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Education for Scalability  \nKelly McNeil, Sharin Jacob, Quinn Burke, and Stefani Pautz Stephenson  \nJanuary 2026  \nTable of Contents  \nExecutive Summary  ...................................................... 3  \nIntroduction  ........................................................... 5  \nResearch Questions:  ................................................... 6  \nRQ1: What learning outcomes do simulation games reliably improve (knowledge, skills, collaboration, systems thinking, self-efficacy, engagement, and transfer)?  ............................... 7  \nRQ1a: How do students’ attitudes toward topics in simulation games affect their learning, participation, and engagement?  ............................................ 9  \nRQ2: Which design features (role play, analytics/feedback, situated scenarios, multi-user interaction, and teacher facilitation) are associated with stronger impact?  ............................. 10  \nRQ3: What are the affordances of experiential simulations in education?  ....................... 12  \nRQ3a: What are the constraints of real-world simulations in school settings including logistics, technology, and alignment?  ............................................... 13  \nRQ3b: What barriers impede implementation of real-world simulations in K-12 contexts, including policy, resources, and teacher capacity?  ........................................ 14  \nRQ3c: In K-12/CTE settings, which contextual and time-based “grains”(single lesson, multi-week unit, schoolwide event) are optimal for effective integration?  ........................... 15  \nConclusion  ........................................................... 18  \nReferences  ........................................................... 21  \nDigital Promise Operation Outbreak: Exploring the Affordances and Challenges of Experiential Simulations in Education for Scalability | 2  \nExecutive Summary  \nThis literature review examines the effectiveness, affordances, and challenges of experiential learning environments and simulations in K-12 education, situating Operation Outbreak within the broader learning sciences tradition. Simulation-based learning has been shown asa way to connect theory with practice by immersing students in environments where they can apply knowledge, collaborate, and make decisions with real consequences. Operation Outbreak extends this tradition by combining a mobile contact tracing application with a live, schoolwide event in which students experience and analyze the spread of a simulated pathogen in real time. The goal of this review is to identify the conditions under which experiential simulations yield meaningful learning outcomes and to assess the scalability of Operation Outbreak across K-12 educational contexts.  \nKey Findings  \nThrough the research, experiential simulations and serious games show positive effects on content knowledge, problem solving skills, collaboration, engagement and self-efficacy (Clark et al., 2016; Wouters et al., 2013) . Their success stems from active experimentation and opportunities for immediate feedback and reflection that foster deeper learning than traditional instruction. Studies of collaborative simulations show that learning is enhanced when students are given the chance to occupy authentic roles and explore complex systems in a peer-to-peer learning environment (Klopfer & Squire, 2008; Neulight et al., 2006) . These findings are relevant to Operation Outbreak, which uses embodied social participation to model systems thinking and collective problem solving around public health and infectious disease.  \nLive experiential simulations, such as Operation Outbreak, offer unique affordances beyond digital environments. Place-based interaction, embodied learning, and live collaboration heighten relevance and engagement. Students experience firsthand how individual behaviors influence community outco","cbCaisCxSqu7AO9w","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaisCxSqu7AO9w","pdf",5069709,25,"English","# Executive Summary\n## Key Findings\n## Research Questions Addressed\n# Introduction\n## Research Questions\n## RQ1: Learning outcomes\n## RQ1a: Student attitudes\n## RQ2: Design features and impact\n## RQ3: Affordances of experiential simulations\n## RQ3a: Constraints in school settings\n## RQ3b: Barriers in K-12 implementation\n## RQ3c: Optimal context and time “grains”\n# Conclusion\n# References","[{\"question\":\"What learning outcomes do simulation games reliably improve?\",\"answer\":\"Simulations are associated with gains in factual and procedural knowledge, collaboration, engagement, and systems thinking, with moderate effects on far transfer and long-term retention.\"},{\"question\":\"What design features are linked to stronger simulation impact?\",\"answer\":\"Stronger impact is associated with elements such as role play, analytics/feedback, situated scenarios, multi-user interaction, and teacher facilitation.\"},{\"question\":\"What constraints affect scalability of real-world simulations like Operation Outbreak?\",\"answer\":\"Scalability is constrained by logistical planning, time demands, technology access, and the need for teacher training and administrative support.\"}]","Operation Outbreak - Exploring the Affordances and Challenges of Experiential Simulations in Education for Scalability | PDF",1792050314,63]