Welcome to the first 2024 Sim Aust Newsletter. The year is already well underway, and it has started at the same frenetic pace that 2023 closed out with. I hope you managed to have some down time over the summer break!
We’ve got a lot planned for the year, looking to implement the agenda and strategy announced at the AGM in November last year. This will include the collaboration with SESA/ITEA for the SETE conference (more details below), as well a series of events throughout the year.
In mid January, ASSH Chair Belinda Judd attended the US Society for Simulation in Healthcare’s International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare (IMSH). IMSH is a scientific conference that explores the latest innovations and best practices in healthcare simulation. We will provide a report in an upcoming newsletter, but Belinda’s attendance on behalf of Sim Aust strengthened the links with SSH and provides a basis for increased collaboration.
Over the coming weeks we will be announcing the program of events for the year, and also calling for volunteers to help drive these events – so stay tuned!
In the meantime, take care, and please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or suggestions!
Catch you next month,
Philip Swadling
Chair of the Board
Professional Development and Education Community of PracticeThe Simulation Australasia Professional Development and Education (PDE) Community of Practice will have its first meeting in February2024. This is intended to be a place for SimAust members and friends to collaborate in addressing the overall task of building awareness of – and responses to – the professional development and educational needs of simulation professionals.
Goal
The intention is to create the Simulation Australasia Professional Development and Education (PDE) committee as a learning focused, goal-oriented Community of Practice.
Stakeholders
Simulation Australasia Board (SimAust), Elyssebeth Leigh (as Officer to the SimAust Board) individual and organisational members of the simulation industry, stakeholders needing help with action and direction regarding effective design and uses of simulation; academic researchers in simulation.
Background
An extensive array of work has already done by Simulation Australasia members, and this will provide background information for attention to future issues. Specific resources include –
Work done in the first ten years of this century to develop and present SimAust’s Foundations of Simulation workshops
Associated work published about the location of simulation research/study (chiefly in engineering and associated disciplines)
Previous work of the Professional Education Committee and other SimAust interest groups
In short, progress has been made – but less success than is desirable; and certainly less than is possible in future.Situation
The background information indicates the need to employ a different approach for working on the multiple and interconnected issues involved in promoting and providing quality education and professional development for those. To this end the PDE will re-emerge in 2024 as a Community of Practice providing a means for SimAust to simultaneously support a number of objectives that are attempting to address diverse but aligned issues requiring a range of skill sets and a wide variety of knowledges.
The PDE Community of Practice will begin work early in 2024 as we collaborate to address the known tasks as illustrated in the figure below, and others that will emerge as we forge ahead.
A core group of SimAust members and friends has already expressed interest. If you are interested in joining the team please contact Elyssebeth or admin@simaust.com for more information.
Systems Engineering Test and Evaluation (SETE) Conference 2024
September 22-25th 2024, Melbourne Australia
SESA will be hosting the next annual SETE Conference in September 2024 in Melbourne. Simulation Australasia will also be supporting this event following on from the partnership between SESA and ITEA at the 2023 Australasian Simulation Congress.
The Call for Streams is currently open until 3rd February 2024, and organisers are encouraging proposals for topic for streams for the conference. As a guide streams should align broadly to domains of interest but are not limited to:
Cybersecurity
Education, Certification and Training
Energy & Nuclear Technologies
Healthcare
Human Systems Integration
Project Management
Research Capabilities
Sustainability and the Environment
Telecommunications
Transport and Cities
To find out more about submitting a stream proposal and other key dates for the conference – head to the SETE Conference website.
ISAGA Summer School 1-5 July 2024 in Sydney, Australia
Overview
Participants in the ISAGA Summer School 2024 will explore topics relevant to developing skills as simulation/games designers and users, and will address these learning goals –
How to design simulations and games that can be used/reused (frame games)
How to provide effective instructions for both novice and expert users
Understanding and being able to employ the basic skill set for effective facilitation of simulations and games both online and face-to-face, and how to build personalised skill development plans,
How to integrate research strategies into ongoing use of simulations and games
How to identify research topics to align with specific contextual research goals
The Summer School combines first-hand experiences of simulations and games, with theoretical analysis and in-depth discussion of key issues in the field of simulations and games as educational tools and strategies. It has evolved as a collaborative, invigorating, and rewarding space for personal skill development, launching of new research projects, support for innovative and challenging uses of simulations and games and a time to expand networks and writing partnerships. A social program included is included in the week’s activities.
Our 2024 Hosts
In 2024 the Summer School is hosted jointly by the Sydney campus of Charles Darwin University, Simulation Australasia, and ISAGA
Who should come?
Educators using simulations and games for learning in all levels of education
PhD candidates and students either employing simulation for research or researching the design and use of simulations and games
Simulations and games designers wanting to expand their repertoire of design concepts
Researchers using – or considering the use of – simulations and/or games as research methods or tools.
The number of participants in previous Summer Schools has ranged from 20 to 50 and the number of expert staff is aligned with the number of participants.
Learning Themes
Educational skills and knowledge
Depending on participants’ previous experience, novices and experts will work on relevant topics in suitable groupings and share their understanding and discoveries collaboratively.
Evaluation of simulations and games and assessment of them for Research
Participants interests shape choices regard to time spent on assessment and/or evaluation of learning gained from simulations and games and their usages for research purposes.
Sharing knowledge and skills
The results of each afternoon’s activities will be shared via engagement in relevant games and simulations, and impromptu lectures and discussions. A social program will support a friendly and collaborative atmosphere throughout the week.
Staff
Local Staff Dr Cat Kutay – CDU; Dr Elyssebeth Leigh – UTS
International Staff
International Staff who have indicated an interest in contributing to the 2024 Summer School – either in person or via online links – include Maria Freese, Birgit Zurn Fredrich Trautwein and Marieke de Wijse-van Heeswijk.
SISO Publication of the Standard for Simulation Interoperability Readiness Levels (SIRL)
SISO recently announced the publication of SISO-STD-024-2023, the Standard for Simulation Interoperability Readiness Levels (SIRL).The SIRL standard can be found on the SISO Products Page here:
Systems Engineering Test and Evaluation (SETE) Conference 2024
