To Hell with the Cell: The Case for Immersive Statecraft Education

Current wargaming techniques are effective training and research instruments for military scenarios with fixed tools and boundaries on the problem. Control cells composed of officiants adjudicating and evaluating moves enforce these boundaries. Real-world crises, however, unfold in several dimensions in a chaotic context, a condition requiring decision-making under deep uncertainty. In this article, we assess how pedagogical exercises can be designed to effectively capture this level of complexity and describe a new framework for developing deeply immersive exercises. We propose a method for designing crisis environments that are dynamic, deep, and decentralized (3D). These obviate the need for a control cell and enhance the usefulness of exercises in preparing military and policy practitioners by better replicating real-world decision-making dynamics. This paper presents the application of this 3D method, which integrates findings from wargame and negotiation simulation design into immersive crisis exercises. We share observations from the research, design, and execution of “Red Horizon,” an immersive crisis exercise held three times at Harvard University with senior civilian and military participants from multiple countries. It further explores connections to contemporary trends in international relations scholarship.

Exploring fear of appearing incompetent, competency pressure, tactics and perceptions in negotiations

Purpose This study aims to examine how the fear of appearing incompetent (FAI) and competency pressure relates to negotiation tactics and subjective perceptions in a negotiation. Design/methodology/approach Using a dyadic buyer/seller negotiation simulation and pre- and post-negotiation questionnaires, we assessed FAI, competency pressure, tactics and subjective perceptions of the negotiation. Mediation models were tested using path analysis adapted from Hayes (2013) PROCESS procedures. MPlus “complex” multi-level function was used to account for non-independence of observations. Findings Results indicated that those with a higher FAI perceive more competency pressure, which is associated with greater use of competitive tactics (e.g. misrepresenting own interest, holding back information, making unreasonable offers) and lesser use of cooperative tactics (e.g. sharing helpful information, making reasonable offers, compromising). Tactics used in the negotiation mediated the relationship between competency pressure and subjective perception of the negotiation, such that competitive tactics were negatively related, and cooperative tactics were significantly positively related to subjective perception of the negotiation. Research limitations/implications Reliability on the cooperative tactics measure was only minimally acceptable and all measures were self-report and collected during a single lab simulation session. Practical implications The findings suggest that relieving competency pressure in negotiation settings could open avenues for cooperation. Gaining expertise through formal negotiation training may be one way to accomplish this. Originality/value This is the first known study to investigate FAI and competency pressure in a negotiation setting. We draw on an emotion–cognition–behavior framework to show that FAI is associated with competency pressure thoughts, which predict negotiation behaviors. Further, this research lends support to the notion that competitive tactics are fundamental to the mental model of a negotiation.

Role-play simulations as an aid to achieve complex learning outcomes in hydrological science

Students in hydrology are expected to become proficient in a set of quantitative skills while also acquiring the ability to apply their problem-solving abilities in real-life situations. To achieve both these types of learning outcomes, there is broad evidence that activity-based learning is beneficial. In this paper, we argue that role-play simulations in particular are useful for achieving complex learning outcomes, i.e., making students able to coordinate and integrate various analytical skills in complicated settings. We evaluated the effects of an integrated water resources management (IWRM) negotiation simulation next to more traditional teaching methods intended to foster quantitative understanding. Results showed that despite similar student-reported achievement of both complex and quantitative intended learning outcomes, the students favored the negotiation simulation over the traditional method. This implies that role-play simulations can motivate and actively engage a classroom, thereby creating a space for potential deeper learning and longer retention of knowledge. While our findings support the utility of simulations to teach complex learning outcomes and indicate no shortcoming in achieving such outcomes next to traditional methods aimed at quantitative learning outcomes, simulations are still not widely used to foster activity-based learning in the classroom. We thus conclude by presenting three particularly challenging areas of role-play simulations as learning tools that serve as potential barriers to their implementation and suggest ways to overcome such roadblocks.

LITERASI MEDIA BARU MAHASISWA FAKULTAS AGAMA ISLAM UNIVERSITAS ISLAM RIAU

Abstrak Penelitian ini berjudul Literasi Media Baru Mahasiswa Falultas Agama Islam Universitas Islam Riau. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui tingkat literasi media baru Mahasiswa Fakultas Agama Islam Universitas Islam Riau. Jenis penelitian ini adalah deskriptif kuantitatif, dengan objek penelitian literasi media baru Mahasiswa Fakultas Agama Islam Universitas Islam Riau. Subjek penelitian ini adalah Mahasiswa Fakultas Agama Islam Universitas Islam Riau dengan responden berjumlah 89 orang. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa literasi media baru Mahasiswa Fakutas Agama Islam Universitas Islam Riau berada pada kategori sangat baik dengan persentase 79,81%. Hasil analisis data responden menunjukkan bahwa secara keseluruhan literasi media baru Mahasiswa Fakultas Agama Islam Universitas Islam Riau untuk masing-masing indikator berada pada kategori sangat baik hanya saja dengan persentase yang berbeda-beda. Jika dijabarkan per indikator maka didapatkan bahwa kemampuan tertinggi berada pada indikator Performance yaitu 84,41%. Kemudian di posisi ke dua yaitu indikator Play dengan persentase sebesar 82,96%. Di posisi ke tiga adalah indikator Networking dengan persentase sebesar 82,68%. Posisi ke empat adalah Visualisation dengan persentase sebesar 82,23%. Posisi ke lima dan ke enam ada pada indikator Distributed Cognition dan Transmedia Navigation dengan persentase masing-masing sebesar 81,60% dan 80,34%. Posisi ke tujuh adalah Negotiation dengan persentase sebesar 80,13%. Sisanya juga termasuk dalam kategori sangat baik namun dengan persentase di bawah 80%, yaitu di posisi delapan dan sembilan yang di tempati oleh Simulation dan Appropriation dengan persentase masing-masing sebesar 79,14% dan 78,93%. Indikator Judgment dengan persentase sebesar 78,00%, Collective Intelligence dengan persentase sebesar 77,67% dan peringkat terbawah ada pada indikator Multitasking dengan persentase sebesar 77,53%. Kata kunci: Literasi Media Baru, Mahasiwa Fakultas Agama Islam, Universitas Islam Riau Abstract The title of this research is new media literacy of undergraduate student in Faculty of Islamic Studies, Islamic University of Riau, Pekanbaru. This study aims to identify the level of new media literacy amongst students. This study conducts descriptive qualitative method by distributing questioner to 89 students and describing the result thoroughly. There are 12 indicators examined: performance, play, networking, visualization, distributed cognition, transmedia navigation, negotiation, simulation, appropriation, judgment, collective intelligence, and multi tasking. The result shows that students’ new media literacy is good. Around 79,81% students are able to perform new media literacy well. From all indicators, “performance” placed the highest score around 84,41% followed by play (82,96%), networking (82,68%), visualisation (82,23%), distributed cognition (81,60%), transmedia navigation (80,34%), negotiation (80,13%), simulation (79,14%), appropriation (78,93%), judgment (78,00%), collective intelligence (77,67%) and multitasking (77,53%). Keyword: New Media Literacy, Undergraduate Student in Faculty of Islamic Studies, Islamic University of Riau

Role-play simulations as an aid to achieve complex learning outcomes in hydrological science

Students in hydrology are expected to become proficient in a set of quantitative skills, while also acquiring the ability to apply their problem-solving abilities in real-life situations. To achieve both these types of learning outcomes, there is broad evidence that activity-based learning is beneficial. In this paper, we argue that role-play simulations in particular are useful to achieve complex learning outcomes, i.e., making students able to coordinate and integrate various analytical skills in complicated settings. We evaluated the effects of an integrated water resources management (IWRM) negotiation simulation next to more traditional teaching methods intended to foster quantitative understanding. Results showed that despite similar student-reported achievement of both complex and quantitative intended learning outcomes, the students favored the negotiation simulation over the traditional method. This implies that role-play simulations can motivate and actively engage a classroom thereby creating a space for potential deeper learning and longer retention of knowledge. While our findings support the utility of simulations to teach complex learning outcomes and indicate no shortcoming in achieving such outcomes next to traditional methods aimed at quantitative learning outcomes, simulations are still not widely used to foster activity-based learning in the classroom. We thus conclude by presenting three particularly challenging areas of role-play simulations as learning tools that serve as potential barriers to their implementation and suggest ways to overcome such roadblocks.