Learning from a Computer Workplace Simulation

Learning from a Computer Workplace Simulation Heisawn Jeong ( h e i s @ p i t t . e d u ) Roger Taylor (rtaylor@pitt.edu) Michelene T. H. Chi ( c h i @ p i t t . e d u ) Learning Research and Development Center; University of Pittsburgh 3939 O’Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15260 USA Abstract Workplaces are rapidly changing, placing increased cogni- tive demands upon workers. The use of computer workplace simulations has been proposed to help students success- fully make the transition from school to work. In this study, we examined what kinds of learning occurred when students used a computer workplace simulation called Court Square Community Bank. We hypothesized that three types of learning would occur: (1) students would gain knowledge about the banking business in which the simu- lation is situated and (2) students would also learn general business knowledge and problem solving/decision making skills that they could apply in other work contexts. Thir- teen pairs of high school students used a workplace simula- tion. The results showed that students knew significantly more knowledge about the banking business. Students also adopted a new perspective to organize their knowledge and their problem solving activities became more coordinate. Taken together, the results of this study showed that com- puter workplace simulation can serve as a useful tool to prepare students to make a better school-to-work transi- tion. Introduction There is a growing concern that many of today’s high-school graduates are ill-prepared for succeeding in today’s demanding and rapidly changing workplaces. The world of work is expe- riencing a dramatic transition: jobs increasingly require complex thinking skills and adaptive performance. As a con- sequence, there have been many calls for school-to-work transition programs such as youth apprenticeship or techni- cal preparation. Recently, Ferrari, Taylor, and VanLehn (1999) advocated the use of computer simulations as a way to facilitate the school to work transition. They argued that computer simulations of workplace environments can help familiarize students with a particular workplace and assist them in developing the analytical/problem-solving skills needed to successfully participate in the workplace, while allowing them to remain safely situated in the classroom. The goal of this paper is to assess what kinds of learning opportunities are afforded and how much learning actually occurs when students use such a computer simulation. For our study, we selected a workplace simulation called Court Square Community Bank (CSCB), one of the simula- tions recommended by Ferrari et al. (1999). CSCB is an episode-based simulation. Students play the role of vice president, engaging in activities such as interacting with bank customers, consulting the opinions of other bank em- ployees, and making business decisions. Each of the 14 epi- sodes poses different kinds of problems that the vice presi- dent of a small community bank must deal with such as approving mortgages or selecting the best candidate for a position (see Ferrari et al., 1999 and McQuaide, Leinhardt, & Stainton, 1999 for more details on the program). In assessing learning from CSCB, 1 we were less con- cerned with evaluating the specific workplace simulation and were more interested in understanding the learning issues involved in workplace simulations in general. We hypothe- sized that two types of learning can occur when students interact with a computer workplace simulation. Students could acquire (1) knowledge about the banking business in which the simulation is situated, and (2) general business knowledge and problem solving skills that are applicable to a wide variety of workplaces. Below, we describe these in more detail and speculate on how learning such knowl- edge/skills might occur. 1. Knowledge about the Banking Business One of the most notable features of the computer workplace simulation in comparison to other medium of instructions (e.g., reading an expository text or listening to a lecture) is its contextualized nature. In the case of CSCB, the specific business context was a small town community bank. The contextualization was done by using the problems that arises from the banking business (e.g., when to approve a mort- gage) and implementing interactions with simulated charac- ters who are primarily bank personnel or customers. This means that much of the information about banking business is embedded in the problem descriptions and the students’ interactions with the characters of the simulation. In addition to this contextualization, declarative banking knowledge is presented in the form of on-line dictionary and procedural manual. In sum, the simulation provides extensive amount of information about banking business, either implicitly or explicitly. Although this banking knowledge is never the focus of the simulation (e.g., the program never asks stu- The effect of the simulation is likely to be different when used in schools compared to when it was used in the laboratory as in this study. For example, in one of the schools that used the CSCB as part of their curriculum, it was augmented with instruc- tional and teacher supports (see McQuaide et al., 1999 for more details).