The life of a simulation: Programmatic promises and pitfalls

Abstract

This article is a reflection on the promises and pitfalls of using a simulation-centered curriculum for English as a Second Language (ESL) writing over time. A one-time graduate student and instructor of the program, the author returned after 10 years to the program as the director to discover that as with any curriculum, changes had occurred—changes in leadership, teaching staff, and course objectives—which had consequences for simulation use in the classroom. In an effort to determine the current state of the program and possible directions for the future, the author surveyed 12 current and former instructors and interviewed a former director of the program and found implications for instructor training, program direction, and sustaining simulation use over time.