Australia in the areas of resource discovery, subject gateways, metadata modeling and impact studies of international education technology standards. His research interests include scalable learning technologies, learning interaction designs and use of web-based resources in teaching and learning.