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A TILT-supported SoTL project validated what many instructors suspected: role plays and simulations significantly enhance student learning, with evidence showing benefits for both engagement and deep understanding of complex concepts.

The Project

John-Henry Harter, lecturer in History and Labour Studies at ÌìÃÀmvÌìÃÀ, had used role plays for years based on positive student responses. But anecdotal evidence wasn't enough. John-Henry wanted evidence of effectiveness. Working with TILT research assistants Marcelo Espinoza and Brittany Dennett, he designed a study examining student experiences across two courses.

The research analyzed student reflections from HIST 102W and LBST 101, both using role-playing activities to teach concepts about working-class resistance and labour struggles. Through thematic analysis, the team identified exactly how and why these interactive methods enhance learning.

Project Highlights

The research revealed specific mechanisms through which role plays enhance learning. Within active and inclusive learning, data showed enhanced engagement with course material, while it was also noted how activities supported different ways of learning, in particular benefiting students who struggle with traditional lectures.

The data also described how role plays facilitated students’ reflective learning and helped simplify complex concepts by making abstract ideas concrete through embodied experience. Students didn't just learn about labour struggles they experienced what shaped history.

The impact extended beyond the classroom. Presenting findings at three major conferences generated significant interest, with colleagues reporting they've begun implementing role plays in their own courses after seeing the evidence.

Looking Ahead

John-Henry and Marcelo are finalizing an article for the Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning to share detailed findings. John-Henry is conducting a workshop at the Canadian History Association meeting in June 2026, and plans continued research examining how these methods work across different contexts.

The project’s findings have reinforced Harter's commitment to role-playing pedagogy while revealing new possibilities for intentional pedagogical design informed by rigorous data collection and analysis rather than intuition alone.