0.1 Klinger, a., & Wronkovich, m. (april 2011). replicating  (Page 2/9)

By contrast, the preparation of educational administrators through graduate education can be the antithesis of the frantic pace of the school leader. Courses and class experiences are largely theoretical and discussion-based. Pre-service administrative students read, reflect, discuss, and are given the “right answers” for important administrative concepts. Class experiences are safe and relatively stress free – in many cases one needs only to sit through the class and complete the assignments. Students are not subjected to the high stakes, demanding elements of decision-making that can make or break an administrative career. As a result, a newly licensed school administrator may find himself in a “baptism by fire” when confronted with the harsh demands, realities, and consequences of real time administrative decisions.

Instructors and institutions responsible for preparing aspiring school administrators have a moral duty to use the most effective tools available to bridge the gap between classroom theory and in-the-field practice. Administrative internships, field visits, practitioner guest speakers and the like can provide exposure to the daily work of administration. As effective as case studies, hypothetical discussions, and role-playing activities might be as instructional tools, they do not accurately replicate the complex and changeable political, social, and emotional dynamics that exist in the daily work of school administrators. The use of digital technology, such as the simulation discussed in this paper, can provide a realistic, cost effective means to replicate the spontaneous, unpredictable nature of administration within the supportive environment of the classroom.

The effectiveness of simulation learning

Education simulations are “sequential decision-making classroom events in which students fulfill assigned roles to manage discipline-specific tasks within an environment that models reality.” (Hertel&Millis, 2002, p. 15). Simulations differ from educational games in that they typically are more realistic and spontaneous. Games require fixed rules and usually revolve around some combination of luck and knowledge, whereas the chance of success is not increased by luck or chance in simulations. Education simulations offer a greater complexity that allows participants to acquire specific knowledge that can be applied in more diverse situations (Hertel&Millis, 2002).

Research on learning and motivation has long discussed the effectiveness of simulation experiences as a means to “weave substance-specific information into real-life problems in meaningful ways…” (Hertel&Millis, 2002, p. 1). International studies suggest that participation in a simulation resulted in a greater depth of learning as students understood more, produced more complex, insightful written work, and retained the concepts taught longer than those students given the same content in a more superficial, traditional approach ( Deep Learning, Surface Learning , 1993).

Two significant factors contribute to the increased achievement of simulation participants: motivation and depth of learning. Finkel discusses the motivations inherent in inquiry-based learning, such as simulations, as these activities require inquiry into a problem and allow for shared leadership and control between the instructor and student (2000). Simulations by their very nature contain elements that increase motivation for learning including active participation, relevance to the real world, and at least initially, the challenge of the simulation activity itself (Hertil&Millis, 2002).