Learning about Complex Systems from the Bottom Up: Role-Playing Together in a Participatory Simulation

The topic of learning through collaborative role-playing in computer-based participatory simulations of complex systems in STEM is presented. Participatory simulations are networked classroom activities aimed at learning about complex systems. In the process of learning, students query its underlying structure and explore its spatial, temporal and mathematical patterns in various conditions. The importance of understanding complex systems is highlighted, driving the main question in this chapter: How can we design learning experiences that support students’ deep learning of emergent systems? The motivations behind using participatory simulations and their various designs are described as well as some of the more central learning research, cumulating with five studies into designs for such activities in science. Based on this research, eight design principles are introduced and future research directions are proposed.