Simulating “Normalcy” in a Global Pandemic: Synchronous e-Learning and the Ethics of Care in Teaching

The benefits of using simulations as an active-learning activity in the political science classroom are well documented (Asal and Blake 2006, 1–18; Newmann and Twigg 2000, 835–42). Insights from the pedagogy literature in the discipline already address a variety of formats, including simulations developed for in-person learning in or outside of the classroom or entirely online (Taylor 2013, 134–49). Yet the COVID-19 pandemic presents new opportunities and challenges. Instructors may need to consider whether and how an in-person simulation can be conducted while maintaining physical distancing, determine if and how it can be conducted remotely, and reassess the balance between synchronous and asynchronous learning.