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Physical accessibility at colleges and universities is a perennial and challenging issue. Some campuses have made efforts to address these challenges through a variety of advocacy initiatives, while others have used disability simulations to bring greater awareness of physical accessibility to campus communities. An alternative approach to disability simulations and other accessibility awareness exercises is the Accessibility Expedition (AE). The AE engages participants in an exploration of campus spaces facilitated by disabled individuals and individuals knowledgeable of ADA Standards for Accessible Design and/or universal design (UD). The exploration is followed by a debriefing session to discuss barriers to equitable participation, as well as evidence of accessible or universal design practices. The description, rationale, steps for implementation, and observed outcomes of the AE practice are discussed.

Implementing an equity agenda in the classroom is both necessary and challenging for classes containing pre-service teachers. For this intervention, we chose to begin our History of Mathematics course for preservice middle school teachers with a cultural simulation training exercise: Bafa Bafa. After participating in the exercise, pre-service teachers were asked to write a reflection paper and were later interviewed about their experiences in the course. Although participants found Bafa Bafa an uncomfortable experience, it was not an unsafe one, and the preservice teachers agreed that this exercise helped them better understand, articulate, and notice experiences with microaggressions.

Introduction: Transnasal flexible endoscopy (TNFE) is necessary for multiple assessments in speech-language pathology (SLP), but it is generally considered an advanced practice technique to be learned during clinical practice. As such, there is no standardized way that it is taught in training programs, leading to a substantial knowledge gap for new graduates. Though peer-to-peer practice has been discussed as an important step in training, it is not clear whether it confers additional benefits above and beyond simulation. This study sought to answer that question in the areas of student confidence, endoscopy speed, and motivation to pursue further TNFE experiences. Methods: Thirty-six SLP graduate students completed TNFE training and one of two practice conditions: simulation only or simulation with additional peer-to-peer practice. Outcome measures included confidence and comfort surveys, intrinsic motivation to complete an additional TNFE experience, and speed of TNFE. Results: No significant differences were found between the two groups for any measure, and consistently low effect sizes indicated there was little difference between groups. Conclusions: These results indicate that teaching TNFE through simulation may provide similar outcomes to peer-to-peer practice during the initial training that an SLP graduate program can provide. This adds to the literature indicating that TNFE simulation is a worthwhile addition to SLP programs.

Students perceive molecular bonding as an abstract concept; therefore, learning this concept seems uninteresting and difficult. A strategically designed learning object (LO), such as in the form of a simulation, can be used to help students acquire accurate mental images and build appropriate schema in addition to providing a concrete learning experience and encouraging knowledge construction. This paper presents an evaluation of the design and development of the "Making Molecules" simulation through students' perceptions of the previous version and recommendations for improving a future version. Data were collected from two online chemistry courses (N = 159) through an anonymous online survey. Results suggest that students responded positively to the use of the simulation. They reported gaining a better understanding of molecular bonding through an interactive learning experience. One of their recommendations was to include more learning tasks related to complex molecules, expressing an interest in learning more about chemistry. This paper provides insights for educators and instructional designers regarding selection and/or design of an LO for optimizing student learning of complex topics.

Safety education aims to promote safe habits through experience-oriented education that combines knowledge, skills and attitudes. However, in situations where experience-oriented safety education is challenging, realistic content created through technological advancements can indirectly function as an excellent safety education tool that allows for individual safety experiences. This study conducted a safety education program for 34 elementary school students using the most commonly used realistic safety education content in Korea, the 'simulator fire extinguisher,' four times. Safety knowledge tests and safety problem-solving ability tests were used as measuring tools and statistical significance was verified through paired sample t-tests. This study demonstrated that the safety education program using the 'simulator fire extinguisher' was effective in improving safety knowledge and problem-solving abilities . The average score of elementary school students increased from 8.47 to 9.23 in safety knowledge tests and from 4.26 to 4.64 in safety problem-solving ability tests. These results were statistically significant (p < 0.001).

With the deepening of educational reform, classroom teaching constantly emphasizes the importance of context, and the simulated situational teaching method is gradually applied in the instructional design of activities. As an important part of the education and teaching process, evaluation which is the process of determining the changes in students' behavior in teaching through various measurements and systematic data collection should be made changes. At the 2nd International Conference on Technical and Vocational Education, UNESCO proposed that the quality requirements of people in the new era are changing, and learners should not only improve their knowledge and skills but also can adapt and develop. Therefore, it is crucial to assess whether students can achieve problem-solving in real-world situations. Further, the reform of evaluation can provide a clearer direction for teachers' classroom teaching and guide students to change their previous rote learning methods to train higher-order thinking skills. According to the situational cognition and learning theory, the element attributes and preparation steps of situational items, combined with the course content, this study creatively designed and compiled a set of simulated situational items for the "Modern Educational Technology" course for mathematics normal students, and applied Qt which uses a cross-platform C++ application development framework, and MySQL to develop an electronic assessment system. This system can examine learners' ability in terms of using technology to support teaching in information-based teaching, including providing digital teaching resources, information-based instructional design, and teaching practice ability. Meanwhile, it will automatically collect students' answer data and upload them to the database system. It is convenient for teachers to make teaching decisions based on data to improve teaching. This research further promotes the simulation situation evaluation method, which has great application value, and more in-depth research and exploration are urgently needed in the future in this field.

The theory-practice gap in nursing education confuses students and decreases the quality of their training. This study aims to examine the gap between theoretical teaching and clinical training for students at AAUP. A cross-sectional survey of 192 nursing students at AAUP. Questions measuring aspects of the theory-practice gap were developed based on the literature review. Socio-demographic variables included sex, age, residence, and school year. Simple frequencies and multivariate linear regression were used to analyze the data. The p-value was set at 0.05 for statistical significance. The practical trainer was the most important factor in bridging students' theory-practice gap. Practical trainers who explain to the students the theoretical protocols of the nursing procedures produced students with better abilities to link theory and practice (B = 1.53, P = 0.000). The university teacher was less important in the theory-practice link. The simulation training was significantly related to students' abilities to link practice with theory (B = 0.28, P = 0.036). Investing in nursing clinical practice and supporting the clinical instructors is recommended. Communication between the university teachers and the practical instructors can improve their training skills and their abilities to link theory with practice.

Simulated learning programs are an important component of allied health education. Although the role of simulation clinical educators has been highlighted as critical for student learning within simulation, their perceptions of their role have not yet been investigated. This study aimed to explore the experiences of simulation clinical educators. Participants were ten simulation clinical educators who had supported speech-language pathology students' learning during a 5-day simulation program focussed on speech-language pathology practice with adult clients in acute hospital and rehabilitation settings. Educators participated in individual semi-structured interviews exploring their role and their perceptions of the simulation-based learning program. Data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Three inter-related themes emerged from participants' views. The major theme of Unique teaching and learning environment incorporated five subthemes: focus on teaching; safe learning environment; authenticity and engagement; structure and intensity of learning, and; feedback opportunities. Two additional themes were identified: Clinical educator role same but different, and Simulation bridges the gap between theory and practice. This study offers new insights into simulation clinical educators' perceptions of their role when supporting students within simulation and highlight the importance of harnessing the unique benefits of simulation as a teaching pedagogy to maximize its impacts on student learning and justify its costs.

Simulation is a valid pedagogical tool used to teach students, observe student clinical skills, and to assess clinical competencies. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a lack of medical speech-language pathology placements required graduate programs to re-examine clinical training. Simulation has proven useful in providing an alternative and safe learning modality. Standardized patients, which are one simulation modality, provide increased standardization and higher fidelity than medical manikins. This is particularly true in the context of both student learning and demonstration of clinical communication skills (CCS) within a simulated learning environment where the simulated patient can interact authentically with the student clinician. CCS are important because they can lead to better treatment outcomes and strengthen the therapeutic alliance. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the evidence for a CCS training in the context of a speaking valve trial with a standardized tracheostomy patient. Results showed that students are demonstrating emerging skills or have already developed CCS in this context. Student questionnaire ratings suggest that this simulation was helpful to their learning as it provided a safe environment for them to practice valuable clinical skills. Simulation appears to be a viable modality to use when training CSD students to improve their CCS.

Achieving deeper and permanent learning has always been the focus of teaching force. This purpose is independent of the teaching level or subject matter. Pre-service teachers' lack of interest and inability to connect learning levels are partly cited for their inability to develop this deeper and permanent learning of science concepts. In this respect, an action research design conducted using a case-study paradigm which included the simulation-role-play teaching strategy was used to teach pre-service teacher the concept of "doping of pure semiconductors" into p-type and n-type semiconductors. This is an area under basic electronics. The result of the non-parametric Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test analysis revealed a statistically significant increase in pre-service teachers' performance level in basic electronics test following an intervention using the simulation-role-play approach. The median score of the performance level also increased from a pre-test score to post-test score. The simulation-role-play teaching approach affected student teachers' learning of basic electronics by 55% which is considered a large effect. Further, when a sample of the pre-service teachers were interviewed, the result showed a positive view toward teaching using simulation approach which converts theoretical knowledge into practical knowledge for deeper understanding and permanent learning. The findings from this study would be helpful to student teachers and tutors in the colleges of education as it offered useful intervention in teaching and learning of doping of pure semiconductors.

Community-college professors possess knowledge in distinct disciplines and have varied experiences that they encompass in their college classrooms. Additionally, creating effective environments for teaching and learning require these assets from instructors to fulfill their curriculum needs. Teaching is a multidimensional and complex activity that requires the instructor to utilize various tools to effectively engage college learners. Often, instructors rely on their past educational experiences that were based on pedagogy (child-focused teaching) to deliver intricate material to adult learners. In this case, a dichotomy of subject delivery may arbitrarily be sustained in the classroom where the effectiveness of pedagogy limits the development of critical-thinking skill sets. Andragogy is an adult learning theory that informs teaching methodology developed to focus more on learner-based practices that grow from the content of lessons. It has been effective in engaging the characteristics of community college learners (Knowles, 1980b) in developing skill sets vital to various disciplines. The aim of this article is to encourage discussions on college campuses of how using andragogy advances adult learning by exploring andragogy usage in Radiologic Technology (RT) and Early-Childhood Education (ECE) classrooms at an urban community college. Moreover, it is hoped that this article will provide undergraduate educators with instructional approaches that advance adult learning outcomes.

Model United Nations (MUN) has seen dramatic growth in Morocco, both at the university and high school levels. It is a popular and effective teaching tool. This paper aims to test its utility using various methodologies. It shares the results of surveys, both historic and current, conducted at Al Akhawayn University evaluating the activity among students. It also includes interviews with MUN participants, both coaches and students, at Al Akhawayn University and elsewhere. Finally, the paper evaluates whether the tool is trans-cultural or whether it is an expansion of White space.

With the popularity of business simulation in universities, there is a crucial question of what abilities the students can get from the business simulation. In this study, using qualitative research methods, we studied 71 students who had engaged in a business simulation called Global Challenge. Through three-level coding analysis of students' course reports, we induced and refined five abilities that students would get from business simulation, which are strategic decision-making, competition and cooperation, analysis and judgment, communication and team spirit, and learning by doing. Further, we in detail explained these abilities based on behaviors and performances of the students in simulating. The main contributions are the following: First, it provides insight into the abilities and matching behaviors and enriches research on the learning effectiveness of business simulation from the perspective of ability. Second, the study combines the advantages of qualitative research methods and quasi-experimental design. The results not only extend and deepen our understanding of abilities trained by business simulation but also have value in guiding the practice of business simulation.

Academic entrepreneurial behaviours are increasingly a research field paralleling processes of capitalist commodification. We mobilise Baudrillard's concepts to probe a school's strategic communication methods symbolising class neoliberalism, which aspirational parents may experience as a desired habitus of 'distinction'. We suggest their knowledge of class and education, once imported into the interpretation of this school's web presence, will coalesce with its simulacra of elite education. Our account encourages comparisons with selective school websites and utilises the qualitative data on the public site of this school, a methodological approach that has been fruitfully utilised by scholars uncovering the ideological representations created by providers who market UK higher education. The intervention into the marketplace of the selective fee-paying English education of Independent Grammar School: Durham (IGSD) through such a penumbra of symbolic meaning forms part of its pursuit of a competitive edge. International studies of schools chasing prestige and consumer desire confirm that the policies and practices described have become widespread, as shown in the oeuvre of Stephen Ball, whose writings inform the approach of this article. The marketing of the 'brand' identified through our theoretically driven analysis may encourage consumers to opt out of the state sector. Neoliberal-class markers of prestige contribute to the erosion of welfare-oriented school ideals in England, and in other nations.

Background: Concerns have been raised about the inconsistency and quality of pre-service teacher preparation, especially in reading literacy. Mixed-reality simulations can potentially revolutionise initial teacher education by offering realistic, risk-free practice opportunities to master reading practices. Objectives: This study explores pre-service teachers' perceptions of: (1) interacting with avatars; (2) teaching core reading skills, particularly eliciting background information on informational text; and (3) using an action review cycle within a mixed-reality simulation environment. Method: A qualitative exploratory case study design was used in this study in order to document pre-service teachers' perceptions of engaging within a mixed-reality simulation environment. A purposive sampling strategy was used to select participants for this study. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Findings reveal that pre-service teachers valued interacting with the avatars and appreciated the unique focus on eliciting learners' background knowledge, a core reading practice. They typically teach full lessons with limited genuine engagement during microteaching opportunities, making this an interesting experience. They highlighted the mixed-reality simulation's features, such as pausing, redoing, and receiving immediate feedback. The simulator allowed them to concentrate on skill mastery rather than staging lessons for grades. Conclusion: This study concludes that pre-service teachers' skill development benefits from deliberate practice opportunities designed to enhance complex skills. Mixed-reality simulations could reshape how student teachers are prepared for reading instruction. Contributions: This research contributes to the understanding of pre-service teachers' perspectives on teaching core reading practices in a mixed-reality simulation environment.

Optimization is a vital mathematical concept widely applied in various engineering fields. However, teaching this subject to engineering students often involves abstract materials, making it challenging for them to grasp. To address this issue, a group of five mathematics lecturers collaborated on designing a practical lesson on optimization for first-year engineering students. The aim was to present the concept through a real-world problem, making it more accessible and applicable. The lesson focused on the design of water channels used for transferring water from sources to farms, showcasing how engineers can create optimal water channels with different geometrical cross-sections for agricultural purposes. This approach allowed students to see the direct application of mathematics in the real-world. The lesson was conducted as a three-hour workshop and attended by 38 volunteer first-year engineering students at a Malaysian university. Data were collected through observations and interviews and analyzed using the thematic analysis method. Feedback from both the lecturers and the participating students indicated that this teaching method significantly enhanced their conceptual understanding of mathematical optimization. Moreover, it fostered the development of problem-solving skills in real-world scenarios, bridging the gap between engineering and mathematics.

Despite an increased number of case studies simulating social problems in the classroom, due attention has been rarely paid to social dilemma games in light of teaching the key concepts of sociology. We propose a paper-and-pencil experiment designed for sizeable students to simultaneously explore various conditions of sustainable cooperation in a Prisoner's Dilemma game, with five steps of in-class activities presented in details. We evaluate experimental results quantitatively and the usefulness of game-based learning on the basis of debriefing interviews. Beside positive effects of repeated dyadic interaction and direct communications on cooperation, it is shown that sharing a common goal with group members in the presence of intergroup competition tends to strengthen reputation-based indirect reciprocity. Students seem to learn more deeply and see wider relevance as a product of engaging in the experiment, generating findings from the simulated data, and associating them with real-world examples of reciprocity. Our case study on teaching social dilemma through a simple but novel classroom experiment may provide valuable information to educators and practitioners interested in the effective use of economic games as an interactive teaching method for undergraduates in the setting of higher education.

In this study, an in-person simulated role play as a worthwhile approach in preparation for work-integrated learning (WIL) through a theater and reality of the board (TROB) pedagogical model is explored. Students participated in a twelve week, in-semester TROB program, acting out in-person board room positions, such as Chair and Secretary before observing a real boardroom meeting. One hundred and seventy pre- and post-survey responses were elicited from international business and engineering postgraduate students to ascertain perceived employability skill growth when undertaking a TROB program. Based on the findings, two recommendations are highlighted. The first, to consider in-person simulated work-integrated learning role play (SWILRP) as a viable approach in preparation for WIL that includes industry stakeholder engagement and second, to teach and assess self-reflection through a TROB pedagogical model as a key employability skill outcome.

In recent years, simulations in education and teaching were done within simulation centers. They are a powerful tool for having a particular professional experience in a controlled and safe environment. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, simulations have been conducted fully online. Therefore, the current study examined the effect of simulation training that is only online regarding its experience and learning as compared to online simulation training after face-to-face training. For this study, 138 students participated in online simulation after face-to-face training, and 299 students participated in online simulation only. Participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire constructed according to the Kirkpatrick model. Findings indicated that about 40% of the participants preferred online simulations and that about 60% of the participants preferred face-to-face simulation. There was no significant difference in learning outcomes for either. The participants' preference for an online workshop was related to the emotional components in the workshop, especially safety and well-being. While there was no effect for having prior preparation for the workshop, participants who participated with an actor gave higher scores in all parameters. The findings attest to the effectiveness of using an online, familiar, simple-to-operate, and relatively inexpensive platform, and allow for informed decisions about its continued use for the benefit of physically remote populations.

Practice makes perfect…this saying is a popular cliché, but it has validity when referencing the abundance of practice necessary to learn and master a new technique or skill. Like playing a game, honing a skill, or using a new technique, teaching requires practice to learn and improve. Working with preservice STEM teachers (PSTs), my goal was to develop ways for PSTs to practice teaching to gain experience, hone skills, and learn new techniques. This narrative describes the process undertaken to create a virtual microteaching opportunity that will provide PSTs practice time and additional teaching experience.

Digital anatomy programs such as the Primal Program™, BodyViz™, Complete Anatomy™, or Cengage™, provide rich learning opportunities with the ability to remove anatomical layers, highlight specific structures, and rotate images. However, supporting the diverse learning styles of today's anatomy students requires more than access to digital learning tools. This article describes sequential changes made in an anatomy course for a doctor of physical therapy (DPT) program. The DPT program moved from cadaver dissection to digital anatomy in the years 2020-2023. The most significant change was moving from the cadaver table, where there was rich student engagement during dissection, to a robust digital program with less student interaction and more screen learning. Throughout this transition, additional learning modalities were added. Tutorial stations were the most effective learning modality developed. At each station, faculty taught a focused topic (e.g. rotator cuff muscles), using multiple modalities such as a mounted skeleton, digital program, and Therabands™ to simulate muscles. Students learned how to integrate modalities and benefited from active engagement as faculty asked questions. These tutorial stations reinstated the learning environment of the cadaver tables and were optimal when students were allowed as much time as needed to gain confidence at each station. A post-survey sent to all enrolled students in the course each year identified the tutorial stations as the most preferred learning modality in 2023. To summarize, moving to a digital learning paradigm benefits from creative problem solving and persistent effort to support diverse student learning styles and student engagement.

In an ever-changing emotional, psychological, and physically developing world of education, it is important for educators to adapt creative skills to meet learners' needs. It is paramount for educators to develop creative skills to meet the needs of their learners and demonstrate effective classroom management. There is a gap between preservice teacher preparation and the reality of the day-to-day demands of educators. Game-based learning can provide a measure to fill that gap by providing a simulated experience for preservice teachers to encounter possible challenging scenarios. This concept of educational gameplay uses interactive learning that can improve the classroom response to behavioral issues (Bada & Olusegun, 2015). Learning during play is a far superior form of training in that it stimulates multiple learning resources and can create connections that will last longer for most (Resnick, 2017). Educational games can spark creativity (Dyson et al., 2016) and enhance the preservice teacher learning experience (Johnson & Kim, 2021). This research asked how gameplay may affect the creative self-efficacy of educators in hypothetical classroom management situations. In this experimental design, a randomized cluster block was used to explore the impact on a self-report measure of creative self-efficacy before and after participants played a card game simulating challenging student behavior.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the impacts of using scaffolded clinical simulations on nursing students' confidence in clinical reasoning, clinical judgment, and critical thinking skills. Next, we also attempted to gain insights into students' perceptions of the benefits of scaffolded clinical simulations. Method: We used a mixed-methods research design to investigate the impacts of using scaffolded clinical simulations on 133 second-semester baccalaureate nursing students' confidence in clinical reasoning, clinical judgment, and critical thinking skills. Results: Findings from this study indicate that students who perceived the benefits of scaffolded simulation activities (i.e., peer observations, debriefings, and self-reflections) were more likely to engage in this deep learning process, which in turn led to their higher confidence in clinical reasoning, clinical judgment, and critical thinking skills. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that scaffolded simulations in psychiatric clinical settings, coupled with the novice to expert model in nursing education, are a valuable tool for preparing nursing students for the rigors of clinical practice, despite decreased in-person client experiences in nursing programs. Implications: This study has implications for designing and implementing scaffolded clinical simulations that foster clinical judgment and help students perform tasks with which they are already familiar, while new responsibilities are introduced throughout the semester.

This paper describes an experiential, simulation-based learning activity designed to encourage graduate education students' development of empathy for and awareness of diverse student populations. In order to allow students to take the "role of the other," they were placed into different situations where they had to complete a simple activity with some simulated element experienced by a different audience. Those differences included visual impairments, auditory impairments, dyslexia, and serving as English learners. The empathy activity was situated in a course that centered around designing multimedia for learning and included the instruction of the design thinking process and designing for universal audiences as well. Upon completion of the simulated experience, students reflected with the group about their thoughts, feelings, struggles, and the implications of their experience on the future of their designs in instructional technology and teacher education. Throughout this design case, we discovered that taking thoughtful design measures into consideration can help instruct challenging and difficult abstract concepts such as empathy.

The study aims to develop speech interaction skills in language learning of pre-service restaurant managers with focus on professional skills -- decision-making in conflict and non-conflict communication situations using business simulation games; to explore the effectiveness of GPTChat as a tool for the development of students' speech interaction competence in the context of business simulation games. A mixed research design was employed which involved 44 pre-service restaurant managers of the National University of Food technologies (Kyiv, Ukraine) in 2023. The quantitative research method was used to assess the students' level of speech interaction competence using the Fisher Criterion. The qualitative research method was used for analyzing and interpreting data of the experimental learning. The results showed that the pre-service restaurant managers who were consulted by teachers, used GPTChat and business simulation games for developing their speech interaction and decision-making skills had higher results than those who only used GPTChat. It has been found that business simulation games allow pre-service restaurant managers to better understand the nature of conflict and non-conflict situations in their professional field, develop speech interaction competence, practice in decision-making in simulation environment. GPTChat can be used as a tool for creating various professional situations, analysing the algorithms of decision-making in conflict and non-conflict situations.

Rehearsals have become an increasingly popular pedagogy to support preservice teachers in developing competency in enacting challenging instructional practices and communicating associated pedagogical commitments. To understand how best to support learners participating in rehearsals, researchers have begun to analyse the facilitation of teacher educators leading such pedagogy. These studies have revealed a variety of ways teacher educators can structure rehearsals. We contribute to this emerging body of knowledge by studying the facilitation of rehearsals in the context of professional development with experienced teachers. Our results expand researchers' understanding of the facilitation of rehearsals in three ways. First, our analysis revealed a range of new ways teacher educators can structure rehearsal interactions. This elaboration and refinement of earlier descriptions offers a variety of new tools for teacher educators to use when leading rehearsals. Second, we categorise these different structures based on their purpose and present three dimensions that contrast the different facilitation choices available. Such an organisation provides a framework that has the potential to aid teacher educators to be more purposeful as they consider the type of interactions they would like to support as well as researchers studying rehearsals to better understand the rationale and effect of such decisions. Third, our reflection about our choices in how we structured interactions when working with experienced teachers presents an example of how the facilitation of rehearsals might be adapted to better respond to the needs and strengths of in-service teachers.

We consider the statistical inference for noisy incomplete binary (or 1-bit) matrix. Despite the importance of uncertainty quantification to matrix completion, most of the categorical matrix completion literature focuses on point estimation and prediction. This paper moves one step further toward the statistical inference for binary matrix completion. Under a popular nonlinear factor analysis model, we obtain a point estimator and derive its asymptotic normality. Moreover, our analysis adopts a flexible missing-entry design that does not require a random sampling scheme as required by most of the existing asymptotic results for matrix completion. Under reasonable conditions, the proposed estimator is statistically efficient and optimal in the sense that the Cramer-Rao lower bound is achieved asymptotically for the model parameters. Two applications are considered, including (1) linking two forms of an educational test and (2) linking the roll call voting records from multiple years in the United States Senate. The first application enables the comparison between examinees who took different test forms, and the second application allows us to compare the liberal-conservativeness of senators who did not serve in the Senate at the same time.

Simulated treatment comparison (STC) is an established method for performing population adjustment for the indirect comparison of two treatments, where individual patient data (IPD) are available for one trial but only aggregate level information is available for the other. The most commonly used method is what we call 'standard STC'. Here we fit an outcome model using data from the trial with IPD, and then substitute mean covariate values from the trial where only aggregate level data are available, to predict what the first of these trial's outcomes would have been if its population had been the same as the second. However, this type of STC methodology does not involve simulation and can result in bias when the link function used in the outcome model is non-linear. An alternative approach is to use the fitted outcome model to simulate patient profiles in the trial for which IPD are available, but in the other trial's population. This stochastic alternative presents additional challenges. We examine the history of STC and propose two new simulation-based methods that resolve many of the difficulties associated with the current stochastic approach. A virtue of the simulation-based STC methods is that the marginal estimands are then clearly targeted. We illustrate all methods using a numerical example and explore their use in a simulation study.

Preparing special education preservice teachers (PTs) to serve students with autism includes understanding theoretical foundations of teaching strategies and developing competency in applying the resulting knowledge and strategies within teaching settings. The current pilot study explored the Internet-Based Parent-implemented Communication Strategies (i-PiCS) program, targeting evidence-based teaching practices, as an alternative training method in an autism field-experience course conducted online during the COVID-19 lockdown. The purpose of the pilot study was to explore changes in PTs' knowledge, confidence, and implementation of naturalistic communication teaching strategies in a pre- and postfield-experience course. The participants were nine females enrolled in a 3rd-year special education teacher preparation program. A multimethod assessment was utilized, including self-rating questions, knowledge quizzes, video-model analysis, and videotaped teaching simulations. Quantitative data were graphically displayed and compared. Teaching simulations were analyzed qualitatively. The results showed that all PTs improved the identification of instructional steps. Self-rating of knowledge and confidence level improved as well. Five PTs improved the accuracy of evaluating the instructional steps, albeit the level of fidelity of implementation improved only mildly. We conclude that i-PiCS could be useful for training PTs in a special education program. We discuss the limitations of the current application of i-PiCS and the appropriate implementation modalities that could be further explored.

What is the optimal penalty for errors in infant skill learning? Behavioral analyses indicate that errors are frequent but trivial as infants acquire foundational skills. In learning to walk, for example, falling is commonplace but appears to incur only a negligible penalty. Behavioral data, however, cannot reveal whether a low penalty for falling is beneficial for learning to walk. Here, we used a simulated bipedal robot as an embodied model to test the optimal penalty for errors in learning to walk. We trained the robot to walk using 12,500 independent simulations on walking paths produced by infants during free play and systematically varied the penalty for falling--a level of precision, control, and magnitude impossible with real infants. When trained with lower penalties for falling, the robot learned to walk farther and better on familiar, trained paths and better generalized its learning to novel, untrained paths. Indeed, zero penalty for errors led to the best performance for both learning and generalization. Moreover, the beneficial effects of a low penalty were stronger for generalization than for learning. Robot simulations corroborate prior behavioral data and suggest that a low penalty for errors helps infants learn foundational skills (e.g., walking, talking, and social interactions) that require immense flexibility, creativity, and adaptability.

Eye tracking research technologies are often used to study how individuals attend visually to different types of AAC displays (e.g. visual scene displays, grid displays). The assumption is that efficiency of visual search may relate to efficiency of motor selection necessary for communication via aided AAC; however, this assumption has not received direct empirical study. We examined the relation between speed of visual search and speed of motor selection of symbols. Ten individuals on the autism spectrum (AS; Study 1) and nine with Down syndrome (DS; Study 2) participated in a search task using simulated AAC displays with a main visual scene display (VSD) and a navigation bar of thumbnail VSDs. Participants were given an auditory prompt to find one of four thumbnail VSDs in the navigation bar. Eye tracking technologies measured how long it took participants to fixate visually on the thumbnail VSD, and recorded how long it took participants to select the thumbnail VSD with a finger. A statistically significant relationship emerged between visual fixation and selection latencies, confirming the positive relationship between visual processing and motor selection for both groups of participants. Eye tracking data may serve as a useful proxy measure for evaluating how display design influences selection of AAC symbols, especially when individuals are unwilling or unable to comply with traditional behaviorally-based assessment tasks.

Purpose: The study explored how PSTs perceived a learning design, using a decision simulator, a self-reflection guide and a peer mentoring guide as tools to mediate reflections on approaches to the teacher's role. The individual characteristics of PSTs were also considered, including role clarity, self-efficacy and affective commitment, as predictors of the learning design's perceived relevance. Design/methodology/approach: Informed by earlier research exploring the teacher's role, a scenario-based simulation was supported by a tool for self-reflection on the results and a peer mentoring tool for the further development of an individual's teaching role. Using structural equation modelling, the study assessed the statistical strength of the relationships between relevant factors to explore how a decision simulator and associated research-based tools were perceived by preservice teachers (PSTs). Findings: The results indicate that regardless of PSTs' individual characteristics, the decision simulator and associated peer mentoring tools have the potential to enhance learning and reflection. Therefore, the proposed approach can facilitate peer mentoring and enhance PSTs' learning potential. Originality/value: The paper explores the use of innovative approaches to mentoring by introducing peer mentoring grounded in experiences using a decision simulator.

While research has explored pre-service teacher views and experiences with disability simulations, none thus far has centered those that decide how and why such simulations are used, namely, teacher educators. Our research explores physical education teacher educator views and experiences of visual impairment simulations, as well as their perspectives toward simulations after reading reflections of visually impaired people themselves about this pedagogical task. Vignettes describing teacher educators' use of simulations, together with the narratives of visually impaired people about simulations, were used during individual interviews with eight physical education teacher educators to support them to reflect on their own views and experiences of visual impairment simulations. All qualitative data that were generated from these interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically. Nearly all participants, at first, discussed the value of visual impairment simulations, focusing specifically on how they could support pre-service teachers to 'know', 'understand' and 'feel' how physical education is experienced by visually impaired people. Once the narratives of visually impaired people were introduced and discussed during interview, they went some way to supporting some participants to critically reflect on the ethics, authenticity, and pedagogical potential of disability simulations for preparing pre-service teachers for teaching visually impaired students. Whether engagement with the narratives of visually impaired people about simulation, or indeed anything else relating to their embodied views and experiences of physical education, will influence the way that teacher educators think about disability, visual impairment, inclusion, physical education, or teacher education in the long-term is for future research to explore.

This study introduces a modular teaching framework for business data analytics (BDA) curricula and programs. The framework integrates gamification features of the SAP business processes, ERPsim Games, and SAP data warehousing into the experiential learning of BDA curricula. The pedagogical practices of deploying the framework in an undergraduate BDA course are reported and assessed in virtual and face-to-face teaching modalities. The assessment shows that integrating the framework in business pedagogies enhances the BDA learning experience and teaching effectiveness. The paper concludes with the theoretical and practical implications of the study for business educators and practitioners in BDA learning, teaching, and training. The limitations and future research avenues of the study are discussed.

This teaching tip describes a novel simulation, the Business Information Systems Simulation, designed for teaching information systems concepts. Created with "Capsiminbox," the simulation places students in the role of a retail store manager who is assigned a leadership role in a strategically important pilot project to develop an app. Throughout the simulation, the student uses critical thinking skills to make decisions (grounded on the Rational Decision-Making Model) that must incorporate the company's Code of Conduct and satisfy various stakeholders. Later, the student leads their store through the response to a data breach. While encompassing many Information Systems concepts, the simulation challenges students to use their business rather than technical knowledge. A peer review, student survey, and analysis of skill scores demonstrate the simulation's effectiveness.

The data we encounter in real life often contain missing values. In sampling methods, missing value imputation is done with different methods. This article proposes novel logarithmic type imputation methods for estimating the population mean in the presence of missing data under ranked set sampling (RSS). According to the determined theoretical results, the proposed imputation methods are found to be the most efficient in comparison to popularly known imputation methods like mean imputation, Al-Omari and Bouza (2014) imputation methods, Sohail et al. (2018) imputation methods, and Bhushan and Pandey (2016) type imputation methods utilizing RSS. Apart from this, a simulation study has been accomplished utilizing artificially drawn symmetric and asymmetric populations. The outcomes are encountered to be rather satisfactory, showing improvement over all existing imputation methods.

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) holds promise for enhancing the educational experience by providing personalized feedback and interactive simulations. While its integration into classrooms would improve education, concerns about how students may use AI in the class has prompted research on the perceptions related to the intention to implement GAI, such as perceived benefits, limitations and associated risks in teaching and learning practices. This study examines the perceptions of GAI among 366 students in the United Arab Emirates based on survey results. To do that, initially factor analysis was utilized to identify the relevant scales, followed by comparing the mean values for each scale based on the extent of agreement with the statement regarding students' willingness to use ChatGPT. The study revealed a high awareness among respondents regarding the benefits, limitations, and risks of using ChatGPT. The research confirms that awareness of potential benefits is related to the intention to use ChatGPT in the future. Contrary to expectations, a positive relationship was found between awareness of limitations and the intention to use ChatGPT, challenging traditional views that limitations act as barriers. Similarly, awareness of risks is positively related to the willingness to use ChatGPT, suggesting a nuanced relationship between risk perception and technology adoption in education. The current study provides new insights into the importance of informing individuals about the limitations and risks of ChatGPT, in addition to its benefits, as these factors are closely related to making a positive decision regarding its further usage.

Symmetry considerations are important in science, and Group Theory is a theory of symmetry. Classical Measurement Theory is the most used measurement theory in the social and behavioral sciences. In this article, the author uses Matrix Lie (Lee) group theory to formulate a measurement model. Symmetry is defined and illustrated using symmetries of the square. Then it is shown how a matrix group can represent the symmetries of the square. A brief introduction to Group Theory follows. Then four assumptions on which the Lie matrix group model of measurement is based are articulated. Formulation of the model follows. The notion of approximate symmetry is introduced, and a measure of approximate symmetry is proposed. It is shown CMT is a special case of the Lie matrix group model. A simulation is used to test invariances predicted from the Lie matrix group model. Finally, implications of this model are considered.