Dr Samina Yasmeen
University of Western Australia
Content Expert and Lecturer

Michael Fardon
University of Western Australia
Educational Designer

CONTACT
michael.fardon@uwa.edu.au

This web address provides guest access to the learning design web site:

http://forum.uwa.edu.au/simbuilder/demo.lasso

The web site contains three main sections: Press Room, Diplomatic Encounters, and Roles. There is also information about the learning design as well as help.

This learning design is implemented using a custom-built web application called Simulation Builder – developed by the Arts Multimedia Centre at UWA. Simulation Builder is a web application designed for facilitating role-play simulations. It allows students to be assigned roles and for them to participate in a role-play scenario composed of online and face-to-face components. Students can play roles as individuals or as a team depending on the configuration. Each role-play simulation can have its own customised interface to engage students with the scenario.

Note: Extensive guidelines about how to design and implement Online Role Play plus examples of various role-play designs are available in the "Guides" section of this web site.

Further information about Simulation Builder is provided in the online role-play guidelines within the "Platforms Checklist" (PDF). This checklist is a document that explains various platforms that can be selected to implement online role-play.

Kinder, J., Fardon, M. and Yasmeen, S. (1999). Offline or online? A simulation exercise in a first year international politics unit, In in J. Winn et al (eds). Responding to diversity: proceedings of ASCILITE 99, pp. 181-189. Brisbane: Queensland University of Technology.
http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/brisbane99/papers/kinderfardon.pdf (PDF)

This paper describes the implementation of a role-play simulation in two different modes: first using only traditional methods and again using computer-mediated-communication (CMC). The paper raises problems identified with the first implementation and outlines how the use addressed some of these issues. It also discusses the findings of an evaluation conducted during the second implementation.

Fardon, M. and Yasmeen, S. (2002). An Inductive Analysis of the Personal Reflections of Student Participants in a Role-Play Simulation. Unpublished manuscript.

This paper describes in detail the simulation design, including the technology component facilitated by Simulation Builder. The paper also discusses the results of the analysis of the personal reflections of students participating in the activity in 2001. The analysis used inductive methods to identify theoretical concepts to describe the concepts that emerged.