![Sample our Education journals, sign in here to start your access, latest two full volumes FREE to you for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5932/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Education.jpg"})
ABSTRACT
The paper details the specification of a model that will underpin the development of system dynamics based teaching and learning simulations across five of the nine levels of the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). The model functions as a scaffold, building on previous levels of knowledge and simulation experience to guide students as they progress to higher levels of learning. It is anticipated this will enable students who reach AQF Level 9 to have developed a strong understanding of system dynamics and interactivity between model variables, as well as complex cause-and-effect decision-making and unintended consequences, culminating in their ability to define and specify their own variables so as to enhance models.
Notes
1. An obvious example is the crew and passenger safety risks in flight simulator pilot training. While we are dealing with nothing quite as safety-critical with our simulation games; poor decision-making could, for example, result in significant economic losses.
2. An important issue instructors must take into account with off-the-shelf SGs is that users have little control over game context. With a custom-developed solution, the simulation may be based on one or more actual case studies, allowing a combined simulation/case analysis T&L approach (see e.g. Ferreira, Citation1992).
3. Zendejas, Wang, Brydges, Hamstra, and Cook (Citation2013) have argued that the cost of deploying simulations for educational purposes is very much an under-researched issue and, moreover, in the few studies that do address this aspect, many important cost elements (e.g. staff training, the preparation of tutorial and instructional material and ongoing maintenance) are ignored. While their study is focused on simulations in medical training (where IT equipment costs can be very large), the same is probably true for business education SGs and this would appear to be a fruitful and important area for further research.
4. Systems thinking may be thought of as a problem analysis approach for developing an holistic view and understanding of a complex problem domain and may involve the use of a number of modeling tools: e.g. soft systems methodologies, scenario planning and causal loop diagrams (Maani & Cavana, op. cit.). Systems dynamics is one such modeling and analysis approach, with its modern roots generally considered to date back to Forrester (Citation1961) and operationalized through the use of visual modeling and simulation tools such as Powersim (Citation2016).
5. Numbers of students involved in each of these, together with details of our feedback and validation instruments are detailed along with our results in the penultimate section.
6. Development of these is continuing, with initial trials planned for late-2019.
7. In this classic SD game, players assume the role of parties at different points of a beer supply chain (manufacturer, wholesaler, distributor and retailer), with a tutor generally playing the part of the end-consumers. Players aim to minimize holdings while ensuring they have enough stock-on-hand to satisfy demand. Sometime into the game (e.g. around 10 weeks), consumers double their orders and chaos generally ensues as players respond to short-term fluctuations.
8. Generally in SD work, models are specified initially in simple CLD form but need to be converted to stock-flow form to obtain a working simulation. The basic constructs of these models are stocks, which have a level associated with them (e.g. Total Servings), and flows, which replenish or diminish stock levels (e.g. Weekly Servings).
9. In fact, the model as shown here needs refinement before it can be directly converted to a “third normal form” (3NF) database schema (Martin, Citation1982); specifically, each m:n connection must be translated to two 1:n relationships, utilizing “intersecting entities”, such as the pois of .
10. This view excludes much of the detail included in the current database implementation of our template: specifically, it only deals with the AQF learning outcomes section of the model presented in and the usual relational manipulation operators (projection, join, subset, selection etc.) (McFadyen, Citation2014) were employed to construct an illustrative database snapshot relevant to this discussion.
11. CLDs are a basic SD modeling tool and a knowledge of these is essential to the development of systems thinking skills (Senge, Citation1990).
12. At the same time, the simulation is stochastic and, as such, as in real life, outcomes may not always appear to be “fair”. Thus, instructors have the opportunity to emphasize that, with destination management, nothing is ever certain (Richie & Crouch, Citation2003). See also comments on direct assessment strategies in the previous sub-section.
13. This enhancement is currently being implemented and is scheduled to be trialed initially in April 2019.