Simulations and the Future of Learning Aldrich.Ffirs 7/18/03 11:01 AM Page Iv
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Aldrich.ffirs 7/18/03 11:01 AM Page i About This Book Why Is This Topic Important? Simulations are the first fundamental change to education since the textbook. They bridge the gap between repeatable classrooms and “real” skills learned in apprentice- ships and on the job. They also insert a layer of automation into the education model that actually improves, not degrades, the learning process. Yet the understanding of what a simulation consists of is scarily incomplete. People are excited by what the mil- itary does. They see the opportunity when their children play with computer games. But they also see the embarrassingly bad “edutainment” titles and “business simulations.” This book connects the dots of what needs to go into simulations to take advantage of this unique educational genre. What Can You Achieve with This Book? After reading this book, you will understand the challenges, skill sets, time frames, and processes involved in building one of the first-ever “genuine” business simulations. You will also understand the value proposition of a simulation. This will help you to be a bet- ter consumer and builder of simulations. Understanding simulations will also give any instructor or producer of instructional material a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the broader profession, as well as his or her role in it. Finally, you will understand the long-term resolution of the seven simulation paradoxes: • Simulations cost millions to build, and yet must be financially accessible to the smallest companies. • Simulations take years to develop, and yet must be responsive to instant changes in business conditions. • Simulations are e-learning, yet they are completely different from e-learning. • Simulation development is risky, and yet the results have to be predictable. • Users have to learn how to use a simulation, yet every moment with a simulation has to be valuable. • Simulations borrow heavily from computer games, and yet they are not like any computer game. • Simulations have to be realistic, but selectively so. How Is This Book Organized? The story begins in Part One: The Simulation Way. You will learn some of the reasons why building this simulation was critical to the e-learning industry. Most people will realize for the first time how different (and more powerful) simulations are, compared with every learning technique and process that came before them. Part Two: Modeling Real- ity describes the building of the simulation. It moves from a discussion of the design prin- ciples that guided the work through the details of the simulation’s components—the calculation model, the dialogue and physics systems, the artificial intelligence, and, of course, the sets and figures. These chapters will describe skill sets that have never pre- viously been necessary for educational design, but soon will be critical. Part Three: Philo- sophical and Technical Realities dives deeper into the story. Here is how the team handles the interface, plus issues of gameplay, scoring, consumer evaluation, and mar- keting. Finally, in Part Four: The Way Ahead, the book synthesizes the issues that will continue to challenge simulation developers and users. Simulations are powerful, but are only part of a solution. Future educational simulation projects will have a unique and necessary role in changing the nature of both education and work. Aldrich.ffirs 7/18/03 11:01 AM Page ii About Pfeiffer Pfeiffer serves the professional development and hands-on resource needs of training and human resource practitioners and gives them products to do their jobs better. We deliver proven ideas and solutions from experts in HR development and HR management, and we offer effective and customizable tools to improve workplace performance. From novice to seasoned profes- sional, Pfeiffer is the source you can trust to make yourself and your organi- zation more successful. Essential Knowledge Pfeiffer produces insightful, practical, and comprehensive materials on topics that matter the most to training and HR professionals. Our Essential Knowledge resources translate the expertise of seasoned professionals into practical, how-to guidance on critical workplace issues and problems. These resources are supported by case studies, worksheets, and job aids and are frequently supplemented with CD-ROMs, websites, and other means of making the content easier to read, understand, and use. Essential Tools Pfeiffer’s Essential Tools resources save time and expense by offering proven, ready-to-use materials—including exer- cises, activities, games, instruments, and assessments—for use during a train- ing or team-learning event. These resources are frequently offered in loose- leaf or CD-ROM format to facilitate copying and customization of the material. Pfeiffer also recognizes the remarkable power of new technologies in expanding the reach and effectiveness of training. While e-hype has often created whizbang solutions in search of a problem, we are dedicated to bringing convenience and enhancements to proven training solutions. All our e-tools comply with rigorous functionality standards. The most appropriate technology wrapped around essential content yields the perfect solution for today’s on-the-go trainers and human resource professionals. Essential resources for training and HR professionals www.pfeiffer.com Aldrich.ffirs 7/18/03 11:01 AM Page iii Simulations and the Future of Learning Aldrich.ffirs 7/18/03 11:01 AM Page iv To Slater Aldrich.ffirs 7/18/03 11:01 AM Page v Simulations and the Future of Learning An Innovative (and Perhaps Revolutionary) Approach to e-Learning Clark Aldrich Aldrich.ffirs 7/18/03 11:01 AM Page vi Copyright © 2004 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Published by Pfeiffer An Imprint of Wiley 989 Market Street, San Francisco, CA94103-1741 www.pfeiffer.com No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-750-4470, or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201-748-6011, fax 201-748-6008, e-mail: [email protected]. For additional copies/bulk purchases of this book in the U.S. please contact 800-274-4434. Pfeiffer books and products are available through most bookstores. To contact Pfeiffer directly call our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 800-274-4434, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3985 or fax 317-572-4002 or www.pfeiffer.com. Pfeiffer also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Aldrich, Clark Simulations and the future of learning: an innovative (and perhaps revolutionary) approach to e-learning / Clark Aldrich. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-7879-6962-1 (alk. paper) 1. Education—Simulation methods. 2. Internet in education. 3. Instructional systems—Design. I. Title. LB1029.S53A43 2004 371.33’4—dc21 2003009008 Acquiring Editor: Lisa Shannon Director of Development: Kathleen Dolan Davies Developmental Editor: Leslie Stephen Editor: Rebecca Taff Senior Production Editor: Dawn Kilgore Manufacturing Supervisor: Bill Matherly Cover Design: Chris Wallace Illustrations: Lotus Art Printed in the United States of America Printing 10 987654321 Aldrich.ftoc 7/18/03 11:01 AM Page vii Contents Foreword ix Acknowledgments xi 1. Do You Want Fries with that e-Learning? 1 Part One: The Simulation Way 2. In the Game 13 3. The Primary Colors of Content 23 4. The e-Learning Arms Race 31 5. The Myth of Subject-Matter Experts 37 6. The Search for Content 45 7. What Would a Leadership Situation Look Like? 57 8. Uncovering the Essence of Leadership 71 9. The Lure of Linear Content 85 Part Two: Modeling Reality 10. Rules for a Post-Textbook World: Simulation Design Principles 97 11. The Beginning of Open-Ended Content: Sets and Figures 105 12. What Do People Do All Day? The Animation System 121 vii Aldrich.ftoc 7/18/03 11:01 AM Page viii viii CONTENTS 13. The Ultimate Hurdle: The Dialogue System 129 14. Modeling a Little World: The Physics System 151 15. Modeling the Inhabitants: The AI System 159 Part Three: Philosophical and Technical Realities 16. A New Look at Work: The Interface System 173 17. The Scariest Word of All: Gameplay 179 18. Why Use Grades, Anyway? Metrics, Scores, and Simulations 187 19. Virtual Leader vs. the World 199 Part Four: The Way Ahead 20. Seventeen Simulation Issues 211 21. A Manifest Destiny: Simulations and the Training Industry 221 Epilogue: Looking Back at Schools 229 Glossary 237 Appendix One: Raw Leadership Content 247 Appendix Two: Organized Leadership Content 257 Index 269 About the Author 281 Pfeiffer Publications Guide 283 Aldrich.fbetw 7/18/03 11:00 AM Page ix Foreword One of my favorite books is Tracy Kidder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning, The Soul of a New Machine (1981. Reprinted in 2000 by Back Bay Books). Kidder lived with the Data General development team that built the first 32-bit processor and told the story of both the process of building the computer and the dynamics of the team. It read like a novel, though every word was true. It had drama, humor, pathos and ran the gamut of every human emotion. Clark Aldrich’s has achieved a similar effect in Simulations and the Future of Learning.