The purpose of this research was to explore how effective the bottom-up approach to producing and shaping educational legislation is in Ukraine and to identify what observed changes take place in students if the bottom-up approach is simulated in the classroom. Qualitative instruments and observational data were used to yield the data. Those were…

Agent-based models combine data and theory during both development and use of the model. As models have become increasingly data driven, it is easy to start thinking of agent-based modelling as an empirical method, akin to statistical modelling, and reduce the role of theory. We argue that both types of information are important where the past is…

A simulation of the foreign policy decision-making process, as described in this article, can assist an instructor in linking students' abstract understanding of complex political events, circumstances, and decision making to the real-world interplay of the multiple factors involved in decision making. It is this type of active learning that helps…

The poliheuristic (PH) theory of decision making has made important contributions to our understanding of political decision making but remains silent about certain key aspects of the decision process. Specifically, PH theory contends that leaders screen out politically unacceptable options, but it provides no guidance on (1) the crucial threshold…

This manual was developed to provide an overview of participative planning for community improvement and to suggest when and how to use games to achieve desired results. It is intended as a tool for the development of relevant activities which will result in innovative solutions to community problems. The manual is organized in four sections. In…

This simulation can be used to help secondary students examine the national and global energy issue. Students role-play various groups, including the Departments of Energy and Transportation, the U.S. Automobile Manufacturer's Association, oil lobby groups, conservation groups, citizen groups, a solar lobbying organization, and a nuclear power…

This simulation study determined whether the value positions taken by 3 college constituency groups (faculty, students, and community boards) on problems in curriculum, student affairs, and personnel influenced decisions made by administration groups. (Author)

Subjects were asked to allocate resources to one of several courses of action and their commitment was measured following a financial setback. Individuals may process information differently after a failure as opposed to a success and this differential processing may account for differences in commitment to policy decisions. (Author/IRT)

The model considered in this paper, the G.A.M.E. Educational Planning Model, provides a means of studying the interrelationships among education, manpower, and the economy. The model was originally constructed for use at the Training Seminar, Global Accounts for Manpower and Education (G.A.M.E.), held in Dublin, Ireland, September 4-20, 1967.…

Describes the Food and Health Policy Game, an educational board game designed primarily for community health physicians and health education officers, to show how a food and health policy might be implemented to promote healthy diets and preventive medicine by the National Health Service. (MBR)

The attractive features of various strategies for resolving a simulated commons dilemma (a paradox in which a long-term benefit requires the individual to forego immediate gain) were determined in conditions where 40 groups of college age participants (total number = 136) were acting as a world policy making body or local advisory group when there…

The Academic Game, considered a valuable exercise for academics and administrators in investigating some of the problems of decision-making and possible ways of facilitating organizational decisions, is described. The major objective of the game is to achieve on agreed promotion policy. The roles and organization structure are designed to ensure…

A Rand evaluation of activity and products of gaming, model-building, and simulation carried out under the auspices of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency aimed not only to assess the usefulness of gaming in military-political policymaking, but also to contribute to the definition of common standards and the refinement of objectives for…

This paper explains some of the problems with, and their importance to the application of, the Cross-Impact Matrix (CIM). The CIM is a research method designed to serve as a heuristic device to enhance a person's ability to think about the future and as an analytical device to be used by planners to help in actually forecasting future occurrences.…