Games and simulations are activities that require students to make a series of decisions and the outcome is then determined by the computer. Video games are extremely popular forms of entertainment for young people and can keep people engaged for long periods of time. To harness this level of focused attention for educational purposes can result in tremendous learning for students.
The challenge is to find games that are relevant to the desired outcomes of the course and are at an appropriate level of difficulty for students. A further challenge is to incorporate suitable assessment criteria to evaluate learning. "Winning" the game may not be the most appropriate educational assessment tool. It may be more useful to have students prepare a reflective report analyzing their learning.
| This game simulates a small lemonade stand and allows
students to make a variety of decisions. Results are shown for
each day and new decisions can be made. This game can be used by
students independently or teachers can set up class competitions.
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This game provides a geography tutorial for all parts of the world and then offers students a choice of several games to test their knowledge.
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| SimCity | This famous game requires students to make the many
inter-related decisions that are needed for planning a city.
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| Gazillionaire | This is a free demo version of this software that allows students to run a fictitious business by making decisions about what products to buy and sell based on information about supply, demand, profit margins and overheads. |
