Secondary Education Simulation Programs

Update: New Contact Information for ICONS Main Office

The New Year brings a new office building and email address for the ICONS Project! Our new contact information is available here.

Registration Open for Fall 2012 and Spring 2013 International System Simulations

The dates are set for the Fall 2012 and Spring 2013 International System simulations! Registration is now available online. The Fall 2012 simulation will run from October 25th through November 16th, 2012. The Spring 2013 simulation will run from February 28th through March 22nd, 2013. This multi-school online exercise is designed to immerse students in international negotiations. Teams of students, cast as diplomats from an assortment of countries, will meet online over a three-week period to negotiate and develop plans to address pressing international issues.

Ready to register for the Fall or Spring? Register online now! For more information, visit the online catalog or contact ICONS staff at 301-405-4172 or icons@umd.edu.

Online "Border Dispute: The Temple of Preah Vihear" Simulation Released

Perfect for teaching about political geography, negotiation, or international conflict! ICONS' newest single-class simulation, "Border Dispute: The Temple of Preah Vihear", places students in the middle of a long-standing conflict between Thailand and Cambodia over a sacred Buddhist temple site on the Thai-Cambodian border. With so much at stake -- culturally, economically, and politically -- participants must determine how to negotiate an agreement over the territory around Preah Vihear. This simulation is also the first to include a new element in the ICONSnet online simulation platform, "Alerts", designed to provide real-time announcements of specific simulation events. Visit our catalog to request a free scenario excerpt and read more about this exciting new simulation.

ICONS Launches "Piracy off the Somali Coast" Simulation

The ICONS Project is pleased to announce the release of "Piracy off the Somali Coast", a new online role-play simulation addressing the mounting economic and security problems posed by piracy in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden. This negotiation simulation features eight roles ranging from a coalition of pirate bosses to the UN Office of Drugs and Crime. Challenge your students to take on the root causes of this pressing international problem! To learn more or request a free scenario excerpt, visit our catalog.

Teacher Tools: Resources for Teaching with Simulations

How can we maximize student learning through simulations? Are simulations an effective teaching tool in language learning courses? What factors contribute to higher levels of student engagement in online simulations? Visit the Simulation Research page of our website for answers to these questions and more, or check out Simulation Stories for first-hand accounts of how teachers have incorporated simulations into their courses.