Putting the Education into Educational Simulations: Pedagogical Structures, Guidance and Feedback

Learn-by-doing simulations can provide effective learning, allowing learners to practice skills in a realistic environment in a safe way, free of real-life consequences of mistakes. This method is particularly well-suited for corporate training situations in which the goal is for learners to perform their jobs optimally. The success—in terms of improved skill development and job performance—of an educational simulation requires an emphasis on the educational components, not just the simulation aspect. We suggest here that the goals of a learn-by-doing simulation must be not only to provide a practice environment, but to provide a specific learning environment (with guidance and feedback for the learner) and carefully-created situations in order for a learner to become proficient in the required skills