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

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Learning by Doing is the real thing, written by a man who has built simulations that actually work. Aldrich offers deep and lucid theory always accessibly packaged inside fully practical examples and applications. His new book is the best way available today to come to grips with changes that will eventually transform learning in our schools, workplaces, and society."
--James Paul Gee, author, What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy; professor, University of Wisconsin at Madison

"Clark Aldrich draws upon a vast array of resources, from higher education to the corporate world, from state-of-the-art computer games to live role plays to get a sense of where we can go in learning. Filled with practical suggestions and diverse examples, this book is a great read for educators of all types."
--Marshall S. Smith, director, education program, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

"Clark Aldrich has been in the e-learning trenches for years. Learning By Doing is a wonderful opportunity for you to learn from the problems, surprises, and successes he experienced."
--Tom M. Kelly, vice president, Internet Learning Solutions, Cisco

"Learning by Doing provides a comprehensive and informed review of the present and possible futures of simulations and learning games. It’s refreshing to see such a complex topic addressed with humor and scholarly acuity."
--Noah Falstein, formerly game designer and executive producer, LucasArts Entertainment and Dreamworks Interactive; freelance game and simulation designer, www.theinspiracy.com

"If you want to design a new learning experience or enhance existing content with game interactions and simulations, Aldrich presents you with a clear outline of your options."
--Margaret Corbit, research outreach, Cornell Theory Center, Cornell University

Product Description

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.”

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Pfeiffer (May 5, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787977357
• ISBN-13: 978-0787977351
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #445,765 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Encyclopedia of Educational Simulation Types, April 29, 2005

By	Bennett Wezniak "benwez" (Palo Alto, CA) - See all my reviews

Before buying this book, I listened to Aldrich's presentation at IT Conversations and read the review at Training Media Review, and if you are unsure, I would suggest you do the same. Aldrich also is an active contributor to the blog at Learning Circuits.

I manage both classroom trainers and e-learning developers, and I needed to get a handle on simulations.

This book does that. It is a well-illustrated encyclopedia of different types of educational simulations (what Aldrich calls genres), what they are, what they look like, what they do and don't do, and how to buy, build (mostly), and deploy them. The simulations in Learning By Doing range from simple models that both my e-learning and even classroom people will use immediately, to medium complexity approaches that we may plan to use over the next year, to very complex types that are interesting and shed light but that I will never deploy personally.

However, unlike a traditional encyclopedia, Aldrich brings a writing style that is fun to read and full of humor (with the notable exception of the appendixes, which are a bit dry.

The book deals very specifically with the different approaches, but at a "one-level" up from the actual technical implementation. There are architectures and flow charts, but not examples of actual code. This is probably inevitable considering how many different media are covered (video vs. Flash vs. DirectX for example). The good news is that this makes it a very accessible text for clients and strategists, and yet still very helpful (if not in and if itself sufficient) for developers.

I am currently asking my entire staff to read through this, and will ask some partners as well.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A , May 5, 2005

By	Dan Gregory (Wake Forest, NC USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Clark Aldrich's book, Learning by Doing, is a "must read" for anyone wanting to implement an effective learning strategy in today's business environment. Clark keeps readers engaged as he systematically lays the foundation for anyone to easily understand the simulation genre along with practical uses and potential pitfalls. His extensive knowledge and experience have enabled him to communicate the most complex simulation nuances in effective and memorable ways. He has put together one of the best simulations books I have read to date... and frankly, I have read a lot of them over the past few months. Clark's use of humor and wit kept me interested and on track throughout the entire book... including the potentially tedious more technical parts. [...]

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clark does it again, August 17, 2005

By	Build Your Wings (Connecticut) - See all my reviews

I have been involved with eLearning for many years. I have developed and implemented an LMS from the ground up and reviewed other LMSs for their content. This is one area I know.
Clark, however, never fails to stun me with his knowledge.

In his book, Learning By Doing, Clark takes you through what works and what doesn't when it comes to simulations and games. He has a skill at not only writing this type of program, but at also doing what works, not just what looks fancy.

This material is a MUST HAVE for ANYONE who is even thinking about venturing into eLearning. With ease, Clark will guide you through everything you will need to know about investing in, creating or reviewing programs and determining how effective they will be for your needs. If you follow his advice I guarantee that he will save you money.

With the price of eLearning today, the investment in this book will return to you tenfold with the money you will save and the accolades you will gain through your newfound intelligence. Don't miss this one.