This report provides background information and some preliminary results on a National Security Simulation course offered at Duke University in Spring 2024. This project is designed to assess the benefits that students accrue from participating in a seven-week, active learning course, the main part of which is a national security-related simulation exercise or  war-game  called Acceleration. Designed and executed by Valens Global, the project also collected data from participants in shorter exercises at other universities

Gartenstein-Ross, Daveed

Schanzer, David

Sperling, Jessica

English

The University of Nebraska, Omaha

University of Nebraska at Omaha DigitalCommons@UNO Reports, Projects, and Research National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education (NCITE) 10-2024 Impact Assessment: National Security Simulation Course at Duke University David Schanzer Duke University, schanzer@duke.edu Daveed Gartenstein-Ross Valens Global, daveed@valensglobal.coms Jessica Sperling Duke University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/ncitereportsresearch Please take our feedback survey at: https://unomaha.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8cchtFmpDyGfBLE Recommended Citation Schanzer, David; Gartenstein-Ross, Daveed; and Sperling, Jessica, "Impact Assessment: National Security Simulation Course at Duke University" (2024). Reports, Projects, and Research. 95. https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/ncitereportsresearch/95 This Report is brought to you for free and open access by the National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education (NCITE) at DigitalCommons@UNO. It has been accepted for inclusion in Reports, Projects, and Research by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UNO. For more information, please contact unodigitalcommons@unomaha.edu. Impact Assessment National Security Simulation Course at Duke University David Schanzer (Pl) I Duke University Daveed Gartenstein-Ross (Pl) I Valens Global Jessica Sperling (Pl) I Duke University EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report provides background information and some preliminary results on a National Security Simulation course offered at Duke University in Spring 2024. This project is designed to assess the benefits that students accrue from participating in a seven-week, active learning course, the main part of which is a national security-related simulation exercise or "war-game" called Acceleration. Designed and executed by Va lens Global, the project also collected data from participants in shorter exercises at other universities. In these preliminary results, we find that almost all students were impacted by the course. Many said the course had a positive impact on their academic plans, and a subset of students said this course highly impacted their career plans. The results of this project are intended to provide insights into possible training methods for national security professionals; preliminary results show that simulation courses are impactful to participants. KEY TAKEAWAYS Forty-three students enrolled in the Spring 2024 course at Duke University. Teams of students represent interests such as states ( e.g., Germany) and companies (e.g., Google). They participate in simulated issues to understand the national security implications of "moves." 1. Almost all students expressed that the course contributed to their personal development; this included increased confidence in skills such as negotiation and teamwork. 2. Nearly 3/4 of students reported at least some impact on career interests, and some students reported the course sparked interest in pursuing a career in the national security field, including intelligence, cybersecurity, and homeland security. "This class helped me become more comfortable with verbal discussion, negotiation, and presentation. In other classes, I have been able to prepare, but this class requires instantaneous decision making and response." "I really thought I was bad at international relations before this because of classes I have taken, but this course made it much more enjoyable and tangible subject to study." "It has made me interested in a career in the government, potentially working as part of an intelligence agency." COURSE INFORMATION AND FINDINGS Students participated in a course at Duke University in the Spring 2024 semester entitled "National Security Simulation: Domestic Terrorism, Propaganda, and White Nationalism." It was offered at both the 200 and 500 course levels at Duke, which means that it was available to all undergraduate students and graduate students-a rare opportunity at Duke. This half­credit course lasted for seven weeks. Forty-three students enrolled in the Spring 2024 course. 2 Students in the course played a "game" or "simulation" called Acceleration, which was designed and executed by Valens Global. The course instructors were David Schanzer, a Duke public policy professor that is the principal investigator of this project, and Daveed-Gartenstein Ross, the CEO of Va lens Global and an adjunct faculty at Duke. Due to the size of enrollment, the spring 2024 course conducted 2 separate, but simultaneous games which were labeled World-1 and World-X. Each "world" was comprised of five teams of four or five students led by graduate student captains. In the spring 2024 semester, the teams were: the White House, the California Governor's Office, Google, Germany, and Russia. At the outset of the game, each team is provided a packet of information that explains the strategic interests that the team should pursue. The game begins with a presentation that develops a variety of story lines regarding events taking place around the world as well as commentary by various key actors in the scenario. After a week of planning and strategizing, teams submit "moves" that they believe will advance their strategic interests. Teams are also provided customized decision memoranda that require them to choose a course of action on specific issues. Based on the team moves and responses to the decision memoranda, a new presentation is distributed that advances the multiple story lines of the scenario. This process iterates five times until the scenario concludes. The Valens team assesses the totality of the teams' performance in advancing their strategic interests and then ranks the teams during the final class session. Effect on Personal Development The students were asked to provide confidential feedback on their experience. In total, 87% of the students said the course had at least some impact on their personal development, and over 1/3rd of the students reported that the course affected their personal development "a lot" or "a great deal." Students expressed that course contributed to their personal development by increasing confidence in skills, including the ability to lead and work as a team, negotiate with others, and present their ideas to teammates and instructors. One student noted that the class helped them "become more comfortable with verbal discussion, negotiation, and presentation." Further, this student said that "this class requires instantaneous decision making and response. I was nervous about exercising this skill at first but have found it to be enjoyable." A different student said they felt more confident, and another felt more willing to speak up in a group. Another student wrote, "I felt more confident to lead my team and throw out random ideas and discuss. [ ...] I was comfortable and able to express ideas and concerns and develop differing policy plans." These qualitative findings show that the simulation has a positive impact on students' personal development. Impact on Academic Plans 3 In total, 74% of the students said the course had at least some impact on their academic interest; Almost a quarter of the students said that the course affected their academic plans 11a lot" or 11a great deal." Public policy majors reported that the course helped them narrow down their interest within the field to issues such as international relations, counterterrorism, and intelligence. Non-public policy majors noted an increased interest in public policy and an interest in taking additional courses that were security related or in an active learning format. One student noted, 11 1 ruled out international relations and grand strategy before, but now I am reconsidering." Another said, 11this class has made me want to take more classes about international security and US domestic agencies." And yet another wrote, 11 1 would love to take more experiential classes in the future and potentially do my master's thesis on wargaming in the national security realm." This highlights that students were highly engaged. The course fostered interest and excitement about national security. Future Career Plans In total, 71 % of the students said the course had at least some impact on career interest, and 13% of the students indicated that the course influenced their career plans 11a lot" or 11a great deal." Some of these students reported that the course sparked an interest in pursuing a career in a national security field, including intelligence, cybersecurity, and homeland security. This simulation course additionally helped students define their career. 11As a student interested in law school, I've been intimidated by litigation careers because I doubted my ability to verbally negotiate on the spot. However, this simulation has shown me that this is a skill I enjoy and can improve in with practice." Another noted that this course helped them become better equipped to handle a role in national security. One student noted that this course made them 11 interested in a career in the government, potentially working as part of an intelligence agency" and another said it broadened the potential career plans they're considering. These quotes highlight that simulation courses help students understand broader career options in the homeland security enterprise. Further, the courses provide students training and exposure to national security issues, preparing them for the homeland security workforce. METHODOLOGY Data was collected through pre-course and post-course surveys of the students, focus groups, and other methods. Extensive results will be reported later in the project, but here we report results on the survey questions that asked students to rate the extent to which participation in the course contributed to their personal development, plans for ongoing study or academic focus, and career plans on a scale of 1 (not at all) to 5 (a great deal). Students who rated course contributions 2 or higher were given the opportunity to elaborate on their answers. The course consisted of 22 women and 21 men ranging in age between 18-34. There were 12 graduate students (11 Master of Public Policy students, 1 Executive Education student), and 31 undergraduates (6 seniors, 9 juniors, 13 sophomores, 3 first year). Undergraduate majors included 8 Public Policy, 5 Political Science, 5 Undeclared, 3 Math, 3 Economics, and 1 Other. RESEARCH TEAM David Schanzer (Pl), Duke University Daveed Gartenstein-Ross (Pl), Valens Global Jessica Sperling, Duke University Victoria Lee, Duke University Elena Johanson, Duke University Date of Publication. October 8, 2024 4 To cite this report, please use: Schanzer, D., Gartenstein-Ross, D., Sperling, J., Lee, V., and Johanson, E. (2024). Impact Assessment: National Security Simulation Course at Duke University A research brief published by the National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education (NCITE) Center. Omaha, NE. About NCITE. The National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education Center, or NCITE, is a research consortium focused on counterterrorism and targeted violence prevention. It is funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as a Center of Excellence. Based at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, NCITE includes 50+ researchers at partner institutions across the U.S. and Europe. Acknowledgment and Disclaimer. The research in this report was supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under Grant Award Number 20STTPC00001-05. Any opinions or conclusions contained herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Homeland Security, the DHS Science and Technology Directorate, or the University of Nebraska System. 

Impact Assessment: National Security Simulation Course at Duke University

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Impact Assessment: National Security Simulation Course at Duke University

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