Web Based Case Study Simulations

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• Web Based Case Study Simulations
• Martin Lynch Richard Tunstall

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What is a Web-based Case Study Simulation Game?
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Simulations and Gamescurrently a lot of interest
why?

• Lure of switched on and motivated students
  flow states Csikszentmihalyi (1990).
• Concerns over changing students
• Growing interest in educational benefits offered
  by this approach
• New tools modding/MMORPG

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Game-players - next generation?
1. Twitch speed vs conventional speed2.
Parallel processing vs linear processing3.
Graphics first vs text first4. Random access vs
step by step5. Connected vs stand alone6.
Active vs passive7. Play vs work8. Pay-off vs
patience9. Fantasy vs reality10. Technology as
friend vs technology as foe Prensky 2001
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Game-players - next generation?

• Futurelabs research offers cautionary note on
  these claims
• Not all young people play games
• Not all game players are young Grey Gamers
• Nintendo Brain Age Big Brain example
• Not all games are the same or are played for the
  same reason

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Games/Simulations Educational Benefits

• Research into this is maturing
• Futurelabs COTS research shedding new light on
  benefits to classroom use
• Other research in the literature emerging

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Games - new tools modding/MMORPG

• Modding Neverwinternights
• University of Minesota - school of Journalism and
  Mass Communication
• West Nottinghamshire College improved
  attendance at Basic skills lessons

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What is happening in schools And FE in the UK?

• More money attracting industry
• Futurelabs research into COTS
• Sonica
• Kar2uche
• Crocodile Clips
• Caspianlearning

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Case Studies - What is happening in HE?

• Vary in length complexity (Heath, 1998)
• A teaching case is a description of episodes of
  practice, a selection of reality, a slice of
  life, a story designed and presented as study
  material, an exercise, a puzzle or a problem.
  (Barnes et al., 1994)
• An excellent tool to test the understanding of
  theory, to connect theory with application and to
  develop theoretical insights (Maufette-Leenders,
  1997)
• A distinct literary form (McNair, 1971)

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Case Studies - What is happening in HE?

• Available in textbooks/case books
• European Case Clearing House (postgraduate)
  some journals

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What is happening in HE?

• Business Simulations common

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Simulations - What is happening in HE?

• Brandon Hall Research currently featuring a
  knowledge-base of simulation vendors.

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Problems?

• The approach cases cannot reproduce the
  messy reality that is characterisitc of problem
  solving realities in organizations (Reynolds,
  1998)
• Case studies and simulations were both designed
  to meet the criteria as experiential learning
  techniques. As this study and others have
  demonstrated, both methods help students
  understand the complexities of true-to-life
  strategic dilemmas. Based on this study, we might
  conclude that they are similar in purpose but
  probably provide different learning experiences
  for students and emphasize different skills.
  Simulations elicit greater responses from
  students than do case studies and the end
  result seems to be that simulations are more
  effective at enhancing self-efficacy, whereas
  case studies are better at building written
  communication skills (assuming that written
  analyses are part of the course work) and
  providing exposure to multiple industries.
  (Tompson Dass, 2001)

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Why should we be interested in this in HE?

• Experiential learning - a move in HE towards
  doing rather than being told
• Expectations of learner
• Engagement
• Effectiveness

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Why should we be interested in this in HE?

• Fulfil the promise of elearning

..largely linear sequences of subject notes taken
from the lecture notes and put into hypertext
with little thought of the effect that a change
of medium might bring. The students read,
hopefully learn, and then talk about what they
have read with others through the medium of the
VLE. We could argue that this parody of
e-learning in higher and further education is not
dissimilar from the mainstream of college
learning over the past 100 years, but we should
also lament for what might have beenand what can
still be possible with the imaginative use of
technology in the hands of a creative
instructional designer. Nick Rushby 2005
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Learning environment as game environment

• Active and responsive to user input,
• that give you a sense of progression and history,
  
• that offer challenges appropriate to your level,
• that rewards you with progression based on
  successful performance,
• offers immediate feedback
• Gives you a sense of community and common purpose
• Immersive and engaging

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• Tileworld project

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Background to Tileworld

• EB2S01 Enterprise Planning
• Aims of the module includes
• Enable students to comprehend the differences
  between large and small firms in the terms of how
  they operate, involve and interact with the
  Business Environment.

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Background to Tileworld

• The educational problem
• Demonstrate an ability to use their knowledge
  of a range of techniques in market and industry
  analysis.

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Situating the application in the course
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Tileworld Showcase
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Evaluation

• Method
• User-survey of three tutorial groups (57)
• Used Teamworker electronic polling handsets
• Audio recordings of focus group for qualitative
  feedback

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Evaluation results - Motivation
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Evaluation results motivation
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Evaluation results added value
I just found it far more engaging than a case
study, erm, youre doing it yourself, and youre
kind of learning as youre going along,
basically.
Because it was like a real environment for each
to help us understand the differences between
them so I think the game helped me understand
like as if it I really like I was going into the
companies myself to get information.
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Evaluation results added value
The game was like reality, because you can see
with your eyes the difference between the small
and large, first their premises, their
environment, their culture inside, so OK fine
this helps you to differentiate the difference
between what the small scale do and the larger
scale do, so it was helpful to be honest
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Contribution to learning
I seriously think there is no substitute for
experience and this is the closest you can get
through a game
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Contribution to learning - lectures
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Contribution to learning - tutorial
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Contribution to learning
youre told in a tutorial arent you and youre
kind of finding the answers for yourself in the
game. Its not necessarily what youre taking is
what you were asked to take it wasnt all write
this down this is the answeryou were gathering
information in a lecture or tutorial youre
told.
It was even better that we played the game
first, because then it had us just like
brainstorming and just thinking generally having
a general go, and then having the tutorial just
really hit the hammer on the nail because the
ideas that you were really coming up with you
could just really now really get some better
understanding
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Active vs Passive
Most students, academically, they dont like
reading really and if you set up something like a
game or something interactive they actually get
to interact with each other and its more fun
than just coming to something and just sitting
down and say fine give them a list of bullet
points and they write down and then go back and
they give you the same thing, but when they
interact you actually get them talking, even
quiet people, you still get them talking, they go
back and they think about it and everything, cos
most of us dont like reading, like get a whole
book and say ok I want to find out strategy so
Im going to go to the library, even me I dont
go to the library!!
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Active vs Passive
I prefer the game because I dont think
that someone standing in front of the class, you
know speaking, speaking is enough to learn
sometime we need to learn by ourselves, and its
not just reading only books, sometimes its by,
you see something and see what is happening, it
help you to learn and remember it more.
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Active vs Passive
Doing something, because you are part of it you
are doing something, you know because doing
something you want to go ahead and see what is
happening, and it draws your attention you
observe, you know observations come more close
than just listening to the lecturer just
speaking, speaking, you might fall asleep but if
youre playing a game you wont fall asleep.
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Active vs Passive
You can also see the theory being applied to
real life, because sometimes they give you points
and you say maybe thats not possible, so then
you see it in the game and I thought yeah that
really happens. You know, I think it was almost
professional I was surprised how good it was
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Double-loop learning?
The game was really useful because initially
when he the tutor was talking about the
differences between large and small businesses
here I just went through my lecture notes and
that was it, but when I played the game, it
actually pushed me to go into more research, ok,
em, yeah, this lady, she wasnt comfortable so I
actually got a book and was going through the
differences, you know it made me go more into
research, I really wanted to have points to come
up with to say yes, its the difference between a
large and a small business, the game was really
helpful for me, helping me go into more research
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Perception of skills learned
the fact is I learned something, I gained
something out of it and that is what mattered to
me.
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Perception of skills learned
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Course Statistics
Number of students registered Number of students participating in tutorial/feedback session
Tutorial Group 1 45 19
Tutorial Group 2 54 16
Tutorial Group 3 42 21
Totals 141 56
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Course Statistics

• 113 students accessed the simulation

Number of times application was accessed Number of students
1 20 (17)
2 12 (10)
3 18 (16)
4 11 (10)
5 6 (5)
Between 6 and 10 times 26 (23)
More than 10 times 10 (9)

• 57 of students accessed application 4 times or
  more

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Framework for development
STAGE INPUT INPUT INPUT OUTPUT
STAGE Content Game Design System, and Multimedia Design OUTPUT
1 Establish Educational Framework and decide how application is to be integrated into the course. Declare the learning objectives Documented educational framework and learning objectives
2 Develop a specific model if one does not exist or analyse the targeted model. Develop the gameplay elements and necessary user actions congruent with agreed educational framework Develop the functionality identified from Game Design Statement of functional reqirements Use Case
3 Review content model in the light of the emerging system and against the agreed educational framework Apply the gameplay elements to the content model produce activity diagrams to describe the game play Continue to develop functionality Activity Diagrams/paper model of the system
4 Review and modify all areas as system emerges Review and modify all areas as system emerges Review and modify all areas as system emerges Increasingly richer versions of the application reviewed by project team ending with Alpha version ready for testing
5 Alpha Review and modify all areas based on feedback (To include Peer Debriefing) Review and modify all areas based on feedback (To include Peer Debriefing) Review and modify all areas based on feedback (To include Peer Debriefing) Beta version ready for testing
6 Beta Review and modify all areas based on feedback Review and modify all areas based on feedback Review and modify all areas based on feedback Finished application
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Next steps

• Continue developing innovative projects
• Add functionality multi-user?
• Increased diversity of delivery and subjects
• More research, development and evaluation
• Two papers to be delivered at ISAGA St.
  Petersburg July 06
• Large-scale development project?

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In conclusion

• Current practice in HE, FE and schools sectors in
  the UK regarding games and simulation
• Some of the reasons driving the current interest
• Why this should be of interest to HE
• Situated example of Tileworld
• An evaluation of its impact
• Offered a framework for the development

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Further Information Richard Tunstall
rtunstal_at_glam.ac.uk Martin Lynchmlynch_at_glam.ac.uk
Website
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Website www.glam.ac.uk/celt e-Mail
celtevents_at_glam.ac.uk Blended Learning
Team Website http//blendedlearning.glam.ac.uk
'Learning Zone' blog http//learning.weblog.glam.
ac.uk E Enterprise Team Website
http//www.glam.ac.uk/wei Enterprise Education
Working Papers http//www.glam.ac.uk/bus/1263/we
i-publications