ViewPoint is cloud-based software that supports custom-designed role-playing simulations. Its advanced functionality allows instructors to create and implement powerful engaged learning experiences in both remote and face-to-face settings.

Developed in partnership with the U-M Center of Academic Innovation, ViewPoint simplifies and streamlines what is normally a difficult and time-consuming process of designing effective simulations, bringing the dynamic pedagogy within the reach of instructors from a wide range of academic disciplines.

ViewPoint has hosted simulations on a wide variety of topics in fields including public policy, social work, education, business, international relations, public health, law, and criminal justice. It’s been used at institutions like The University of Michigan, Stanford University, Michigan State, Boston College, UC Merced, Ball State, USC and UC Berkeley.

Our History

ViewPoint was created in 2016 as a collaboration between Dr. Elisabeth Gerber and the Center for Academic Innovation (CAI).

Dr. Gerber had spent the decade prior creating paper-and-pencil simulations of the public policy-making process for her own courses, and unsuccessfully searching for an existing software solution to support those role-playing simulations.

In 2016, as she prepared to run another highly complex simulation and was struggling to manage the tremendous amount of details involved in it, she came up with the idea for a tool that would streamline the authoring and implementation of such simulations. That idea became ViewPoint.

Since its inception, Dr. Gerber has worked with a team of CAI designers, developers, behavioral scientists, and implementation specialists to develop ViewPoint into a platform that is uniquely designed to support role-playing simulations in a variety of different contexts.