Insights
International negotiation goes virtual
Taylor Valley
When in-person teaching halted during the pandemic, international negotiation went virtual. Explore how NTF turned immersive simulations into dynamic online experiences, challenging students and experts alike.
When Harvard announced that the remainder of the Spring 2020 semester would be completed online, educators were pressed to alter their carefully-crafted curricula for the digital sphere. For Arvid Bell, lecturer on government at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, virtual lectures in lieu of in-person meetings was not a viable option. His course on “Post-Soviet Conflict” is not for the passive learner in the back row of the auditorium. Three Saturdays during the semester, students in Bell’s course come prepared to Harvard’s campus ready to negotiate complex conflicts in the Eurasian sphere through immersive simulations. Yet, the question remains, can a virtual simulation offer a meaningful learning experience for students?