Student Instructions

Energy Policy: A Decision-Making Simulation

Each of you will be assigned a role and receive information about it. The rest is up to you and your group to determine and carry out. You will meet later with all the groups to help the President answer the following questions:

  1. What percentage of our nation's research and development budget over the next 10 years should be spent on each of the following:
    1. exploring for more domestic oil and gas, and extracting oil from shale;
    2. increasing the use of coal both in its natural form and in gasified or liquified forms;
    3. expanding the use of nuclear energy;
    4. using geothermal energy;
    5. using alternate energy sources (wind, water, and sunlight conversion).
  2. What must we do to conserve energy, how soon must we act, and how much can we save?
  3. How can Congress be persuaded to pass legislation needed to implement a comprehensive energy program?

Your group has some special interest in what decisions the President makes. What are those interests, and how will you convince the President that the program elements you want should be Dart of his energy plan?

Procedure

  1. Read the directions and meet with the other advisors in your group. Make a group name plate. Discuss how you plan to approach the assignment. Begin your research.
  2. Complete your research and prepare for a meeting with the other advisory groups and the President. During this meeting you will try to persuade the President to accept your recommendations.
  3. At the beginning of the meeting with the President, each group will turn in a written report containing:
    1. the name of the group;
    2. the names of the advisors;
    3. an outline summary of each decision and supporting arguments; and
    4. a complete list of sources used in the research.
  4. Each group in turn, will publicly announce its position and proposals, present its supporting arguments, and take notes in order to challenge the claims of other groups.
  5. The President (your teacher) will announce his final decision. The evaluation will be based on how closely the role has been followed, how convincing the arguments are, the accuracy of information used, and the completion of each step on time.


Return to the main document.