Welcome to the Active Learning in Political Science (ALPS) blog. ALPS is designed to help educators:
- Build a repertoire of games and activities that they can use in their courses with a minimum of fuss.
- Exchange information on active learning techniques.
- Promote the use of effective pedagogies in the political science classroom.
The people who currently make ALPS possible, so to speak, are:
Dr. Victor Asal, SUNY-Albany, editor. Victor teaches undergraduate and graduate courses focusing on aspects of contentious politics and political violence as well as the basics of comparative and international relations and research design. He uses a variety of active learning approaches with a special focus on simulations and games in both his graduate and undergraduate classes.
Dr. Nina Kollars, Saint John’s University, editor. Nina teaching courses in international relations, and first year seminar. She is an avid game designer whose research agenda emphasizes the role of user innovation in everyday contexts.
Dr. Chad Raymond, Salve Regina University, managing editor. Chad teaches a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses in comparative politics, international relations, and political economy. He has been using role-playing simulations in undergraduate international relations courses for several years and has recently been experimenting with collaborative writing exercises.
Dr. Amanda Rosen, Webster University, editor. Amanda teaches courses in international relations, American politics, research methods and environmental politics. She is a lifelong gamer and enjoys exploring how games and role-playing exercises can enhance learning in the classroom. She is currently teaching a freshman seminar called “World of Warcraft: Experiencing Reality in a Virtual World”.
Dr. Simon Usherwood, University of Surrey, editor. Simon teaches a range of comparative and European politics topics, as well as courses on negotiation in politics. He has published on the optimisation of simulations and negotiation-based learning environments in political science.
We welcome guest contributors. If you are interested in submitting a post, please contact one of the above individuals.
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