One of the last projects I worked on before my previous school closing was adding simulations to courses. We used out Marketing-101 course to showcase the simulation and further learner knowledge. The simulation was a student having to build a backpack from a number of preset options and take the product to market. The simulation would then help the student track the progress of their backpack on the market. Not only were the students learning from their course materials, they were also able to write more comprehensive papers. Many of the simulations available for schools are online, but they can exist in other forms. We were looking to use multiliteracy as a tool to bridge the students from the classroom to the workplace.

According to Stanford University, a simulation is:

controlled statistical sampling technique that uses the power of a computer to study complex stochastic systems when analytical or numerical systems simply won't suffice. It is the most frequently-used methodology for the design and evaluation of computer, telecommunication, manufacturing, healthcare, workflow, supply chain and transportation systems, to name a few. Students will delve into these systems, methods, and techniques of simulation and learn how it is applied in various fields. This course benefits from many interdisciplinary topics, incorporating ideas and techniques from statistics, applied probability, optimization, number theory and computer science.

https://online.stanford.edu/courses/mse223-simulation

While many may see simulations as a way to replace teachers, it is the opposite. Simulations are able to give the student a deeper understanding of the course concepts. Like the video this week stated, memory work in learning is obsolete and newer generations do not retain as much information, but can go find it. This can also be seen in courses where might be a skills lab as part of the course credits. For example, a nursing school might have a skills lab with fake patients, a doctor’s office set up, or learning to do injections into an orange (yes, I did see this on campus). Adding the tangible component allows students to go from a more surface level understanding to being able to approach (and apply) topics from a number of ways.

An example of a simulation in the nursing field (or nursing school) can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCKhM7nDrKY A simulation can be made in a number of ways to further a student’s understanding and gather assessment data.