Have you come across any controversial topics that students do not feel comfortable to discuss freely? Are your students undermotivated to be engaged in classroom discussion? Do your students expect to contemplate on one question more holistically yet have no idea how to do that? Maybe the role-play teaching method would better assist you and students in discussing one particular question in a more effective and fascinating way.

What is the role playing pedagogy?

Role playing is described as adopting various roles in active interaction to freely express views and explore problems and behaviors in a fictive environment, which can be implemented using face-to-face, online and mixed methods. 

Why Use Role Play?

  • Encourages active learning and student engagement

  • Fosters empathy and perspective-taking

  • Develops communication and collaboration skills

  • Provides a safe space for experimentation and mistake-based learning

  • Facilitates understanding of abstract or emotionally charged concepts

  • Promotes deep learning through reflection and discussion

Planning and Designing Role Play Activities

1. Align with Learning Objectives

  • Define clear cognitive, affective, or behavioral outcomes (e.g., analyzing ethical dilemmas, debating public policy, simulating real-world decision-making).

2. Choose Appropriate Scenarios

  • Base them on real-world or discipline-specific contexts (e.g., clinical simulations, policy negotiations, historical events).

  • Ensure authenticity and complexity appropriate to student level.

3. Define Roles and Contexts Clearly

  • Provide brief role descriptions, motivations, and constraints.

  • Clarify the context, stakes, and goals for each role.

  • Consider using role cards or dossiers with different levels of information to stimulate interaction.

4. Plan the Format

  • Decide on individual vs. group roles, open-ended vs. guided scripts, and the duration of the activity.

  • Consider online or hybrid adaptations, including asynchronous role play in forums.

5. Set Expectations and Ground Rules

  • Establish norms for respectful dialogue and inclusivity.

  • Discuss the difference between role and personal belief to reduce discomfort.

Facilitating Role Play

1. Prepare Students

  • Provide background knowledge or pre-readings.

  • Run low-stakes practice activities to build comfort and buy-in.

  • Offer models or examples of effective role play.

2. Support During the Activity

  • Monitor interactions to ensure participation and safety.

  • Provide prompts, constraints, or surprise developments to deepen engagement.

  • Consider using a co-facilitator or TA to observe and assist.

3. Debrief Effectively

  • Debriefing is essential for consolidating learning.

  • Use structured prompts: What happened? What did you feel? What did you learn? How does this connect to the course?

  • Allow for individual reflection (e.g., journaling) and group discussion.

Assessment in Role Play

  • Use formative assessment during the activity (participation, decision-making process).

  • Evaluate reflection papers, discussion contributions, or problem-solving outcomes.

  • Develop rubrics focusing on:

    • Engagement and preparation

    • Use of evidence or disciplinary language

    • Perspective-taking and reasoning

    • Communication skills

  • Consider peer and self-assessment tools for feedback.

Examples of Role Play Activities

These structured, formal role plays help students develop public speaking, negotiation, research, and analytical skills by simulating real institutions and international affairs.

1. Model United Nations (MUN)

  • Context: Students represent UN member states or stakeholders in simulations of UN meetings.

  • Skills Developed: Public speaking, writing, research, diplomacy, policy analysis.

  • Learning Goals: Introduce students to global governance issues—peace and security, human rights, development, and international law.

  • Use: Ideal for courses in international relations, political science, and global studies.

2. Kunming COP15 Biodiversity Convention Simulation (Prof. Coraline Goron, DKU)

  • Context: Students role-play negotiators in global environmental talks.

  • Structure: 30 students, 10 role categories, collective + secret information packages, team-based negotiation on biodiversity goals.

  • Learning Goals: Understand environmental diplomacy, stakeholder positions, and negotiation complexity.

  • Skills Developed: Research, negotiation, teamwork, critical thinking.

These activities immerse students in historical or legal debates, encouraging them to adopt and advocate for positions through critical use of sources and formal argumentation.

3. Yalta Conference Simulation (Prof. Zach Fredman, DKU)

  • Context: Students took on the roles of the U.S., U.K., and USSR at the 1945 Yalta Conference.

  • Format: Students used shared and secret documents, gave speeches, and negotiated outcomes.

  • Duration: Two class meetings (4–5 hours total).

  • Learning Goals: Transform passive historical knowledge into active experience; promote empathy for historical actors.

  • Outcome: Students described the experience as “exciting and mind-opening.”

4. Moot Court / Legal Trial

  • Example 1: Prof. Lisa Leopold (MIIS) led a legal trial on tobacco ad bans.

    • Roles: Attorneys, expert witnesses.

    • Skills: Argument deconstruction, oral defense, legal reasoning.

  • Example 2: Prof. Jeffrey Thaler (Duke & DKU)

    • Students argued for clients or authorities in legal debates.

    • Outcomes: High student engagement and development of advocacy skills.

5. Mini-Publics Simulation (Prof. Kristinn M Arsaelsson, DKU)

  • Context: Students simulated a mini-public, a small representative group deliberating on a policy issue.

  • Structure: Students played both citizens and experts, facilitated discussions, and offered policy suggestions.

  • Learning Goals: Understand democratic deliberation, weigh diverse perspectives, and craft policy recommendations.

  • Use: Courses on governance, ethics, political theory, or behavioral science.

These more flexible role plays are often smaller in scale and closer to students’ academic or lived experiences.

6. Scholarly Dialogue (Prof. Shawna Shapiro, Middlebury College)

  • Context: Students embodied academic authors to engage in dialogue on topics like bias and rhetoric.

  • Format: Wrote emails or conversations between thinkers (e.g., Berger vs. Gross).

  • Learning Goals: Deepen understanding of academic texts; prepare for analytical writing.

  • Skills: Textual analysis, voice imitation, synthesis of arguments.

7. Role-Play Debate (Prof. Hyun Jeong Ha, DKU)

  • Context: Students adopted fictional identities to debate social issues (e.g., Gaokao, online learning).

  • Focus: Use of intersectionality and evidence to advocate for their roles.

  • Assessment: Included reflection memos to promote metacognition.

  • Outcome: Encouraged deeper understanding of social dynamics and personal beliefs.

  • Model simulations (e.g., MUN, Moot Court) are ideal for complex policy issues and formal rhetorical practice.
  • Historical/legal role plays make abstract or distant content immediate and engaging.
  • Deliberative simulations (e.g., Mini-publics) develop civic reasoning and collaborative decision-making.
  • Flexible role plays (e.g., Scholarly Dialogues, Role-play Debates) are highly adaptable to various class sizes and disciplines.
DKU Teaching Stories on Role Play
Resources