21st Century Skills
With the the EOP simulations, Cost Tools, digital documentaries, podcasts and web-based database research assignments and instructional materials students are actively engaged in critical thinking, decision making, collaboration and demonstrations of knowledge using multiple modes of communication and technologies.
Research from a number of fields demonstrates that critical thinking and decision-making skills make it possible for people in at-risk situations to recognize pre-event factors that lead to injury events and to act promptly to prevent or lessen the severity of a potential injury event. One way to teach these critical skills to at-risk populations involves using well-designed simulation exercises based on real-world cases. Simulations are routinely used to teach individuals to prevent and to cope with emergency situations in civil and military aviation, medical professions, business, and high-risk occupations including mining, construction, hazardous materials handling, and firefighting (Cole, 1994; Cole, Vaught, Wiehagen et al., 1998; Cole, Lineberry, Wala et al., 1993).
