Length of Simulation & Class Time

The Interactive U.S. Government Simulation contains 5 individual Periods where students make decisions, with Period 0 being a Tutorial for students to establish a basic understanding of the simulation. Each Period can last about a week but can be condensed into 1 to 3 days (a general rule of thumb is that each period requires about 1.5 to 3 hours of work from the students). We recommend establishing a 7-day per Period schedule with a specific class day each week for students to hold meetings and negotiations in class or over web conferencing.

Period 0

Period 0 is a tutorial week that gets students acquainted with their role, student profile, and basic abilities in the simulation. Period 0 is a low-stakes scenario that can give students a small sim point boost heading into Period 1.

Periods 1 – 4

At the beginning of each Period in the U.S. Government Simulation, students receive a Period Briefing based on their role along with grading incentives that motivate them to act and take actions similar to their real-world counterparts. They gain key information that pertains to a larger storyline that connects students and facilitates collaboration and problem-solving within the U.S. political system. Instructors have access to each of the four Period Briefings for all roles in the instructor dashboard.

Suggested Base Knowledge of Students

No base knowledge is required; however, to maximize the learning experience for students, we recommend the simulation be started after students learn the basics of the course, such as “What is Congress?”, “What is the Executive Branch?”, and “What is the Bill of Rights?”. This makes the simulation an ideal Introduction to U.S. Government Textbook Supplement.

Time of Year to Use

Instructors use the simulation throughout the school year to engage their students. Many use it in the middle of the semester term to provide a connection with concepts before their final exam or as a final simulation debriefing presentation and essay assignment.

Class Assignments

Some assignments to attach to the simulation:

• Role Research Assignment: When registering, students are prompted to identify their level of extroversion and responsibility. They also choose their top 5 roles, and after submitting, the simulation takes all students’ information into account to assign roles. Prior to registering, students can research and provide reasons why they chose their top 5 roles in this simulation.
• Memos: Reflection is key in students’ understanding of their education, and Statecraft Simulations are no exception to the rule. Instructors can provide students with a list of memo prompts from which they can choose the one that applies to their unique experience on a weekly basis.
• Debrief Presentation: This presentation is designed to illuminate, for the entire class, key concepts that are experienced intensely by students. For example, members of Congress will most directly experience the pressures of seeking reelection and passing legislation, and these questions prompt members of Congress to share these experiences with others. It is recommended that you spend at least 30-60 minutes of class time focusing on debriefing after the simulation has concluded for the semester, and the debriefing presentation is a great guided exercise to facilitate this.

Student Engagement Tracking

To keep track of students’ decisions, there are multiple outlets for instructors to take advantage of:

• Weekly emails go straight to the instructor’s inbox and describe an overview of sim play, a list of students who are performing well, and a list of students who might need more encouragement.
• Within the instructor dashboard, there is a Student Events tab that lists every action a student takes and can be perused to gain an overview of the direction of the sim.
• Instructors can log into each student’s dashboard and read their messages and chats to see how students are interacting.

Grading

The following grading criteria is a basic recommendation and can be customized to fit your classroom needs:

• 5% – Simulation Performance: Students’ simulation performance score is out of 100 points possible and is based on their achievement of in-game goals. For example, members of Congress will earn points for reelection and achievement of policy goals. Details of students’ goals and an updated performance score throughout the simulation will be available on the student simulation dashboard and viewable by instructors. Students who achieve a score of 71-75 (out of 100), which implies satisfactory (though mediocre) performance, will receive full credit (5%). Higher scores will earn students up to 2.5% (0.5% per every 5 additional Sim Points) extra credit toward their course grade.
• 5% – Role Research Assignment: Students research the roles and submit an assignment that includes their top 5 roles, descriptions, duties, and why they are interested in each role.
• 10% – Simulation Participation: Students can connect the course materials more meaningfully to their U.S. Government class by writing weekly memos. Each completed memo per Period can count as 2% of their overall grade.
• 15%-25% – Debriefing Presentation: The debriefing presentation puts students into presentation teams with a representative from Congress, the Executive Bench, the Media, and an interest group. Students present on their 360-degree perspective of major simulation events. For example, part of the paper may ask them to describe conflicts between the President and Congress in the U.S. Government simulation and relate these to the Constitutional powers given to each branch of government. Students can explain their perspective from the simulation and answer questions as the class reflects on key moments in the simulation that influenced major simulation event outcomes. (Highly recommended, students love it)
• 10%-25% – Debriefing Paper: A paper that accompanies the debriefing presentation over the same topic. Students turn in their paper after they debrief the class on their chosen U.S. Government topic.

The Statecraft U.S. Government Simulation is a great addition to an Introduction to U.S. Government Course and serves as an excellent Introduction to U.S. Government Textbook Supplement, covering over 50 topics along with the essentials of U.S. Government Online textbooks.

US Government Syllabus Example – Example of how Statecraft is incorporated into a US Gov class

Instructor Manual – Manual for instructors to get started and setup their simulation

US Debriefing Assignments – 360 degree american political system presentation assignment. 

Tying Concepts to Class Guide – These lecture outlines cover topics that are commonly included in international relations and global politics courses. They provide suggestions for how the instructor can use examples from students’ experiences in Statecraft to illuminate key concepts and theories