I-Corps: An educational software platform and simulation library for supporting role-playing simulations of collective decision-making

Regents Of The University Of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor MI

Investigators

Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of tools to enable educators to create meaningful, engaged, online learning opportunities. The new technology has the potential to benefit society in a number of ways. It may improve teaching through simulations that allow instructors to quickly and confidently incorporate engaged learning activities into their courses, and introduce them to a dynamic pedagogy that they can infuse throughout their teaching. It may improve learning by providing benefits to learners by using a safe setting within which to develop critical life skills such as empathy, communicating across differences, critical thinking, inquiry, and team work. It also increases access by supporting engaged learning experiences in the remote learning space, which has the potential to include a wide swath of society that had previously been limited to a privileged subset of learners in face-to-face educational settings. This I-Corps project is based on the development of cloud-based software and an expandable simulation library. Both elements are deeply grounded in the insights developed through previous research. Specifically, the simulation library consists of simulation templates that capture essential elements of various decision-making situations that have been theorized, modeled, tested, and refined. Future development envisions a process for automating the simulation development process by scraping the web for information on current topics and populating the templates with real-time content. The software platform includes features that allow simulation authors to either adapt and implement ready-made simulations from the previously developed library, or to create their own simulations that capture these essential elements in various decision-making situations. Together, the core technology provides simulation experiences that reflect the accumulated knowledge and insights gained through the research. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.