APSU’s College of Education preparing future teachers with advanced simulations

By: Ethan Steinquest November 2, 2026

Austin Peay State University education majors conduct a simulated parent-teacher conference at the Health Professions Building on Oct. 16. | Photo by Sean McCully

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — Austin Peay State University is sending dozens of students from the Eriksson College of Education (CoE) into local classrooms next semester as student teachers, and each one is coming prepared with firsthand simulation experience.

In addition to working in virtual classrooms as part of their coursework, 56 of these students recently participated in mock parent-teacher conferences at Austin Peay’s Nursing Simulation Center. The growing center has now collaborated with every academic college on campus to provide workforce-ready training opportunities.

“I want to expand experiential learning at Austin Peay across all disciplines,” said Dr. Adrienne Wilk, assistant professor and simulation coordinator for the School of Nursing. “There are so many more light bulb moments that occur for a student in a simulation environment than you will ever get in a traditional classroom … [because] they’re getting to actively participate, lead, and respond.”

Faculty from CoE and the School of Nursing designed the scenario to give student-teachers more experience with talking to adults on the job. Participants were able to respond to parents’ feedback in real time and work together to help a child who had suddenly started having difficulties in the classroom.

“I think this was a great reminder of what the career we’re going into really is,” said Caroline Jansen, a senior elementary education major. “It’s not just about teaching ABCs or math; you’re training the next generation, interacting with parents, and serving as a caretaker for these children. That means it’s important to be mindful of how you approach conflict … to make sure you’re in a place to listen rather than just feeling like you need to be heard.”

Participating students went through briefings with their professors before and after the exercise, which brought in nursing majors to act as concerned parents.

“You never know how someone is going to react during a difficult conversation, and [having that experience] makes us feel more prepared to start teaching,” said Arianna Swett, a senior early childhood education major. “We wanted to make sure we could work as a team without the parents feeling like we were attacking them or their child.”

Although the students went into the conversations without knowing what was going to happen, CoE’s coursework made sure they were more than ready.

“We just started doing [virtual] school sims this fall,” said Dr. Donna Short, associate professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning and the Jack Hunt STEM Center’s coordinator. “They’re AI-generated interactions where students are given an assigned task to observe and provide feedback, like bullying or classroom management. The goal is to reinforce those skills our students need before they go out into the field, and live simulations are the natural next step.”

The live exercise centered around early elementary education, but CoE plans to work with the School of Nursing to develop simulations for other grade levels. Their goal is to cover several areas, from classroom management and parent-teacher conferences to assisting students with disabilities.

“Everything went very well, and I think the students gained a lot of experience,” said Amy Barrett, CoE’s director of teacher education and partnerships. “With this being our first one, we’re going to ramp up more next semester and keep building as we see the need from our districts and our students.”