Simulating the Sustainable Development Goals: Scaffolding, Social Media and Self-Reported Learning Outcomes Amongst Entry-Level Students

Abstract

This paper addresses two crucial gaps in the scholarship on the design and execution Simulation-Based Education (SBE) – the importance of scaffolding in constructing successful simulations for entry-level students and the associated value of social media tools. We examine these issues within three successive iterations of a role-play simulation employed in an introductory undergraduate course. We employ a mixed-methods approach that draws on self-reported learning outcomes from a total sample of 291 students across three years. We argue that running a successful simulated activity hinges upon careful design and scaffolding, and that incorporating social media tools can help to make the learning experience more immersive and more accessible for students.

Keywords:

• Simulation-based education
• social media
• sustainable development goals
• entry-level
• scaffolding

Notes

1 For example, we mandated that their social media presence had to be novel, stand-alone, and not linked to private accounts. We also created all of the Wordpress pages, shared these log-ins and passwords with relevant delegations, and then deleted these pages each year to prevent content spillover.

2 To adhere to ethical guidelines set out by the university’s Research Ethics Board, participation in the survey was voluntary. This accounts for the difference in response rates across all three years. See Schnurr and Taylor 2019.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Matthew A. Schnurr

Matthew A. Schnurr is an associate professor in the Department of International Development Studies at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. His research and teaching interests revolve around questions of agricultural development and food rights, with a geographical focus on sub-Saharan Africa.

Alanna Taylor

Alanna Taylor is a research coordinator and administrator in the Department of International Development Studies and the Jean Monnet European Union Center of Excellence at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.