Instructional Simulation

Use of simulations for instructional purposes has grown for practical reasons to industrial proportions, particularly in high-risk, high-stakes fields like aviation, medicine, and energy. Situated and social learning theories have added to this importance because simulation is by nature a conversational mode of instruction: the learner learns, in part, through a "conversation" with the simulation models. From 18 years of commercial design experience, I learned the power of well-designed instructional simulation, but I also became aware that many simulation designers find it hard to blend dynamic models with instructional features. Principles of design layering provide an important tool for simulation designers, as described in a chapter in preparation titled, "Theory for the Design of Instructional Simulations and Microworlds". This chapter shows the principles that apply to simulations within each design layer. The instructional principles that take on increased significance with instructional simulations are described in"Simulation and Computer-Based Instruction: A Future View," in Dills and Romiszowski, Instructional Development Paradigms , Educational Technololgy Publications, 1997.

Contact me at:   andy_gibbons@byu.edu