Goals: Participants learn through the experiences of the character they control.

Description: Learners begin by watching a difficult situation on video which the main character must handle. Once the video stops, they're presented with several courses of action the character could follow, and they must select one. But to help learners make the best choice possible, the simulation allows them to preview each course of action--without seeing the results. Then, based on this "preview," learners: (1) select the action they want the main character to take; (2) see the consequences (whether good, bad, or some of each) play out in video; and (3) decide what the character should do next.

Guidance and Feedback:  While experiential learning is at the heart of this approach, each simulation is augmented by three types of coaching guidance and feedback:

• Character insights are video clips of various characters' thoughts at each point in the scenario. They help learners see things from another perspective and deepen the educational experience in a way that actually surpasses real life.

• Expert assistance questions provide the learner with a skilled coach, or coaches, to answer key questions.

• Real-life stories allow learners to profit from other people's experiences, in a just-in-time learning context. Not only do these stories add to learners' emotional engagement, but because the same storytellers often appear in several places in the system, they also become a peer group of sorts, giving learners access to a diverse group of people.

Uses: This is best for teaching rich, complex, emotional social skills.