Simulations are artificial worlds created by the teacher to place the learner in real-world scenarios, wherein the learner learns by doing activities required in that specific situations. It gives a real-life experience where students interact with the teacher. Students feel the scenario's reality and gather meaning from it as students experience the learnings. A simulation is a method of experiential learning. Simulation is an instructional strategy that fits within the constructivist paradigm's pedagogical framework of student-centred learning.

Simulations take a number of forms. They may contain elements of:

A game
A role-play, or
An activity that acts as a metaphor.

Each participant learner in a simulation makes decisions according to their creativeness and commitment with little or no control from teachers. Thus, the individual learning experiences differ from learner to learner. Simulation offers opportunities to apply new skill , knowledge, and ideas in practical settings that mirror the real world.

Three elements are essential for practical simulations; preparation, active student participation, and post-simulation debrief. Prior preparation is a prerequisite for encouraging active participation of students like linking simulation with course outcomes. To ensure active student participation, students should be able to explain the outcome of simulation but students should be allowed to perform a role that they haven’t performed before. In the post-simulation discussion, provide sufficient time for students to reflect on and discuss what they learned from the simulation.

A simulative learning environment promotes critical and evaluative thinking as the students contemplate the scenario's implications and demonstrate the unique learning behaviorr demanded by such scenarios . Real-life experience leads to more student engagements as they experience it rather than reading about it, hearing about it or seeing it. Experiential learning encourages higher-order learning, promoting critical thinking abilities and self-directed learning (Kreber, 2001).A simulated learning environment provides greater understanding in their subjects(Hakeem,2001).

Challenges in adopting simulation as a teaching strategy are primarily the resources and time constraints. Moreover, the Assessment of student learning through simulation is often more complex than other methods. This is mainly the learning experience demonstrated by students is difficult to standardize.

References:

Kreber, C. (2001). Learning experientially through case studies? A conceptual analysis. Teaching in higher education, 6(2), 217-228.
Hakeem, S. A. (2001). Effect of experiential learning in business statistics. Journal of Education for Business, 77(2), 95-98.
Simulations | UNSW Teaching Staff Gateway,accessed on February7,2022.

Caniglia. J. (2019). Simulations as a Teaching Strategy. Kent State University Center for Teaching and Learning. Retrieved February7,2022. from https://www.kent.edu/ctl/simulation-teaching-strategy