Evaluation of Role Play as a Teaching Strategy in a Systems Analysis and Design Course

Emre Erturk

Abstract


The goal of learning design is to help create educational settings and sessions that are learner and activity centered. Authentic learning activities can better engage learners. Role playing is an interesting example of an active learning and teaching strategy. It can incorporate drama, simulations, games, and demonstrations of real life cases related to any topic. This strategy has been applied recently (from 2013 through 2015) in a New Zealand tertiary institution, in a systems analysis and design course within the computing and information technology bachelor’s degree programme. Learning design plans were prepared with the expectation that role play activities would contribute positively to this course. This paper describes the series of activities during the role play sessions, and evaluates the effectiveness of this strategy. This reflection is not only from a pedagogical perspective, but also in terms of its benefits as a useful information technology (IT) analytical practice. Furthermore, the paper presents the findings from this applied and reflective research, along with practical recommendations for other teachers interested in using this approach in their courses.

Keywords


teaching strategy; IT education; role play; active learning

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References


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