Virtual Simulations: A Call to Engage Educational Leadership Candidates in Ethics

In this paper, the authors describe one leadership preparation program’s approach to enhancing ethics and ethical decision-making practices by embedding high impact practices and experiential learning opportunities for leadership candidates. The conceptual framework for this research was based on Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory (ELT) and Kuh’s High-Impact Practices (HIPs) to connect theory and practice through practical feedback and leadership coaching. Using experiential virtual simulation experiences, provided opportunities for Educational Leadership candidates to apply instructional and ethical leadership practices to authentic, problem-based situations in an innovative online educational leadership program.  This approach allowed faculty to offer specific growth areas to strengthen and improve aspiring school leaders’ ethical decision-making practices. Furthermore, the paper discusses how experiential learning through virtual simulation was used to strengthen candidates’ transformation learning process and bridge theory to practice in a virtual reality environment.