Case Study - Business Simulations at BYU Hawaii

Module: Hospitality and Tourism Management
Level: Undergraduate (equivalent)
Management Simulation: Tour Operator
Number of Students: 70
Lecturer: David Preece

WHY DID YOU CONSIDER USING Business SIMULATIONS?

"Students take a business management course early in their studies which includes a technology company simulation we've used for many years. We believed there was an opportunity in our Hospitality and Tourism Management programme to include an industry-specific simulation in our senior capstone course. We originally used a hotel management simulation but switched to Tour Operator two years ago because it presents a broader tourism perspective."

How Do You Leverage The Simulation?

“Tour Operator is an important, graded assignment. We provide students with materials to study and begin a live remote session with Gijs from Edumundo. Teams have two practice rounds to familiarise themselves and experiment with decisions. We do a debrief with Gijs to offer performance feedback before launching the seven competitive rounds. The assignment ends with an anonymous peer review of team members which I used as a factor in the final grade. This structure has worked very well in the course."

What Feedback Have You Received From Your Students?

“Student feedback has been very positive, especially compared to their earlier experience with the general business simulation. They like the relevance of Tour Operator to their course of study which in turn encourages student engagement. They also appreciate the availability of timely technical support via the Helpdesk."