SimQuest

SimQuest is a program that allows an instructor to create their own simulations to enhance student inquiry-based (in other words, scientific) learning.

While researching simulation-type instruction, I found that there are some benefits and concerns related using simulations in the educational process.

Of course simulations benefit students in that they make some types of practice much closer to real-life than is possible in the classroom. I remember using driving simulators in Driver’s Education before being turned loose on an actual vehicle, and the assumption was that if we could deal with different types of variables that could occur while driving in the simulator, we would have a better chance of overcoming similar variables while driving an actual car. Sometimes, due to budget constraints or simple feasibility, we can’t give our students exact replicas in the classroom of our lesson’s real-life application (for example, we can’t have them go study the surfaces of different planets in real life) and a simulation is all we can provide.

The disadvantages to simulation-learning mostly have to do with students possibly not knowing exactly what is being simulated, or not correctly interpreting the data being presented to them. Also, they might tend to not look at the big picture when it comes to what is being taught. Back to the planets’ surfaces example, perhaps they aren’t considering in studying various surfaces that the overall objective is to determine whether any sort of life that we currently can conceive of could live on any planet. They might just consider that they need to know the gasses, temperatures and general surface compositions and not move their thoughts beyond that.

According to Jan van der Meij (University of Twente Faculty), SimQuest has taken significant steps to reduce the disadvantages of simulation-instruction and learning by offering methods to support both transformative and regulative inquiry processes, which is what he maintains are the processes most important in inquiry-based learning.

In looking at the SimQuest site and manipulating the program, I would have to agree. It offers instructors a lot of support in that they can either download existing simulations or write their own. When writing a simulation from scratch, instructors can chose from the program various scenarios and variables. Instructors can also add in what they want the students to realize along the lines of the big picture; for example, an instructor could add variables that have students think about whether any kind of currently-known life could possibly exist on other planets. The program offers a lot of feedback to students by allowing them to change the variables in different situations, as well as offering data interpretation and evaluation.

The best thing about SimQuest is that it is a very useful program that takes into consideration the potential difficulties with simulation-based learning while being absolutely free! You can download it from their website quickly and put it to work for you.

References:

www.simquest.nl

van der Meij, J. (2007). Simulation-based inquiry learning with SimQuest. Paper presented at the Bolzano 07 conversation.

Submitted by: Jill Mason