Using Business Simulation Games to Help Students Prepare for Survival in the Workplace
Lynette Nagel, Bernice Beukes, Marina Kirstein, Rolien Kunz, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Abstract
Business professions seek workplace entering graduates with integrated knowledge and soft skills that are not sufficiently taught at universities. Students have an innate propensity for learning through play and exploration. We do not know how business simulation and games can prepare students across the performance spectrum for the workplace, and which learning domains play a role. A mixed methods exploration was conducted on 108 first year and 601 third-year students.
First-year Accounting Science students new to the subject, with lower marks, playing a board game on the accounting cycle benefitted more from the knowledge components of the subject compared to students with higher marks, who gained more soft skills, valued making the acquaintance with other students and far transfer to the real profession.
Senior Auditing students across all grade categories who participated in an online auditing simulation benefited most from engaging with a real-life scenario. The lower performing students learnt slightly more theory and developed more skills as the top- performing students and their affect due to the simulation was higher than the others. Simulations provided motivation and interest that helped novice students master theory and skills, while experts gained soft skills and far transfer into solving complex workplace problems.
Abstract in Afrikaans
Die sakewêreld verwag van nuwe professionele graduandi om geïntegreerde kennis en vaardighede te bemeester, wat nie voldoende aandag by universiteite geniet nie. Studente is gretig om deur spel en verkenning te leer. Ons weet egter nie hoe simulasies en bordspeletjies studente met verskillende prestasie vaardighede die studente vir die werksplek voorberei of watter leer-aspekte ‘n rol speel nie. Deur gebruik te maak van ‘n gemende metode benadering, is terugvoer van 108 eerstejaarstudente en 601 derdejaarstudente ontleed.
Eerstejaar rekeninkundige wetenskap-studente met meestal lae punte, het ‘n rekeningkunde bordspel in groepe gespeel, en hulle het veral baat gevind uit die vakkenniskomponente van die spel. Dit kontrasteer met studente met hoër punte wat dit nuttig gevind het om klasmaats te ontmoet, en die verband met die professie te verken.
Senior Ouditkunde studente oor die hele spektrum van punte wat aan ‘n aanlyn oudit simulasie deelgeneem het, het baie geleer van die binnewerking van ‘n werklike praktyk. Die studente met laer punte het effe meer teorie en vaardighede bemeester in vergeleke met dié met hoër punte. Hulle het ook meer positief oor die simulasie gevoel. Die simulasie het die laer-presterende studente dus geïnteresseer en aangemoedig om die vakteorie en vaardighede te bemeester. Beter presterende studente daarenteen, het mensvaardighede asook die oplos van komplekse toegepaste problem, soos in die werkplek verlang, bemeester.
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