What is a training simulation?
Simulations simplify real-world environments enough for people to practice skills quickly, safely, and in a way that makes the learning points obvious. “As a learning modality, simulations are second only to ‘direct purposeful [real-world] experience.’” —Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek, 2003 Any time that a teacher has a student perform a skill for practice, in an environment that is simpler and safer than the real world, or with practice materials, it is a simulation. When we simplify real life to make it easier to practice, it is a simulation. When a student can try out different solutions to an experiment, it is probably a simulation. Simulations allow us to imitate real life for the purposes of learning, but without the cost or consequences that failure might have in the real world.
