The focus of higher education institutions is the preparation of future professionals. To achieve this aim, innovative teaching methods are often deployed, including games and simulations, which form the subject of this paper. As the field of digital games and simulations is ever maturing, this paper attempts to systematically review the literature relevant to games and simulation pedagogy in higher education. Two researchers collaborate to apply a qualitative method, coding and synthesizing the results using multiple criteria. The main objective is to study the impact of games and simulations with regard to achieving specific learning objectives. On balance, results indicate that games and/or simulations have a positive impact on learning goals. The researchers identify three learning outcomes when integrating games into the learning process: cognitive, behavioural, and affective. As a final step, the authors consolidate evidence for the benefit of academics and practitioners in higher education interested in the efficient use of games and simulations for pedagogical purposes. Such evidence also provides potential options and pathways for future research.
The use of digital technologies in drama performances in education that address the sustainability issues that plague today’s world is highly acknowledged globally by the scientific community since digital technologies offer a variety of ways to provide students with an interactive and engaging learning experience. This article aims to present a literature review on drama/theatre performance in educational environments by applying digital technologies to increase students’ sustainability awareness. More specifically, this article presents a state-of-the-art study on the recent developments concerning digital drama performance and explores how the cultivation of sustainability consciousness by students in all educational contexts can be achieved. Additionally, it provides valuable insights into how combining digital drama performances and sustainability issues could improve crucial 21st-century skills for students at all levels of education. The dataset was collected using the Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases. This review is mainly interested in identifying the research gaps since the current literature focuses primarily on digital technologies in drama/theatre education. However, developing the sustainability awareness of students by performing digital drama seems to be under researched. The results of this study directly impact a wide range of educational experts, such as drama teachers, drama faculty members, drama education researchers, scholars, and theatre practitioners, including art critics, culture specialists, stage designers, drama directors, managers, consultants, and policymakers, to influence them to reflect and reconsider the potential benefits of introducing drama/theatre performance lessons in the official curriculum programs to motivate students to become aware of critical sustainable issues.