You are on page 1of 2

Peter Marchione

Abstract
Deshpande, A. A., & Huang, S. H. (2011). Simulation games in engineering
education: A state-of-the-art review. Computer Applications In Engineering
Education, 19(3), 399-410. doi:10.1002/cae.20323
This current generation is the first to grow up with digital technology. As such, the
students of this generation tend to have a smaller attention span, more intolerance
towards repetition and static mediums, and a more visual based style of learning.
Just as the students have changed, so have the industrys demands; demands that
the engineering academic community has not kept up with. Due to the difficulty of
teaching the wide range of skills needed by an engineer with a four year course,
along with a rising amount of students who have part time jobs, todays students
must be capable of teaching themselves. Simulation games and digital media can
be used to teach in ways that the lecture format of teaching is limited in, such as
teaching in a very interactive way at a time convenient to the student. When these
tools are used, the instructor becomes more of a guide to learning, rather than the
teacher. Some instructors are hesitant to make this change, due to unfamiliarity
with the simulation tools and their capabilities, difficulty in obtaining the necessary
resources, like hardware and software, and an inability to use current technology.
However, simulation allows what-if scenarios to be presented, and it allows student
to analyze these scenarios in safety, something that wouldnt be possible to do in a
real life scenario. These simulation games also have a way of scoring the students,
which drives them to improve their score, experiment with different approaches and
strategies, and encourage them to read more written material. These games can
be made available online along with some form of online help, so students can learn
when it is convenient for them, without the help of an instructor. Currently, there
are many applications of simulation games in education, both in non-engineering
and engineering studies. In non-engineering, there are already various games for
teaching architecture, business ethics, child development, interviewing skills,
laboratory management, medical training, physics, and mathematics. Likewise,
simulation games have already been developed to teach topics in Civil, Electrical,
Computer, Chemical, Mechanical, Industrial, and Environmental Engineering. These
games can be categorized as drill-based, exercise-based, problem-based, and minicase. Drill based games are as simple as inputting something and observing the
result. Exercise based games are about using the correct technique to solve a
problem; likewise, problem-based games allow for different approaches to be made
towards a specific problem. Mini-case games give a specific situation and ask the
student to solve it when given certain limitations. While these simulation games are
useful, they are often very narrow and fit very specific needs and topics, so work
must be done to apply these simulations with a broader range of topics, so that
students will have a more whole understanding of a subject. Furthermore, these
games will have to keep up with changes in the industry and must stay technically
updated as well. However, with more refinement and improvement, simulation
games can boost engineering education and solve the issues that the lecture format
could not solve, and help future students meet the demands of a changed industry.

Peter Marchione

Keywords: Engineering Education, Simulation, Games, Application of


Simulation in Education

You might also like