A role-play is a multifaceted teaching method that can be used as an assignment, activating exercise, or assessment form. Students can be assigned specific professional roles for example, after which they carry out related tasks or address certain situations. During the role-play, they often engage in discussions with each other or with the teacher. This method is particularly effective for developing skills such as communication, problem-solving, decision-making, independence, professionalism, and reflection, and can also be used to assess them. Moreover, role-play offers opportunities to evaluate specific elements such as language proficiency, conflict resolution, collaboration, and mastery of study-relevant conversation. This can be applied, for example, in scenarios such as a conversation between a doctor and a patient. Furthermore, role-plays can be applied in the classroom, professional situations, or online, for instance, during a meeting, in a game, or via virtual reality.
A role-play can be used as an assessment method in various ways, such as in a business case. Here, you might ask the students to tackle a specific business situation, such as developing a marketing strategy, designing a product, or conducting a specific conversation. You can also simulate a professional situation and thereby assess professional skills such as leading a meeting or conducting a client conversation. In the evaluation, aspects such as the level of participation, the quality of information gathering, and the argumentation strategy can be considered.
An elaborated example of a role-play can be listened to via this podcast about the game ‘The Tower of Power’ by lecturer Caroline van Dullemen from the Faculty of Social Sciences. She explains how students can deal with social dilemmas and decision-making by putting themselves in the position of a municipal government and stakeholders from various sectors when making decisions. For instance, decisions on challenging topics such as the provision of an asylum seeker centre in the municipality.
Want to know more?
- Role playing – Northern Illinois University
- Assessing with role play and simulation – University of New South Wales
See also: Argument Mapping.
VU Taxonomy?
Programme specific skills in applying knowledge and understandingOpen Mind
Interpersonal skills
Oral communication
What total group size?
More than one hundredBetween fifty and one hundred
Up to fifty
Up to twenty five
What activity group size?
Small group (2-4 pers)Medium Group (5-12 pers)