Interactive Performance and Simulation Learning

Over the course of 2018 - 2019, interactive experience design company, (ix)plore Lab, created three simulation-based learning programs for the Travis County Reentry Employment Services (RES) training in Austin, Texas. Participants, most of whom were from organizations that assist formerly incarcerated individuals during the reentry process, attended workshops focused on client-based practices. Specifically, they learned techniques for better conducting informal assessments and motivational interviewing methods they could utilize in their work. Each workshop culminated in an interview with a fictional client, played by an actor. The team wished to improve upon existing live simulation models in several ways. First, by creating a method to provide immediate feedback to learners. Second, by increasing the simulations adaptability so it could adjust to each individual learner. Lastly, the simulation needed to have a high degree of emotional fidelity. To achieve these, (ix)plore Lab designed the programs by integrating techniques from interactive theater performance with existing simulation practices to effectively target specific skills for development. This article provides an overview of the techniques involved and adjustments made to focus on soft skill development, and documents three simulation-based learning programs that took place over the course of 2018 - 2019, highlighting developments made with each iteration. The training program documented in this paper was created without monetary compensation. In lieu of payment, the organizers of RES allowed (ix)plore Lab to collect feedback from learners and to use the training as a laboratory for workshopping this simulation-based learning model.