Learning by Doing: A Comprehensive Guide to Simulations, Computer Games, and Pedagogy in e-Learning and Other Educational Experiences

When it comes to education and training, computer games change everything.  Generations of game creators have raised the bar on engagement, and opened the door to new types of material that can be formally learned. At the same time, leading academic, corporate, and military instructors have developed new types of interactive content.  Most have worked dramatically better than the traditional alternatives, if only in specific situations.

Designed for learning professionals and drawing on both game creators and instructional designers, Learning by Doing explains how to select, research, build, sell, deploy, and measure the right type of educational simulation for the right situation.  It covers simple approaches that use basic or no technology through projects on the scale of computer games and flight simulators. 

The book role models content as well, written accessibly with humor, precision, interactivity, and lots of pictures.  Many will also find it a useful tool to improve communication between themselves and their customers, employees, sponsors, and colleagues.  As John Coné, former chief learning officer of Dell Computers, suggests, “Anyone who wants to lead or even succeed in our profession would do well to read this book.”

Clark Aldrich has been called an “e-learning Guru” by Fortune Magazine, “Visionary of the Industry” by Training magazine, and a member of “Training’s New Guard” by the American Society of Training and Development for his roles as an e-learning analyst, consultant, and designer. He was the lead designer of SimuLearn’s Virtual Leader (Best Online Product of the Year, Training Media Review in Training & Development magazine, 2004) and author of Simulations and the Future of Learning. Aldrich has been a subject-matter expert on e-learning and simulations for almost every major news source, including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, CBS, CNET, Business 2.0, CNN, and U.S. News and World Report. Previously, he was the research director that had created and was topic leader for Gartner’s e-learning coverage. He lives in Madison, Connecticut.