Congressional Committee Simulation: An Active Learning Experiment

Ciliotta‐Rubery, Andrea; Levy, Dena

doi:10.2307/420928

Cited by 25 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 3 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Although the literature on pedagogy lacks consensus on the greater efficacy of active learning versus lecturing (Omelicheva and Avdeyeva 2008), using the former can do wonders to perk up a class that is becoming dull. The archives of PS also provide numerous examples of active learning exercises for specific courses and topics in political science (e.g., Kelle 2008;Raymond and Sorensen 2008;Wallin 2005;Occhipinti 2003;Ciliotta-Rubery and Levy 2000;Alex-Assensoh 2000).…”

Section: Make It Funmentioning

confidence: 99%

Graduate Students as Independent Instructors: Seven Things to Know about Teaching Your Own Course while in Graduate School

Burmila¹

2010

APSC

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Despite being responsible for a large percentage of undergraduate instruction, graduate students often receive little preparation for their first solo teaching assignments (J. D. Nyquist et al., Change 31 (3): 18, 1999). Furthermore, the existing literature on pedagogy fails to address the unique challenges faced by graduate students who are asked to serve as course instructors rather than teaching assistants. This article presents seven pieces of advice intended to better prepare the predoctoral graduate student to assume the role of the professor before assuming the title. By understanding the attitudes of undergraduate students toward graduate instructors, preparing in advance to handle the mistakes that novice teachers often make, and recognizing the correlation between outward confidence and student perceptions of instructor quality, graduate students can derive the most benefit from a stressful and time-consuming assignment. Most important, graduate instructors can learn to effectively manage the time spent on teaching duties to ensure that other responsibilities such as coursework, qualifying exams, and dissertation research do not suffer.

show abstract

Section: Make It Funmentioning

confidence: 99%

Graduate Students as Independent Instructors: Seven Things to Know about Teaching Your Own Course while in Graduate School

Burmila¹

2010

APSC

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It has long been recognized (Walcott 1980;Dodge 1983) that simulations are a valuable tool in helping students to understand the complex dynamics of institutions and political systems, and this lesson has been applied to many areas of the discipline, including comparative politics (Shellman 2001;Galatas 2006;Kaarbo and Lantis 1997), international relations (Jefferson 1999;Winham 1991;Dougherty 2003), and American politics (Hensley 1993;Thomas 2002;Endersby and Webber 1995;Ciliotta-Rubery and Levy 2000). In short, it has become increasingly accepted by teachers of political science that simulations "have the power to recreate complex, dynamic political processes in the classroom, allowing students to examine the motivations, behavioral constraints, resources and interactions among institutional actors .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning by Doing: A Simulation for Teaching How Congress Works

Sands

Shelton²

2010

APSC

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Teachers of political science have increasingly recognized the utility of classroom simulations to provide students with an active-learning experience to enhance learning outcomes. Our article builds on this growing trend by proposing a congressional simulation to help students understand the complexities and nuances of the lawmaking process. Specifically, the simulation aids students in identifying the deliberative aspects of congressional policymaking, appreciating the complicated process involved in a bill becoming a law, understanding the multifaceted ways in which self-interest guides the decisions of congressional actors, and challenging student cynicism about Congress as an institution.

show abstract

“…Furthermore, well-designed simulations can increase student empathy for elected officials and the challenges they face (Ciliotta-Rubery and Levy 2000). These also can help students overcome misconceptions about the political process, such as the tendency to underestimate the difficulty of achieving consensus in the political environment, or to overestimate the simplicity of public policy issues (Endersby and Webber 1995).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Simulating 2008: A Mock Presidential Election's Impact on Civic Engagement

Deitz

Boeckelman

2012

APSC

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Young adults have particularly low levels of civic engagement. Incorporating experiential learning activities as part of the political science curriculum shows promise to reverse this trend. We analyze the impact of a mock presidential election simulation on the civic engagement of college-aged students. Exit surveys of student participants and a oneyear follow-up survey confirm that this experiential learning activity had a positive effect on participants' levels of political knowledge, their interest in public life, and their attitudes about government in general.

show abstract

Congressional Committee Simulation: An Active Learning Experiment

Cited by 25 publications

References 3 publications

Graduate Students as Independent Instructors: Seven Things to Know about Teaching Your Own Course while in Graduate School

Graduate Students as Independent Instructors: Seven Things to Know about Teaching Your Own Course while in Graduate School

Learning by Doing: A Simulation for Teaching How Congress Works

Simulating 2008: A Mock Presidential Election's Impact on Civic Engagement

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About