Simulations are a great way of incorporating realistic activities into a learning experience. They can range from fully developed graphical interfaces to games to simple computational models. The examples given here are not high end games or educational experiences like flight simulators rather they demonstrate simulations that can be created on modest budgets. Many toolboxes are examples of simulated environments, too.

“A 'simulation' is an artificial environment in which a particular set of conditions is created in order to study or experience something that exists or could exist in reality.” From  http://www.simplay.net/

Nursery Live! features a simulated nursery, in which you interact with a variety of plants in order to complete certain tasks. Plants must be watered, fertilised and monitored to ensure their health. As in any other nursery, pests and disease must also be controlled.NurseryLive!is a time-based simulation of the daily operations of a wholesale production nursery. As in most nursery environments plants will grow, sicken, die or be sold depending on a combination of factors including weather, the environment and your intervention. The goal is simple: choose a season, pick an order and grow the plants to fill it! The simulation environment encourages experimentation with different interventions and effective task prioritisation to achieve the largest yield.

NurseryLive!is small enough for web delivery and requires the Macromedia Shockwave plugin

This little simulation is not meant to replace real life experience in a physical nursery, but to provide some easily repeatable functions.

It was developed as a result of Innovation funding , in part as a professional development exercise and secondarily as a product that could enhance the experience and learning of  people undertaking entry level horticulture courses.

This resource supports delivery of horticulture programs that involve the following competency standards.

• RUHHRT303A  Maintain nursery plants
  
• RUHHRT317A Control pests and diseases
  
• RUHHRT353A Select chemicals and biological agents

The tasks in NurseryLive!require learners to maintain the health of plants in order to achieve particular objectives, such as preparing a number of plants for collection or sale within a given timeframe. Various plants, pests and diseases inhabit NurseryLive! and interact with each other as they would in a realistic environment.

Learners must monitor various aspects of plant health and interact with a range of environmental factors in order to complete each task successfully. Learners can ‘control’ some aspects of the weather, heat, sprinkler system, pesticide use, fertiliser and so on.

NurseryLive!features a bank balance. This gives learners more of a sense of financial impact on the business. It can be used to drive reflective and discussion activities and to a certain extent determine how efficiently learners have completed a scenario. The bank value is affected by particular functions in the simulation. Performing functions such as applying chemical controls will decrease the bank value. Filling an order by selling plants will increase the bank value. As part of a discussion activity, learners can talk about the money they had in the bank at the end of the scenario and what factors they thought affected the bank (eg applying chemical controls too frequently, not selling any plants, not controlling infestations quickly enough).

• Providing NurseryLive!as one of a number of resources that can be used outside of class time as a tool for research and to support the completion of class assignments.
  
• Setting a task and then allocating time in a computer lab so students can use NurseryLive! (and the Internet) to complete the task.
  
• Allowing learners to complete a particular scenario within NurseryLive! and then formalising their learning through additional activities.
  Activities

Activities

The use of activities that reflect on the knowledge gained when using NurseryLive! is an important component since the learning may be implicit. For example, the ‘pot on’ function is only available when plants have reached a certain maturity. However, if the learner only uses the function when it is appropriate, they may not realise that there are times when potting on is not appropriate. Activities that allow learners to think through their decision-making process for using NurseryLive! (and potentially test them in the simulation) can help them become aware of this knowledge. This can be done with quizzes, as handouts or online. Additionally, extension activities such as record keeping can be set during the use of NurseryLive! to capture information such as infection rates and chemical use.

The Virtual Learning Arcade (VLA) is an exciting new section on Biz/ed that provides interactive online models and simulations for economics and business teachers, lecturers and students. The simulations also have support materials that have been written to enhance their educational value. These include explanations of relevant theories, interactive worksheets, definitions and guidelines on using the models. Generally these use text and computations rather than graphics.

There are several models currently, such as:

Biz/ed Virtual Farm
http://www.bized.ac.uk/virtual/vla/farm/index.htm
Who wants to be a farmer? Try running a farm for 10 years and take responsibility for the decision making.

Alleviating Child Poverty
http://www.bized.ac.uk/virtual/vla/child_poverty/index.htm is a large scale simulation and economic modelling tool for students of economics or social policy.

Cameron Balloon Factory
http://www.bized.ac.uk/virtual/cb/welcome.htm
Cameron Balloons made the Breitling Orbiter balloon that made aviation history by flying right round the world, finishing on 21st March 1999.  This is a complex and  very well developed simulation that can be used for  multiple learning objectives. It is supported by teaching notes and assessment tasks. Browsing the factory and trying out various sections will help students to apply much of what they have learnt to a real business and identify some of the constraints faced by businesses in their activities.

Another form of role play is freely available, to play, at:
http://www.simplay.net

The idea is to choose and play a role in a virtual world very similar to the real one.
You set the objectives of your role, create the strategy to reach these objectives, and interact with other 'live' roles through the software.These role plays require quite intensive online involvement and interaction with other people ( in other roles). They were originally developed for use in education. Each role play takes about 6 weeks to complete.

Easy games

Half baked software enable you to create your own games or decision making trees which could be a little like a “choose –your –own adventure” story.

Try one out at: http://www.halfbakedsoftware.com/quandary/v2/examples/castaway.htm