Supporting the use of the SIMPLE application

UKCLE funded project

Project team: Paul Maharg (Glasgow Graduate School of Law), Michael Hughes (Learning Technologies Development Unit, Glasgow Graduate School of Law), Patricia McKellar (UKCLE)
Project contact: Patricia McKellar (e-mail: patricia.mckellar@warwick.ac.uk)
Project summary: development of an online tutorial to support academics using SIMPLE (the SIMulated Professional Learning Environment)
Completion date: April 2009
Funding: £6,750 from the JISC/Academy Collaboration Initiative

Project latest: SIMPLE Getting Started webcasts, part of a set of online tutorials and guides developed by the JISC/Academy Collaboration Initiative, launched at the BILETA conference on 22 April

Simulation environments can be powerful agents of change, but they are also potentially disruptive. In order to create effective simulations academic staff need support and practice in designing innovative scenarios, building resources for simulation and re-thinking assessment practices.

In October 2008 UKCLE was awarded funding from the JISC/Academy Collaboration Initiative to develop support for academics using SIMPLE, the UKCLE backed simulation environment. It had become apparent from the experience of providing sessions and seminars for potential SIMPLE users that a step by step guide would be useful for those developing scenarios and using the application for the first time. A key aim of the project was to enable academics to design and implement simulation projects without significant intervention either by their institutional IT services department or the SIMPLE core team.

The SIMPLE Getting Started webcasts consist of a step by step guide for new SIMPLE users. Four stages lead the user through the steps involved in producing a simulation blueprint and deploying it on the SIMPLE platform:

1. An introduction to simulation-based learning
2. Getting started with SIMPLE tools
3. Deploying a simulation project and the SIMPLE platform
4. Running a simulation

A number of delivery methods are used including text, webcasts, video and multimedia, with links to the manuals on the SIMPLE community website. The webcasts have been tested in a number of face to face sessions and draw on the experience of the SIMPLE case studies, communicating practical tips in dealing with specific situations and encouraging the sharing of both pedagogic and technical issues through the SIMPLE community.

The webcasts will be updated and enhanced in the light of experiences with the user community. The project team is also working with JISC TechDis to ensure that guidance on accessibility issues is clear and the tutorial is fully accessible.

Last Modified: 6 July 2010