Aim. Although cultural dimensions theory is a topical strand of quantitative cultural research, few intercultural simulation games use it. We present the design and review of the application of OASISTAN, an intercultural role-playing simulation game that is specifically based on cultural dimensions theory. Method. OASISTAN was first designed in 1999 for use in Master’s courses on cross-cultural management at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, attracting 20-23 year old students with a Bachelor degree in engineering and from various cultural backgrounds. Since its first design the game has been played approximately 45 times at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands and three times at Harbin Institute of Technology in China in the years 2006-2008. We reviewed their experiences designing and facilitating OASISTAN since 1999. Results. The game has a no-tech role-play design and revolves around the geopolitically complex region of the Caspian Sea, specifically the fictional country of ‘Oasistan’. The game consists of students forming small teams of Oasistani, Western and non-Western public/private actors collaborating with each other to try and reach the common goal of oil exploration and production in this country. In total 15-30 students were involved. We found that OASISTAN allowed its players not only to intensely experience the difficulty and awkwardness of being confronted with cultural differences, but also to interpret and understand these differences through cultural dimensions. Students who played OASISTAN identified ten out of the 12 dimensions by Maleki and De Jong. The two dimensions that students were not able to identify are uncertainty avoidance and collaborativeness. Conclusion. OASISTAN shows how a game design field (i.e., intercultural simulation gaming) can be reinvigorated in light of new or updated scientific theories pertaining to the field’s subject matter (i.e., cultural dimensions). Several opportunities for future research are identified.
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When preparing students for the industry’s global context, publishing degrees aim to provide them with experience of cooperating and doing business with colleagues internationally. In order to achieve this, Oxford Brookes University and Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences have designed a module on trading in translation rights that gives students both a theoretical framework and real-world insights into book fairs and intercultural collaboration.In this module, students of both universities work collaboratively in a game that simulates the trading of intellectual property rights at an international event designed to resemble a major book fair. They team up in international groups of five or six students that each represent a publishing company in order to prepare for and to participate in an event called the Oxdam Book Fair. Preparation for the fair involves the development of plans and appropriate materials to sell translation rights for the company’s titles and to buy rights to titles which fit the company’s profile and strategy. During the event students partake in several rounds of rights trading activities, including pitching, strategy meetings, making offers, and networking.In this proposed paper, that contributes to the best practices-strand of the conference, lecturers of Oxford Brookes University and Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences will provide a ‘behind the scenes’-look at this collaborative module. They will talk about the simulation game that is the core of the module, provide background on the theoretical framework, address educational design challenges they encountered, and share outcomes of the collaborative module.
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In 2019, the first "Atelier Book" was published . Since then, a few years have passed and numerous new Ateliers have emerged. With this new atelier book, through more than 30 portraits, the richness and variety of ateliers within our college are shown. The portraits are divided as follows: ateliers at the NHL Stenden locations, external ateliers and ateliers which the facilities are a strong determinant. These portraits show which issues are being worked on, how they cooperate with the field and researchers and what the added value of the Ateliers is. This atelier book also contains a number of in-depth articles that talk about working and learning in ateliers. The contribution in chapter 1 is about: what NHL Stenden aims at with ateliers, where do the ateliers differ and some experiences with ateliers. After the portraits in chapter 2, chapter 3 presents the 'Atelier Value Creation Model' and a model with design dimensions. Both provide tools for designing and evaluating ateliers. Chapter 4 zooms in on the effects of physical space on learning. Then, Chapter 5 discusses the outcomes of (current) research on ateliers.
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