Designing Instructional Simulations

Abstract

Despite the increasing number of simulations available generally, faculty members in higher education continue to need training in simulation design skills. The most recent edition of The Guide to Simulations Games for Education and Training (Horn, 1980) identifies scores of simulations that can be used in higher education ; however, they must often be redesigned to meet the specific instructional requirements of particular professors and students. In addition, experience has shown that the successful use of an existing simulation activity often results in the desire on the part of the faculty members involved to design their own instructional simulations. There are also certain disciplines in higher education, the health sciences for example, where there is a dearth of commercially marketed instructional simulations but high interest among faculty members to design and use such activities.