Date: 2017
Type: Article
Play it again, Sam! : teaching transferable skills through multiple repetitions of 'simple' simulations (with research benefits)
European political science, 2017, Vol. 16, No. 2, pp 233–245
GASTINGER, Markus, Play it again, Sam! : teaching transferable skills through multiple repetitions of 'simple' simulations (with research benefits), European political science, 2017, Vol. 16, No. 2, pp 233–245
- https://hdl.handle.net/1814/57864
Retrieved from Cadmus, EUI Research Repository
The use of simulations in higher education teaching is burgeoning in political science curricula, particularly in international relations and European Union studies. This article contends that most simulations suffer from complexity bias and put too much emphasis on substantive knowledge. Drawing on the author’s experience, two ideal types of simulations are developed. ‘Complex’ simulations focusing on negotiating content and ‘simple’ simulations focusing on negotiating dynamics. It is argued that the transmission of transferable skills is facilitated by multiple repetitions of similar negotiating contexts within the same module. This suggests that instructors face a trade-off between teaching transferable skills and substantive knowledge and should locate their simulations at either end of this continuum. Where students are not native speakers, not yet familiar with specialised terminology or simply unversed in negotiating dynamics, there is a particularly strong argument to make for carrying out simple simulations first, followed by complex simulations later in the curriculum. Finally, opportunities for collaborative research are highlighted. Gathering and pooling data from simple simulations bridges pedagogy and research at minimal additional cost.
Additional information:
First published online: 12 June 2017
Cadmus permanent link: https://hdl.handle.net/1814/57864
Full-text via DOI: 10.1057/eps.2016.20
ISSN: 1680-4333; 1682-0983
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
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