About ALPS

Welcome to the Active Learning in Political Science © (ALPS) blog. Our mission is to:

• Evaluate simulations, games, and other tools for active learning so that instructors can use them with a minimum of fuss.
• Train educators and other professionals in the use of effective pedagogy.
• Analyze issues related to higher education.

ALPS was founded in 2011 by Chad Raymond, Simon Usherwood, Amanda Rosen, Nina Kollars, and Victor Asal in an attempt to create a space to share, discuss, and innovate methods and ideas for teaching in political science and international relations.  The five founders met at the American Political Science Association’s Teaching and Learning Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and discovered a shared interest in simulation and game design and use, and ALPS was born five months later.

While our team’s background is primarily in political science, international relations, and European studies, much of what we do is relevant to teaching and academia writ large, and we regularly train and provide consulting services for education professionals.

We are looking for regular and guest contributors. Posts should be 450-600 words in length and in a non-academic writing style that clearly conveys essential information. Posts might be edited by us for style and content prior to publication. We prefer material that has not been previously published in its entirety in digital form, but welcome authors who have published scholarly work to submit a shorter piece introducing or summarizing your work. Submissions can be sent to us at alps@activelearningps.com. Writers specializing in fields outside of political science, such as history, economics, sociology, anthropology, psychology, philosophy, art, and art history, are especially welcome.

If you are interested in becoming a regular contributor to ALPS, please submit your c.v. and information on areas of writing interest in addition to a draft post. Regular contributors are expected to provide posts on a monthly basis at minimum on topics in higher learning and pedagogy. We also encourage people to submit ideas for writing a defined series of posts on a particular subject. Submissions and inquiries can be sent to activelearningpsblog AT gmail.com.

This blog generally adheres to the usual rules of internet etiquette: please, no spam, no personal attacks, nothing you wouldn’t want your mother to read. This webpage has additional instructions on how to comment appropriately.

To contact the ALPS team, email us at alps AT activelearningps DOT com, 

MEET THE ALPS EDITORS!

Dr. Chad Raymond, professor of political science and international relations, Salve Regina University. In addition to teaching comparative politics, international relations, and political economy, he has been a department chair and associate director of a graduate program. He was the managing editor of ALPS until 2024.

Dr. Simon Usherwood, The Open University. Simon is a National Teaching Fellow of the UK’s Higher Education Academy and has done lots of different things, including being Associate Dean for Learning & Teaching. He has extensive expertise on comparative and European politics. His primary interest is in the use of simulation games in higher education and negotiation. He has produced various web-based resources on these and other topics.

Dr. Amanda Rosen is Professor of Teaching and Learning and Associate Director of the Teaching Excellence Center at the US Naval War College.  Amanda specializes in the scholarship of teaching and learning, particularly in faculty development; experiential learning; the role of AI in higher education; professional military education; and games, simulations, and wargames. While she mostly works with faculty, when she is in the classroom she can usually be found teaching research methods. She is the recipient of multiple teaching and service awards, including the Susan Strange Award from the International Studies Association for her work in helping to establish the Education and Learning section and the Teaching Day at ISA mini-conference. Rosen’s posts are her own personal opinion and do not represent the views of the US Naval War College or the Department of Defense.

Dr. Cathy Elliott teaches in the Political Science department at UCL and is a co-founder and co-Director of the UCL Centre for the Pedagogy of Politics. She is also Vice Dean of Education in the Social and Historical Sciences Faculty at UCL, co-Convenor of the Political Studies Assocation Teaching and Learning Network, and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She just loves teaching and particularly working with the grain of students’ own creativity, passion, imagination and desire to learn. Expect to read about outdoor learning, object-based learning, portfolios, social annotation, and challenging everyone’s fixation on grades.

Dr. Jennifer Ostojski is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Colgate University in Hamilton, NY. She teaches courses in International Relations and European Union Studies. Her research focuses on European Union integration, European identity, and teaching in Political Science. Most of Jennifer’s posts will cover teaching activities she tries out in her own classes and musings about students, learning, and how to improve the learning environment. Additionally, she is also part of the editorial team at the public-facing journal EuropeNow.

Dr. James “Pigeon” Fielder, instructor, Colorado State University. Pigeon joined CSU after retiring from the U.S. Air Force as a Lieutenant Colonel and Associate Professor of Political Science at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Pigeon researches trust and emergent political processes through cyber-based interaction and through tabletop, computerized, and live-action gaming, as well as the politics of science fiction and fantasy literature. He is also the Director of Professional and Educational Games for Mobius Worlds Publishing, an associate editor of Simulation & Gaming, and on the editorial board of The MORS Journal of Wargaming. Thanks for coming to my TEDx talk!

Dr. Jeremy Moulton is a Senior Lecturer in the University of York’s Department of Politics and International Relations and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. He has published peer-reviewed work on EU climate action, urban ecological modernisation, political myth, UK politics and renewables policy, and teaching and learning in Politics and International Relations.