The purpose of this activity is to engage ANU students in the structured design and facilitation of crisis simulation scenarios. Students will apply course concepts related to national security, crisis management, policy analysis, and strategic decision-making by designing fictional but realistic scenarios suitable for use in educational simulations. The activity is intended to enhance student learning outcomes, critical thinking, and practical skills. Outputs may also inform future educational simulations delivered by Capital Shield, but the primary purpose is pedagogical rather than commercial.

Read more about previous simulations and learning outcomes via their website: https://www.capitalshield.com.au

The design phase would unfold over several workshops where students define the purpose of the simulation: What problem are we trying to test? Who are the actors? What decisions matter? They map learning objectives, identify key stakeholders, outline escalation pathways, and storyboard major injects. This phase is creative and strategic. Students build a concrete crisis architecture, designing roles, information flows, and decision points that will force meaningful trade-offs.

They then transition into the build phase, constructing the scenario inside Foresight. This involves drafting injects, creating media updates, sequencing events, assigning permissions, and aligning assessment criteria with participant actions. Once built, the simulation is tested — usually through an internal walkthrough or controlled pilot — to identify timing gaps, logical inconsistencies, or technical friction.

After refinement, the students deploy the simulation to a live audience. The final stage involves observing participant behaviour, gathering feedback, and reflecting on whether the design achieved its intended learning outcomes. In effect, students experience the full lifecycle of simulation architecture: concept prototype stress test live execution evaluation.