The impact of a simulation game on operations management education
Computers & Education, 57 (1):
1240--1254 (August 2011)DOI: 10.1016/j.compedu.2010.12.006
Abstract
This study presents a new simulation game and analyzes its impact
on operations management education. The proposed simulation was empirically
tested by comparing the number of mistakes during the first and second
halves of the game. Data were gathered from 100 teams of four or
five undergraduate students in business administration, taking their
first course in operations management. To assess learning, instead
of relying solely on an overall performance measurement, as is usually
done in the skill-based learning literature, we analyzed the evolution
of different types of mistakes that were made by students in successive
rounds of play. Our results show that although simple decision-making
skills can be acquired with traditional teaching methods, simulation
games are more effective when students have to develop decision-making
abilities for managing complex and dynamic situations.
