Mc Gonigle, B.N. (Brianne)

Simulation Teaching for International Studies!

From 22 – 25 February, I attended the 58th annual International Studies Association (ISA) conference entitled ‘Understanding Change in World Politics’, held in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. The conference is very large, with 6000 participants and over 1200 panels and roundtables. The panels are essentially organized by 29 separate sections, including a section focusing on active learning in international affairs.

At this year’s conference I co-organized a roundtable event entitled ‘Changing Approaches to Education: the Rise of Simulation Teaching in International Studies’. The idea of the roundtable was to bring educators from different disciplines, all working on issues related to international studies, together to discuss best practices, challenges, and innovations in simulation teaching. During the event I shared experiences from my own teaching within the School of Law and University College Utrecht where I use simulations related to the Human Rights Council and transitional justice negotiations. Other participants spoke about Statecraft, UN Security Council negotiations, or peace negotiations in their teaching.

Below are a few of the questions tackled and a summary of some of the responses.

Can a classroom simulation ever really reflect the complex world realities? What benefits do you see coming out of simulation teaching?

Not fully. But, a well-prepared simulation with well-prepared participants can come close enough to teach lessons about the complex reality. If provided with enough background information on the situation and the interests and positions of the parties involved, students will experience the challenges of coming to a consensus while still trying to get their share of the pie. The benefits include a more engaged classroom, more complex thought processes being activated, and showing a relevance of theories to real-world situations.

In what ways have you seen classroom simulations promote social interaction and intuitive thinking?

Since students are role playing, they have the chance to interact with others behind a facade that would not normally exist. This can allow students to interact with others in new ways and potentially break the ice to discuss those interactions after the simulation is over. Simulations also frequently require students to think outside the box as they try to emulate what their character would do, often in a high pressure or time sensitive situation. Teachers may want to think about how they assign the roles to students. Some may want to challenge introverted students by giving them a prominent role and challenge extroverted students by giving them a supporting role.

How do you get students to learn and appreciate different cultural backgrounds or different individual or organizational interests?

If possible, it’s great to include participants that are from different cultural backgrounds or may actually have different individual interests. It is also important to provide sufficient background information and preparation time for the students to get their heads around the topic and the different views involved.

Have any of you taken simulation teaching digital? If so, what were the experiences?

Yes, programs such as Statecraft are frequently used in the classroom and provide an entire system that is ready to apply (at approximately 35 dollars/30 euro per student). The Council on Foreign Relations’ Model Diplomacy simulations are another good example (free of charge) of using digital technology to organize and prepare for a simulation – although the simulation itself still takes place in person. Connecting students to recent media or news updates relevant to the simulation can be one way to help students get in character and understand the importance of what they are simulating.

What have been the greatest challenges related to simulation education?

Finding a good structure for the simulation is key – there needs to be a good mix of different interests, well-defined topics or goals, appropriately timed sessions that are neither too long nor too short, and an opportunity to debrief lessons learned at the end. It is also important to gear the simulation toward the capabilities of the intended audience in terms of complexity and depth or breadth.

How do you go about assessing simulation exercises?

Assessing simulations is not always straight forward. Some participants choose to assess only the written assignments related to the simulation, whereas others, like myself, assess both the written assignments and oral negotiations. It is important to provide students in advance will clear criteria on which they will be assessed. For the oral exercises, these criteria may include knowledge of the facts in the case study, knowledge of the applicable and relevant law, application of the law to their position, and general decorum.

Utrecht University educators have already taken important steps to link simulation teaching with gaming (with one major project wrapping up this month; see gaming and simulation database). Let’s build upon these initiatives and continue conversation about active learning approaches in the classroom. If you are using simulation teaching related to international studies and would be interested in attending or participating in a roundtable discussion organized here in Utrecht please let me know!

Mc Gonigle, B.N. (Brianne)