# Simulations ## Simulations Where cases present students with relevant situations from the field to apply their learning, simulations take this application a step further. Simulations are active learning exercises that thrust students directly into the action they will likely encounter in the professional world. Interactive, immersive, and intense, simulations present students with realistic situations that push them to enact their learning in context, then manage the consequences of their individual and collective decision-making. And what happens before and after simulations is just as important as what happens during them. Planning simulations and preparing students for them remain critical for the activities to hold relevance and purpose. In addition, debriefing simulations after their enactment creates opportunities for students to deepen their experiences and better position them in conceptual schema. Though designing simulations is challenging and involved work for instructors, their payoff cannot be understated. Purposeful, well-executed simulations deliver students conceptual knowledge through hands-on experience which may prove more memorable than learning material seated at a table or from a textbook. How do we design simulations that involve many students simultaneously and remain open to multiple solution pathways and/or pitfalls? What is the role of the facilitator in such learning environments? How do we extend and deepen students’ learning beyond visceral simulation activities? In these videos, Richard Schwartzstein and Brian Mandell discuss how they design, facilitate, and debrief simulations in their respective, field-based classrooms. ![bg](/sites/g/files/omnuum10466/files/styles/hwp_28_10__1920x685/public/instructionalmoves/files/simulations_v1b.jpg?itok=8rhwfxCa) ## Simulations from the Public Policy Classroom [### Building intense learning environments through simulation design ](/building-intense-learning-environments-through-simulation-design) ![Two men seated across from eachother at a table. Man on the left has name card showing he represents "Hawani." Man on the right has name card showing he represents "Indocarta."](/sites/g/files/omnuum10466/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/instructionalmoves/files/ma_001.jpg?itok=BR1SXb2M) [### Contextualizing learning with guest speakers ](/contextualizing-learning-guest-speakers) ![Medium close up of graduate student standing in front of class using hands to convey content.](/sites/g/files/omnuum10466/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/instructionalmoves/files/ma_0010.jpg?itok=7lCY2AQR) [### Giving peer feedback promptly with "hot" debriefs ](/giving-peer-feedback-promptly-hot-debriefs) ![Three graduate students each seated on their own side of a long table. Each has a name card representing the three countries, "Indocarta," "Fuji" and "Hawani"](/sites/g/files/omnuum10466/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/instructionalmoves/files/ma_005.jpg?itok=gWWw6qUL) [### Incorporating humor to ease tensions in active learning ](/incorporating-humor-ease-tensions-active-learning) ![Close up of student smiling with chin in hand.](/sites/g/files/omnuum10466/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/instructionalmoves/files/ma_009.jpg?itok=E6mDtCNC) [### Leveraging the teaching team in a simulation ](/leveraging-teaching-team-simulation) ![Female student seated at table with fingers crossed, listening intently.](/sites/g/files/omnuum10466/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/instructionalmoves/files/ma_004.jpg?itok=l9me-Ll2) [### Preparing students for a simulation ](/preparing-students-simulation) ![Close up of student making notes on green piece of paper on a desk.](/sites/g/files/omnuum10466/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/instructionalmoves/files/ma_003.jpg?itok=zmgZl-xG) [### Presenting simulation data to spark discussion and reflection ](/presenting-simulation-data-spark-discussion-and-reflection) ![Medium close up of graduate students with name cards seated in the round. Female student in foreground speaking.](/sites/g/files/omnuum10466/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/instructionalmoves/files/ma_008.jpg?itok=pzAU-Pxg) [### Synthesizing simulation takeaways through lecture ](/synthesizing-simulation-takeaways-through-lecture) ![Professor Mandell standing at the front of the classroom, behind a desk and in front of a screen.](/sites/g/files/omnuum10466/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/instructionalmoves/files/ma_006.jpg?itok=PLE1V9nw) --- ## Simulations from the Medical School Classroom [### Asking and Answering Questions to Deepen Student Understanding ](/asking-and-answering-questions-deepen-student-understanding) ![Wide shot of Dr. Schwartzstein instructing in front of a class of seated students.](/sites/g/files/omnuum10466/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/instructionalmoves/files/sc_009.jpg?itok=8rHBaA1I) [### Debriefing the Emotional Experience of the Simulation ](/debriefing-emotional-experience-simulation) ![Close up of graduate student speaking with microphone in a group of 4 other students.](/sites/g/files/omnuum10466/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/instructionalmoves/files/sc_007.jpg?itok=nWPefqLG) [### Defining Strategic Roles for Simulation Facilitators ](/defining-strategic-roles-simulation-facilitators) ![Medium close up of a group of students in a classroom gathered around a pretend patient on a hospital bed, hooked up to monitors.](/sites/g/files/omnuum10466/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/instructionalmoves/files/sc_006.jpg?itok=GUsEt3br) [### Designing a Simulation Session ](/designing-simulation-session) ![Wide shot of classroom with some students seated and some students gathering around a fake patient hooked up to machines and monitors.](/sites/g/files/omnuum10466/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/instructionalmoves/files/sc_002.jpg?itok=xY4zsMpy) [### Engaging the Whole Class Through Strategic Role Assignment ](/engaging-whole-class-through-strategic-role-assignment) ![Wide shot of classroom with some students seated and some students gathered around a fake patient on a hospital bed hooked up to machines.](/sites/g/files/omnuum10466/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/instructionalmoves/files/sc_005.jpg?itok=ir4lrU1b) [### Normalizing Uncertainty Through Simulations ](/normalizing-uncertainty-through-simulations) ![Close up of two graduate students, one speaking into a microphone. Around the students are medical monitors and machines.](/sites/g/files/omnuum10466/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/instructionalmoves/files/sc_004.jpg?itok=T6KPXkeO) [### Planning for Unpredictability in Simulations ](/planning-unpredictability-simulations) ![Close up of graduate student with a microphone leaning over and speaking to a fake patient on a hospital bed. Other graduate students in the classroom look on.](/sites/g/files/omnuum10466/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/instructionalmoves/files/sc_003.jpg?itok=M-V_PSw6) [### Using Simulations in the Case-Based Collaborative Learning Classroom ](/using-simulations-cbcl-classroom) ![Medium close up of graduate students gathered around a fake patient. One student with a mircrophone speaking to the patient.](/sites/g/files/omnuum10466/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/instructionalmoves/files/sc_001.jpg?itok=36uMkvcI) ## What does the research say? - A meta-analysis of simulation-based learning in higher education found simulations to be effective in knowledge and skill growth across a wide array of different disciplines ([Chernikova et al, 2020)](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.3102/0034654320933544) - According to Elendu and colleagues, simulations have been shown to be a transformational pedagogy in medical education that has been accordingly widely adopted ([2024](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11224887/)) Further Print Resources Further Online Resources ## Further Print Resources ### [Davis, B. G. (2009). Tools for teaching. John Wiley & Sons.](https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Tools%20for%20Teaching,%202nd%20Edition-p-9780470569450) In chapter 25, Davis outlines different kinds of simulations to facilitate in the classroom including games, role plays, and “virtual worlds.” ### [Hertel, J. P., & Millis, B. J. (2002). Using simulations to promote learning in higher education: An introduction. Stylus Publishing, LLC.](https://styluspub.presswarehouse.com/browse/book/9781579220525/Using-Simulations-to-Promote-Learning-in-Higher-Education) Hertel and Millis offer strategies and tips for designing, managing, debriefing, and assessing simulations and provide examples of promising simulation scenarios. ### [McKeachie, W., & Svinicki, M. (2013). McKeachie's teaching tips. United Kingdom: Cengage Learning.](https://www.cengage.com/c/mckeachie-s-teaching-tips-14e-mckeachie-svinicki/9781133936794/) Chapter 17 provides several tips about how running simulations effectively in the classroom. ## Further Online Resources - The United States Diplomacy Center has a wealth of [resources, including student preparation guides, for instructors to use as they run simulations on current global challenges](https://diplomacy.state.gov/education/about/class-materials). - A [succinct article from EMS1 provides a helpful simulation debriefing structure](https://www.ems1.com/simulation/articles/6-tips-for-debriefing-ems-simulation-scenarios-6WkOfywoZTwgqpPE/), gather-assess-summarize, that emphasizes the importance of surfacing emotional reactions in a simulation debrief. - Unsure how your role changes when it comes time to facilitate a simulation or role play? Browse through this [database of role play and simulation activities from Harvard’s ablconnect](https://ablconnect.harvard.edu/role-play-description) to better understand the many different roles an instructor can play. [ Suggested Next Page: Project-Based Learning arrow\_circle\_right ](/project-based-learning)