#Design simulation games how to#

Games can even create a desire for the student to 'try again' to see if they can get a higher score or if they can master a concept. And even fun, exciting games can be educational they create engagement that helps students learn the concepts in a different manner through their simulated play. Play: Simulations and games allow for exploration learners don't have to just proceed through the instructional material in a linear way. You do want the simualted environment to be recognizable when compared to the real-world scenario, however, so that learners get an authentic experience and can transfer what they learned back into the real environment.Д®valuate: After learners have seen the desired outcome and tried it in a safe environment, you want to evaluate them: can they do it in an environment with no extra help and with real consequences? Evaluation helps both solidify lessons learned as well as providing the teacher/instructional designer insight into whether the learner can perform the task or not. This is what we mean when we say a simulation is a 'safe environment.' For instance, in a simulated Information Technology environment, the learner can't cause a system to crash or accidentally send out secure user data as they try things out. Try: Trying happens as the learner is placed in an environment that is reminiscent of the real-world environment, but this environment has been simplified, altered to minimize or eliminate risks, or has been otherwise modified to draw out the material to be learned.

#Design simulation games how to#

This could be by simply showing them a video or having them click through a series of slides or steps to see how to accomplish a task. Present: Presenting starts by showing the learner how to perform a certain action. Let's call these: present, try, evaluate, and play. A basic pattern for this is to (a) present or show the desired end result (b) allow students to safely try the result out (c) then evaluate if the student is able to complete the task (d) and allow them to play around with the concepts in an engaging way to deepen their learning. Simulations present the learner with real world scenarios and allow them to explore the scenario in a 'safe' environment.