Last June ED MAP was pleased to announce the availability of a new product to help enrich and enliven higher-education classes everywhere: online simulations. Three months later we were able to announce the addition of 16 more titles to the library of simulations, and with the start of the new year, another batch of 19 new titles has been added. For those of you counting, this represents a total of 176 simulations, organized into 11 categories.
The growth in availability of these online simulations has mirrored the growth of interest in these simulations. After reviewing simulations that seem to complement an existing course, most “adopting” institutions have initially tested the simulations in just one or two courses to gauge student reactions and learning. Then, pleased by student feedback and the value that the simulations brought to their courses, the course developers and faculty members have decided to keep the simulation in the course and test additional simulations to incorporate into additional courses.
Dan Falvey, the chair of Business Administration and Management Programs at Baker University in Overland Park, Kansas, has adopted the simulation Thinking Ethically for his MBA program’s Executive Leadership course. The past class “really seemed to enjoy it. I ask [the students] to keep a notepad handy and jot down their decisions – and the rationale for the decisions – and, so they don’t feel constrained, note if they thought they had a better solution than the options presented.” He commented that the simulation is well designed, with clever choices informed by advice from the avatar-like members of the simulation’s scenarios. “I love the helpers,” Falvey remarked. “Each ‘team member’ has something different to say. If you look at all the perspectives that are represented, it gets really complicated.” Those complications led to animated class discussions where it was apparent that students were sufficiently engaged in the exercise to have developed strong opinions concerning the best choices and, happily from a pedagogical perspective, he added “There was no unanimity.”
The latest twist in users’ testing simulations just now is emerging: customization, in the form of bundling several simulations to cover a broader range of topics and experiences in a course. In addition to the pedagogical advantages from students experiencing more simulations, the price of the bundle can be lower than the sum of its parts, and students have just one license key to activate to be able to access all the simulations in that bundle.
New simulations; new packaging options; and, we haven’t stopped there. We recently started a winter promotion, dropping the base price of the simulations by 60%. At this low price, the value of these simulations is too great to pass up.
To see all the simulations, including the latest batch of 19, visit www.edmap.biz/simulations. Once there, click the “review this simulation” link placed below each simulation to have that simulation added to your new – or existing – review account.
Current clients should contact their account manager for more information about the simulations, including how to customize a bundle of two or more simulations for your courses. Other interested readers should contact an ED MAP sales representative by sending a message to business_development@edmap.biz.
And after you’ve had a chance to review them, drop us a note at the above address to let us know what you think about them. We’d love to hear from you; we always welcome your feedback.