ABSTRACT
Simulations are important to learning to solve problems. The previous chapters in this section of the book describe the use of cases for helping learners to understand the problem that they are trying to solve and generate meaningful solutions. This chapter describes the use of cases as simulations that will allow learners to practice solving the problem, that is, to try out those solutions. Learning to solve problems requires that learners be able to manipulate the problem elements in some way, that is, to manipulate parameters, make decisions, and affect the environment in some way in order to test the effects of their solutions. Simulation cases provide students the opportunity to interact with a representation of the problem. The form of the simulation will depend on the nature of the activity required to solve the problem. Learners should be directly engaged by the problem that they are exploring so they can experiment with the problem factors and immediately see the results of their experiments. This engagement is best supported by simulations of different kinds.
