Featured Simulation: Meet Marie

Marie is a very driven and focused student. For the past three weeks, Marie has been working on a group project with her fellow peers. She works very hard and wants recognition for that as well as a good grade. The only problem is, Marie isn’t completely sure how to do that as part of a team and without alienating others.

As the weeks go on, communication breaks down as Marie becomes irritated with the easy-going, very social tone of the group meetings. She soon takes over the meetings and begins to insist things be done her way as her trust in the team deteriorates.

Marie's teammates recognize the need to "chat" with Marie about her approach to the work and how things are going. This "chat" is the challenge of the simulation. How will your students interact with Marie and resolve the situation?

Marie is a rich character. She can be part of many kinds of teams and adapted for many settings where learners must engage Marie to resolve conflict. This challenging character helps learners apply the interpersonal skills of asking direct and open-ended questions, active listening, providing feedback, identifying issues, managing conflict, conveying understanding, respecting diverse viewpoints.

This scenario is one of the most highly used throughout programs and faculties at Ryerson University and receives consistently positive feedback, often used by instructors multiple times a year.