What is a Role Play?

A role-play exercise is an assessment activity in which students act out an imaginary scenario that closely mirrors a situation that could occur in the real world. Role-plays can be used to allow students to experiment with different styles of interaction, practice new communication techniques or explore complex issues. They are generally used in classes dealing with social issues (social sciences, management sciences, etc.) or communication strategies (interviewing techniques, conflict management, etc.). Essentially, a role-play is a form of interactive case study.

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Sample Assessment

Relevant GLO Task: Controversial Role Play

Adapted from VSC453

The lecturer should select discipline specific resources as the basis of the controversy

Select a topical environmental issue to present OR An issue will be provided to you by your lecturer/tutor.

In your groups, with ALL members participating, prepare a presentation and discussion of the topic.

The presentation should be in the form of a role play (e.g. a radio interview with an expert and a couple of callers or a family / farm situation) that may either be presented by video OR a Videoscribe animated whiteboard video [available for free download for 7 day trial at https://www.videoscribe.co/en/Free-Trial] or other mode of digital storytelling. The whole presentation should take no longer than 10 minutes. Your presentation should be controversial (within reason) and you are at liberty to challenge and question your audience. Each member of the group should input into the presentation in some way.

In general terms, you should consider covering the following points:

  1. What are the social, economic and environmental implications?
  2. Which people or ecosystems are at risk and how?
  3. How do you best communicate the risk?
  4. What (if any) control measures are in place or could be used?
  5. What is your discipline’s responsibility in terms of knowledge and action?

All groups should think of at least one question to ask each of the other groups after their presentations.

A 1-2 page summary of the above 5 points with respect to the topic should be submitted by each group (for upload to interact with the presentations. In addition, questions for each presentation should be submitted at the end of the session from each individual (on a sheet of paper with your name and group on the top) – you will need to have written one thoughtful and informed question for each presentation. If the questions are not deemed satisfactory, you will be asked to revise them.
CRITERION High Distinction  Distinction  Credit  Pass  Fail 
Demonstrate a multidisciplinary knowledge that empowers graduates to understand and critically analyse the challenges of balancing the social, economic and environmental factors essential for ecological sustainability

Describes the issues of balancing social, economic and environmental factors and how they impact on ecological sustainability.

Reflects on current social, economic and environmental factors relevant to their discipline to create ideas of improving the ecological sustainability.

Describes the issues of balancing social, economic and environmental factors and how they impact on ecological sustainability.

Analyse each factor to illustrate how each factor impacts/contributes to ecological sustainability.

Describes the issues of balancing social, economic and environmental factors and how they impact on ecological sustainability

Explain the importance of each factors impact towards ecological sustainability.

 Describes the issues of balancing social, economic and environmental factors and how they impact on ecological sustainability Does not describe the issues of balancing social, economic and environmental factors and how they impact on ecological sustainability
CRITERION High Distinction  Distinction  Credit  Pass  Fail 
Apply acquired sustainability knowledge individually and collectively for the improvement of local and global environmental sustainability

Define sustainable practices and describe how they can be used in the profession to improve local and global environmental sustainability, as an individual and in your profession.

Evaluates current sustainability knowledge and its effectiveness on local and global environmental sustainability.

Generate ideas on how the current practices might change in the future.

Define sustainable practices and describe how they can be used in the profession to improve local and global environmental sustainability, as an individual and in your profession.

Explain how current sustainability practices have evolved to where they are.

Define sustainable practices and describe how they can be used in the profession to improve local and global environmental sustainability, as an individual and in your profession.

Explain differences between strategies and their effectiveness.

 Define sustainable practices and describe how they can be used in the profession to improve local and global environmental sustainability, as an individual and in your profession. Does not define sustainable practices or described how they can be used in the profession to improve local and global environmental sustainability, as an individual or in your profession.
CRITERION High Distinction  Distinction  Credit  Pass  Fail 
Critically reflect on, discuss and challenge the values intrinsic in the different practices in which they participate.

Identify intrinsic values in your profession. Evaluate the effect of these values on established professional practice.

Uses ethical frameworks to justify impacts in professional practice.

Develops alternate examples of how intrinsic values affect practice.

Identify intrinsic values in your profession. Evaluate the effect of these values on established professional practice.

Uses  ethical frameworks to justify impacts in professional practice.

Provide examples.

 Identify intrinsic values in your profession. Explains how these have  impacted on professional practice using ethical frameworks. Identify intrinsic values in your profession. Describe the impact on professional practice using ethical frameworks. Does not identify  intrinsic values in (your profession/topic) or describe the impact on professional practice using ethical frameworks.
CRITERION High Distinction  Distinction  Credit  Pass  Fail 
Exercise professionalism, initiative and judgement in decision making, actions and evaluation in professional practice at the level of a beginning practitioner or professional

Displays professionalism, initiative and judgment to identify which procedures to follow in their profession as expected of a beginning practitioner,

Analyse the practices to evaluate which action/professional practice is appropriate for the situation.

Reflects on performance to support future practice.

Displays professionalism, initiative and judgment to identify which procedures to follow in their profession as expected of a beginning practitioner,

Analyse the practices to evaluate which action/professional practice is appropriate for the situation.

Displays professionalism, initiative and judgment to identify which procedures to follow in their profession as expected of a beginning practitioner,

Explains their decision making and their actions/performance

Displays professionalism, initiative and judgment to identify which procedures to follow in their profession as expected of a beginning practitioner.

Describes their decision making and their actions/performance

Does not identify appropriate actions to take in their profession as a beginning practitioner, to follow procedures within their profession.

Does not describe their decision making and their actions/performance