The role of simulations in the authentic learning for national security policy development: implications for practice

The National Security College of the Australian National University has commissioned this report to examine the following areas: (1) the place of authentic learning in postgraduate education; (2) the methods used to simulate policy development, and related activities like strategy planning, in educational environments relevant to national security policy-making; (3) policy simulation methods that could enhance learning at the college and similar institutions, including teaching skills, technology and resource implications; (4) the roles of technology in enhancing learning in policy development simulations; and (5) ways to assess learning effectiveness through simulation. The aim of this report is therefore to provide the college with an evidence-based case and examples of practice that illustrate the use of authentic learning and simulations in postgraduate and on-campus learning environments relevant to applied national security policy education. The report presents the findings of a literature review alongside a set of selected examples of authentic and simulation-based learning. The main conclusions are as follows: there is a place for authentic learning in postgraduate education; there are many methods that over many years continue to be successfully used to simulate policy development in areas relevant to national security policy-making; and there are a number of proven policy simulation methods that could enhance learning at the college and similar institutions which, like all learning methods, have their own resource and professional development implications. Findings in relation to the roles of technology in enhancing learning in policy development simulations and assessing learning effectiveness through simulation are also discussed. In conclusion, the report makes seven recommendations that indicate the significant opportunities that authentic learning and simulations offer to the college as well as some of its challenges.

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