In my view, online education can only be truly effective when we move away from the traditional "learning by listening" model toward a more active "learning by doing" approach. I believe games and simulations are powerful tools because they provide the critical application component needed for higher-order learning and real-world immersion. While games are fantastic for reviewing content through quantifiable outcomes and predetermined goals, simulations allow learners to act as agents in complex, dynamic models where their specific actions affect the result. The results speak for themselves: "practicing by doing" can lead to a higher retention rate, compared with passive methods. Although these tools can be time-consuming to implement and sometimes face instructor skepticism, the ability to engage diverse learning styles and allow students to master concepts by experiencing consequences in a safe environment makes them an essential part of a modern e-learning strategy.
