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The article begins with an abbreviated CV of the author and then recounts the formation of Society for the Advancement of Games and Simulation in Education and Training (SAGSET) and the early days of simulation and gaming in the United Kingdom. Four strands of elements of development are described together with the key events of the 1970s and 1980s. The author draws attention to the way in which simulation and gaming have moved from loosely directed events based on fun and interaction toward a more academic and analytical approach but speculates that these trends may be starting to be reversed.

Provides guidelines for coping with common problems in using role play, including overcoming resistance, making the role play relevant, overcoming reluctance to perform, handling role-acting aspects, writing the brief and roles, presenting necessary information, handling problems, and debriefing. The importance of debriefing is emphasized, and this aspect is discussed in detail. (two references) (MES)

Like many others, I stumbled into simulation and gaming by chance. In my case, the chance was called Ed Berman, and the year was 1971. Perhaps because of Ed's ebullient [...]

This article discusses findings from a small-scale, exploratory study into teaching methods used by UK university adult and continuing education tutors and into how these methods were perceived and experienced by a sample of students. The initial aim was to uncover trends in usage of experiential methods, but both students and tutors were more concerned about pigeonholing different teaching and learning methods, with labels such as 'experiential' and 'interactive.' Not many tutors used role-play, simulation, and games on a regular basis. The types of materials frequently discussed in the pages of Simulation & Gaming were conspicuous by their absence. A number of reasons were given for this, including the expectations and preferences of adult students. This became the focus of the second part of the research, which found that more traditional methods, especially lectures, predominated, with only a few respondents having experience of any others. There were some negative opinions and perceptions of more experiential methods, even among those who had never experienced them, as well as some confusion in the minds of the students. Students preferred what is described here as the 'interactive lecture,' where they can participate within the framework of what remains a tutor-led learning situation. KEYWORDS: adult education; continuing education; evaluation; experiential; interactive; student control; student participation; teaching methods; traditional teaching.