Assessing the Impact of Role Play Simulations on Learning in Canadian and US Classrooms.

Several scholars have begun to assess the benefits of role play simulations in the university classroom. This study provides a model to assess the effectiveness of active learning exercises on student engagement and learning. The paper describes role play simulations related to climate change negotiations run in four courses at two universities in the United States and Canada, identifies the learning outcomes, and aligns them with four knowledge domains (factual, conceptual, procedural, and metacognitive), developed from Anderson and Krathwohl's (2001) work, a revision of Bloom's (1959) taxonomy. We offer a useful assessment model, and discuss several assignments designed to assess the educational effectiveness of the simulations, and conclude by identifying additional areas for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]