Reflections on Using a Theory-Based Online Simulation in the Classroom: Unintended Consequences with Obvious and Hidden Lessons for Adopters.

Abstract

Deploying technology to support and improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment in higher education offers significant opportunities. The complexity of such educational interventions, however, also has the potential to create significant unintended consequences arising from the actions of and interactions among students, academics, technology designers, publishing companies and other stakeholders. Based on the experiences derived from a four-year adoption and implementation process of a theory-based online simulation game, this paper reports on and discusses three such unplanned and unexpected consequences and identifies both obvious and more hidden lessons that will be of value to academics in designing and deploying effective and meaningful technology-supported educational and assessment innovations, particularly for those which take an assessment for/as learning perspective.