Wednesday 16 July 2008

Learning By Doing - Clark Aldrich

Game engines: http://www.devmaster.net/engines/

p186
"Overemphasizing higher education's importance in America is hard. It is a huge and influential enterprise. Roughly half of all young people enter a higher education institution. About fifteen million students currently enroll. Faculty numbers are about 900,000. In 1995, spending totaled close to $180 billion. (http://phe.rockefeller.edu/CyberCampus/index.html)

In 1997 the National Academy of Science released a report called Modelling and Simulation: Linking Entertainment and Defense. - Full Spectrum Warrior and Full Spectrum Command are the response.

p200
"We had a General from West Point, " James said. "It took under three minutes to train him. It was fascinating watching him maneuver. He was very focused and nearly completed the mission. I was stunned. I had never seen anyone get that far on the first try. That real experience made a difference was exciting."

Is this true? Do generals have experience of front line fighting?

p242
The Four Slates
Background - Context
Introduction - User Interface
Engagement - Full Sim
Practice - Taking it Further

For me it also need a de-brief section

p256
Over the course of multiple iterations, the frustration goes down. Layers are introduced to ramp up more carefully to the hard content. Everyone agrees the program is more accessible,

... OR NOT? But here is the rub. Is the frustration a result of bad design, or is it a sign of real learning occuring? Is reducing the frustration making the program better or, gasp, worse?

Consider the Kolb Cycle and experiential learning and the need to go outside your comfort zone and to be pushed.

p257
You should build a FAQ of live instructors input to courses after a few runs so you can keep them adding new content not repeating the same answers. Build this into the simulations.

p258
Upon further digging, I learned that it was not a computer thing. Other simulations, people-based role plays, hit the same wall.
Then, finally I understood. In any formal learning situation, (simulation or not, e-learning or not) about 20 percent weren't getting it. The problem was not that simulations were leaving people behind. The problem was that because simulations require active participation, those who were not getting it could no longer hide. (People sometimes call the results bi-modal, a characteristic of most real learning events, versus results that look like a bell curve, which are more characteristic of a diagnostic event.)

What impact does this have on assessment? If you assess appropriately should it be bi-modal?

Thomas Jefferson amended - Globalisation depends on an informed and educated citizenry.

Maths simulation world - http://www.squeakland.org