Enhancement Of Students Learning Using

Simulation Games

Project Team

Principal Investigator: / Mr. Sohail Akhtar
Co-Investigator: / Mr. Atiq Siddiqui
Co-Investigator: / Mr. Mehmood Khan

Department of Systems Engineering

King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals
Abstract

Simulation games are an excellent illustrative tool that provide elements like visualization and hands on experience. These games have great utility in education and are known to be one of the superb student centered learning approaches. These games allow students to practice critical thinking and decision-making skills. In this project, a number of simulation games are proposed for a basic introductory course. These games are planned for enhancing the utility of the labs in the course. The games are intended to cover the whole spectrum of the course.

Introduction

Simulation games are excellent “Illustrative tools” for students centered learning. They provide practical decision-making and management experience that allows participants to quickly see the consequences of their decisions and strategies without the fear of failure or reprisal.

Their teaching effectiveness is usually very high as they provide a unique way to reinforce the theory discussed in the classrooms. As the players generally become deeply involved in the gaming situation they develop a desire in doing well in the game and therefore the simulation becomes closer to reality. These games provide a chance for the students to visualize and experience a practical scenario of what they learn in their coursework.

Obviously, simulation gaming is not a substitute for more formal approaches of teaching theories and methods of a particular subject. However, it complements these approaches and hence can prove to be extremely effective. An exciting feature of these games is that students concentrate on making decisions. It is this intensity that gives the simulation games the richness and teaching effectiveness.

The project is inspired by a workshop on ‘Increasing Effectiveness as a University Teacher’, carried out in the beginning of the current semester (Term 021). The project is proposed for the course SE 100 (Introduction to Technology). The objective of this course is to help students become technologically literate. This is a core course for all CIM (College of Industrial Management) students, with an average enrolment of around 200 each semester.

This basic course introduces the impact of technology on our lives giving an overview of technological resources and focuses on problem solving methods. A section of the course is devoted to communication technology covering computers, graphic & electronic communication. Another section elaborates production technology, material processing, manufacturing and construction management etc. The students are then introduced to energy, power and their transmission.

In this project, a number of simulation games are designed that will help the students get a feel of the real world problems in the context of what they have studied in different areas of contemporary technologies, i.e. manufacturing & production, communication, power generation and construction etc. These simulation games will be designed in such a way that the students will be able to visualize the dynamics of the system by useful animations. These games will also give the students a chance to encounter different decision-making situations. Since these games are intended to be used in labs, it will increase the effectiveness and utility of the lab work.

Following sections describe project objectives, methodology, project statement of work followed by management plan and the budget.

Objectives

The general objectives of this project are listed as follows:

·  Enhance student motivation and learning by providing them a hands on experience in a virtual environment.

·  Provide an interactive way of understanding the working of various technologies.

·  Improve the utility of the SE 100 Labs.

·  Augment the critical thinking and decision-making skills of the students by giving them a chance to run and manage technological systems.

The above general aims will be achieved through the following specific objectives:

·  Develop conceptual models for simulation games in the areas of Electrical Power Transmission, Manufacturing & Production, Communication and Construction Management.

·  Identify the implementation requirements for the games developed.

·  Implement three of the above-developed models.

·  Evaluate the performance and effectiveness of these games through students’ and SE 100 faculty feedback.

·  Update the games based on this feedback.

Methodology

The methodology will be to, first of all, identify the learning goals or the outcomes of these games. These learning goals will be used as guidelines in designing the conceptual model of the games. These general goals are already discussed in the objectives of this report. For each game the specific goals will be worked out.

Keeping the course contents in mind, the areas for the simulation games are selected. Five different areas have been selected namely: Manufacturing & Production, Communication, Power Generation and Construction. The selection is based on the generality and the application in the job environment. Specific scenarios will be selected in each of these five areas and their respective concept models will be developed. Based on the project objectives, three of these models will be selected for developing their simulation software. Java will be used for the backend programming, however, for the front-end or interface Macromedia Flash or Macromedia Director will be used.

In order to fulfill the objectives of the project, feedback from SE 100 faculty and students are planned. This feedback is considered extremely valuable for the success of the project.

Project Statement of Work

The task breakdown for the project will be as follows:

Task 1: Literature Survey:

Books, publications and Internet resources will be explored in the subject area. Internet will prove to be a good source due to the nature of the project.

Task 2: Concept Development

Practical scenarios for each simulation game will be chosen. The technological resources required in each game will be finalized. A visual interface will be planned.

Task 3: Software Development & Implementation

Back end programming for the simulation will be done. JAVA will be used for this part. Interface is an essential part in any simulation game. Macromedia suite (e.g, Macromedia Flash or Macromedia Director) will be used for the front-end (interface) programming.

Task 4: Testing & Evaluation

Testing and evaluation will be done in two steps. As a first step, feedback from the SE 100 faculty will be obtained. The games will then be tested in SE 100 Labs to get students’ feedback in the second step.

Task 5: Final Update

Finally, the games will be modified in accordance to the feedback.

Management Plan

The management plan is as follows:

·  The task of concept modeling will be divided as:

Areas / Member(s)
Power Transmission / Mr. Sohail Akhtar
Communication / Mr. Sohail Akhtar
Construction Management / Mr. Atiq Siddiqui, Mr. Mehmood Khan
Manufacturing / Mr. Mehmood Khan
Production / Mr. Atiq Siddiqui

·  Each concept model will then be discussed, fine-tuned and finalized.

·  Based on the project objectives, three best models will be selected with team consensus.

·  To keep consistency in the programming and interface structure, all three members will develop the first game together.

·  The next two games will be divided in two groups so that they can be developed in parallel.

·  A member of the team will be responsible for getting SE 100 faculty feedback. The other two members will design a form for students’ feedback.

·  All the three members will participate in evaluating the games in the classrooms.

·  The games will then be revised accordingly.

·  The final evaluation of the three games will be carried out in a meeting of SE 100 faculty members and the project team.

·  The final project report will be prepared.

Schedule and Time Frame

Task

/ 1st M / 2nd M / 3rd M / 4th M / 5th M / 6th M / 7th M / 8th M / 9th M
Task 1
Task 2
Task 3
Task 4
Task 5

Expected Outcomes and Utilization

The games are expected to incite student motivation and consequently enhance learning process. The utility of the SE 100 labs are also expected to be increased. These games will supplement the class lectures. The students’ decision-making skill is likely to improve in technological scenarios. Once the students are equipped with all the fundamental concepts and terminologies, they will be asked to take part in these simulation games and put into practice what they have learnt.

These games, after project completion, will be handed over to the Systems Engineering Department for use in the course.

Budget

The budget is as follows:

Item / Cost × months/numbers / Total (SR)
Principal Investigator / 1200 × 9 / 10800
Co-Investigator 1 / 1000 × 9 / 9000
Co-Investigator 2 / 1000 × 9 / 9000
Supplies (CDs, Floppies etc) / 500 / 500
Grand Total / 29300

References

[1]. A Workshop on Increasing Effectiveness as a University Teacher, by Ellignton, H. I., ADC KFUPM 2002.

[2]. Managing Construction Equipment Buy and Sell Decisions Replacement: A Simulation Game, by Khaled Nassar, ASC Proceedings of the 37th Annual Conference 2001, University of Denver, pp 187-198.

[3]. Playing Games: Evaluating the Impact of Lean Production Strategies on Project Cost and Schedule, by Alarcon, L. F. and Ashley, D. B., Proceedings of the 7th Annual Conference of the International Group of Lean Construction, IGLC-7, 1999, University of California, Berkeley, CA, pp 263-273.

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