Interactive learning environments can provide learners with opportunities to explore rich, real-world problem spaces, but the nature of these problem spaces can make assessing learner progress difficult. Such assessment can be useful for providing formative and summative feedback to the learners, to educators, and to the designers of the…

Discussion of the use of computer simulation in the social sciences highlights types of simulation strategies and their combinations in comprehensive simulations. The strengths and weaknesses of simulations as instructional and research tools are examined, examples are given, and design issues arising in each type are explored. (29 references)…