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In recent decades, a vast amount of literature has been published discussing the educational use of simulation games in higher education. Since their emergence in the 1960s, simulation games have had a substantial effect on the way we think about teaching and learning in higher education. One reason simulation games are regarded as superior to traditional teaching is that they encourage students to interact and collaborate. Simulation games can therefore be subsumed under Kolbs learning model of experiential learning referring to learning through experience. Experiential learning follows a recursive cycle of experiencing, reflecting, thinking and acting to increase students' learning motivation and learning success.

In the broader field of education, the added value of gaming in general is incrementally becoming more evident. A large number of articles from various fields have been published stating the benefits of simulation games in higher education. In spite of the success of gaming as a tool to foster learning, the way it affects learning success and learning motivation of students needs further clarification. In this paper, I want to contribute to the debate by critically examining whether, and if yes to what extent, the use of simulation games in higher education can lead to enhanced learning motivation and learning success. Based on the findings of existing literature, boosted students' interaction might be one key reason to explain the success of simulation games.

As a case study, I present empirical findings from the incorporation of a simulation game into a university course about climate change. The course is part of a Master program on interdisciplinary environmental science. The aim of the course is to teach students the basic knowledge about causes and effects of climate change with a special focus on the political understanding of the international negotiation process. The course is offered as a blended learning course combining a virtual collaboration phase with a three-day attendance seminar. For several years, this attendance seminar was comprised of students' presentations, scientific lectures and joint discussions. In 2015, we tested whether the use of a simulation game instead of classical teaching methods would affect the students' learning motivation and learning success. As our results indicate, the boosted student´s interaction increased through the use of the simulation games lead to an enhanced learning motivation and learning success.

As for the structure of the paper: In the first section, I discuss the potential benefits of simulation games for teaching in higher education. In the second section, I present how the simulation game was integrated and conducted during the course. In the third section, I present and critically examine the influence of the simulation game on the students' performance. To this end, I compare data from previous course evaluations with the recent course evaluation. To secure the reliability of the findings, an additional survey was conducted to gauge whether the simulation game was decisive for the variances in the regular evaluation. In the last section, I discuss the results in the wider context of simulation games in education.

"During his MAHE studies, the author became interested in the approach of problem-based learning (PBL) and its effectiveness in preparing students for employment. Using the existing data set of a major international graduate survey (CHEERS) about the relationships between higher education and employment, he analyzed the responses of altogether 3,476 graduates in the field of medicine from ten European countries and from Japan. The original questionnaire had included a question to what extent project- and problem-based learning was emphasized in their higher education Institution. It had also asked the respondents to rate their competencies at time of graduation based on altogether 36 indicators. The author used factor analysis to measure career success according to subjective/ intrinsic and objective/extrinsic dimensions and related it to the experiences of problem-based learning during studies. The analysis is able to demonstrate that problem-based learning prepares students better for the world of work and that students with experiences in problem-based learning have more work or employment related competences than students who experienced traditional learning and teaching styles. The author concludes that PBL requires a student-centred atmosphere in the classroom in order to enhance students' learning outcomes. Such a development would certainly fulfill one of the pressing demands of study reforms initiated in the context of the European Bologna Process." (excerpt)

"During his MAHE studies, the author became interested in the approach of problem-based learning (PBL) and its effectiveness in preparing students for employment. Using the existing data set of a major international graduate survey (CHEERS) about the relationships between higher education and employment, he analyzed the responses of altogether 3,476 graduates in the field of medicine from ten European countries and from Japan. The original questionnaire had included a question to what extent project- and problem-based learning was emphasized in their higher education Institution. It had also asked the respondents to rate their competencies at time of graduation based on altogether 36 indicators. The author used factor analysis to measure career success according to subjective/ intrinsic and objective/extrinsic dimensions and related it to the experiences of problem-based learning during studies. The analysis is able to demonstrate that problem-based learning prepares students better for the world of work and that students with experiences in problem-based learning have more work or employment related competences than students who experienced traditional learning and teaching styles. The author concludes that PBL requires a student-centred atmosphere in the classroom in order to enhance students' learning outcomes. Such a development would certainly fulfill one of the pressing demands of study reforms initiated in the context of the European Bologna Process." (excerpt).

Research suggests a link between students' social background, e.g. educational background of parents, academic self-efficacy expectations and study behaviour. Often, lower academic achievement is expected of those students' whose parents are characterized by lower educational background. Although digital media are prevalent in several areas of everyday life, their relevance for academic achievement is not satisfactorily explored. Furthermore, it remains largely unknown in this context whether media usage is related to social background factors. In consequence, it is important to investigate if existing inequalities in higher education are stable, further enhanced or even reduced by means of "digitalisation". The present study explores the relationships between individual, contextual as well as social background factors, with a special focus on academic and digital media self-efficacy expectations. Data was collected at four German universities in summer 2018 (n = 2039). Currently, data is analysed by means of structural equation models.

Data from 1994 interviews with 30 secondary school & university students in the humanities in St. Petersburg, Russia show how gender stereotypes impact their life goals & problem-solving strategies. The low wages & low status of the humanitarian professions in Russia place an increased economic & psychological burden on students of the humanities. The most significant problem they faced was alienation from both traditional Soviet values & the beliefs & institutions of the post-Soviet world. Motherhood & marriage were the primary concerns of female students, & the ideal partner was depicted as both emotionally & economically supportive. These women also sought professional success, but most were uncertain regarding how they would combine their professional & family responsibilities in the future. Economic independence, self-fulfillment, & social status were the fundamental concerns of male respondents, & many listed higher education as a means of achieving these goals & avoiding military service. Most men saw family & marriage as a threat to their independence. Both genders faced the problematic desire for independence & personal growth in an environment of economic insecurity that threatened to undermine these goals. T. Sevier

The notion of virtual mobility has gained prominence not only in the field of distance education. Virtual mobility is entrenched in the idea to enable students to exchange and collaborate with teachers and fellow students from other countries by the means of the latest information and communication technologies (ICT). In this paper, we argue that especially non-traditional students regularly found in distance education can benefit from virtual mobility as they are normally omitted from regular exchange programs. However, hitherto there is little empirical data about how to best implement virtual mobility in courses in distance education. We therefore present our own experiences with developing a university course which implemented virtual mobility. The course brings together students from two Master programmes in Finland and Germany. We used the ADDIE model which allowed us to tailormade the course striving to enhance the learning experience of the students. Seamless learning, problem-based learning and peer-assessment were implemented as activities to spur the students' interaction and thereby enriching their experience with virtual mobility. The results of our evaluation are twofold. First, students indicate a high level of satisfaction with the instructional course design, the different activities and the collaboration with fellow students from abroad. Second, the results suggest that students need additional assistance as well as skill improvement and training to be able to perform eLearning. In a nutshell, the ADDIE model proved to be valuable for instructional course design by allowing testing and evaluating the merits and risks of a course with virtual mobility.

Examines the experiences of Haitian teachers in Montreal, Quebec, where the large Haitian population has created unique challenges for public schools. Arguments for & against culturally congruent education are discussed, & two programs designed to provide a Haitian-focused learning environment by emphasizing the role of Haitian teachers are described. In-depth interviews conducted in 1995 with 13 Haitian-origin teachers, well informed about issues related to improving the educational experience of Haitian students, indicate that, although these teachers pointed out the harm that can result from misunderstandings of Haitian culture, they did not see mainstream schooling as a racist barrier to minority students. In fact, most respondents favored a universalistic approach to education, but viewed culturally appropriate teaching methods as an integral part of it. They perceived their role with Haitian students as primarily a motivational one aimed at helping students achieve success in mainstream institutions. Struggles involved in trying to balance a sense of communal obligation with a personal identity as a professional educator are examined. 42 References. J. Lindroth

Studienerfolg und Studienverlauf in Bachelorstudiengängen wurden im USuS-Projekt mit dem Impetus empirisch untersucht, Hürden zu verringern und fördernde Faktoren zu stärken, damit Hochschulbildung all denen offen steht, die sie wollen (zu evidenzbasierter Hochschulpolitik vgl. Kapitel 6.4). Dies bedeutet, die Bologna-Realität als Fakt zu nehmen. Und dieses Faktum wird nicht nur gemessen an dem, was es sein will, sondern auch an dem, was es sein könnte: eine Reform, die die in Deutschland besonders enge Verbindung zwischen Herkunft und Bildungserfolg lockern, Potenziale erschließen und die individuelle mit einer institutionellen Entwicklung koppeln könnte. "Zukunft darf nicht von Herkunft abhängen", so ein von einem der bildungspolitischen Sprecher der Grünen in Umlauf gebrachter Slogan, der eine philosophische Erkenntnis von Kierkegaard, die auch der Bourdieuschen Habitustheorie zugrunde liegt, provokativ in sein bildungspolitisches Gegenteil verkehrt (keine Zukunft ohne Herkunft).

Die Schlüsselrolle des domänenspezifischen, leistungsbezogenen Selbstkonzepts für die Vorhersage schulischer Lernprozesse und Leistungen ist seit Längerem international sowie für den deutschsprachigen Raum empirisch belegt (Marsh/Trautwein/ Lüdtke/Köller/Baumert 2005; Helmke/van Aken 1995; Rost/Dickhäuser/Sparfeldt/ Schilling 2004; Valentine/DuBois/Cooper 2004). Dabei wirkt das Leistungsselbstkonzept grundsätzlich nicht direkt auf die Leistung von Lernenden, sondern über unterschiedliche komplexe Mediationsmechanismen, die wiederum das leistungs- und lernrelevante Verhalten beeinflussen (Helmke 1992). Im vorliegenden Beitrag werden diese Annahmen analysiert. Es wurden Lernende aus 24 Klassen berufsbildender mittlerer und höherer Schulen (BMHS) in Österreich einbezogen. Ziel ist es, den Einfluss des Leistungsselbstkonzepts auf das Lernverhalten und den Lernerfolg im Fach Rechnungswesen zu ermitteln.