"Role Play" (web page; dead link but the information below remains useful) provides an overview of this teaching strategy, suggests application to courses, gives examples, and provides some tips for getting started:
1. Overview
- "In role playing activities participants act as various characters or roles."
- "Role playing activities encourage students to 'put themselves in another’s shoes' in order to act out a fictional scenario."
2. Application to All Courses
a. Critical Thinking
- "Develops empathy, new insights, and enlivens discussion."
- "Conveys information to stimulate discussion and communication."
- "Allows for a variety of situations and parameters such as model organizations, mock trials and legislatures, political discussions, human relationships, and foreign language scenarios."
b. Distance Education
- "Allows adult learners to bring personal experience into role play activities."
- "Asynchronous role playing activities allows for students to reflect and consider options while participating."
- "Online role playing can be structured to provide students with a greater degree of anonymity thus encouraging participation from all students."
c. Participation
- "Role playing activities garner attention, participation, and motivation from students."
3. Resources
a. "Tips for a Successful ... Roleplay" (6.36 m)
b. "How to Teach Using Role-Playing" (web page)
- Consider using Virtual Classroom assignment for this activity.
d. "Role Engagement and Anonymity in Synchronous Online Role Play" (online article)
