Case Study - Business Simulations at Uni of Chester

Module: Leading International Business
Level: Undergraduate
Management Simulation: Phone Ventures
Number of Students: 24
Programme Leader: Ian Shotton

WHY DID YOU CONSIDER USING business SIMULATIONS?

“We were looking for ways to make learning more interactive and engaging for the students. Simulations brought this to life. It was a good way of bringing in a number of different areas of business, as well. I also decided to use them as they lend themselves naturally to developing team-working and collaborative skills.”

How easy was it to manage the simulation?

“The training was well received from the students. Any tech-related issues, mainly forgetting passwords, were easily resolved through the Helpdesk.”

How Are Students Assessed On The Module?

“Students aren’t assessed on how successful their company is in the simulation. Instead, at the end of the simulation they need to provide a report based on a rationale for the strategy they employed in the simulation. They then need to provide an analysis of the results during each round, appraising their operational decisions, what worked and what didn’t and how they collaborated to determine these decisions within their team.”

What Feedback Have You Received From Your Students?

“Overwhelmingly positive. They’ve enjoyed the challenges of it. It’s very different from the other modules and how they’re assessed. It’s also authentic in applying their knowledge to a real-world, albeit simulated real-world, environment. It can be quite challenging to grasp how all the different areas affect each other but it’s all part of the learning experience.”