Learning leadership skills in a simulated business environment

Virtual CEOs: A blended approach to digital gaming for enhancing higher order thinking and academic achievement among vocational high school students

“…In the context of business or vocational education, simulation offers several advantages, including linking learning with authentic duties, offering opportunities for collaboration and sharing of experiences, and introducing students to the complexities of the real world, allowing them to experiment and take risks in a safe context (Siewiorek et al, 2012). Problem-based approaches to games or simulations provide learners with opportunities to explore and experience realistic scenarios in which all learning tasks are linked to a larger, authentic, and complex problem in which players can test alternative ideas, take ownership for the consequences, and receive feedback and opportunities for reflection in order to develop HOTS (Warren et al, 2012).…”

“…Conversely, the digital games served as sustained narratives for contextualizing problems (Warren et al, 2012), causally linking game strategies with game outcomes, and ensuring cognitive and affective engagement with the problem-solving tasks. Thus, in this study, the use of DGBL as the principle instructional strategy provided an environment for simulating actual employment-related problems (Siewiorek et al, 2012), which proved effective for promoting problem solving in vocational learners. This is significant, since problem solving is a key skill required by employers, and can be relevant to industries when students are seeking employment (Taiwan Ministry of Education, 2013).…”

“…Simulations have even been adopted for developing leadership skills in business education at the graduate school level (Siewiorek et al, 2012) and for professional development with construction professionals (Wall & Ahmed, 2008). The appropriateness of digital games for vocational learners at the high school level will be evaluated by this study.…”

“…On the other hand, simulations or games can provide a) hands-on and relevant experiences with virtual business or employment settings (Siewiorek, Saarinen, Lainema, & Lehtinen, 2012;Williams, 2008), and b) develop higher order thinking skills (HOTS) when adopting social constructivist principles, such as active knowledge construction, the provision of support tools, and interaction among participants (Kiili, 2005;Li, Cheng, & Liu, 2013). While DGBL has been used for decades, the adoption of simulation games for developing work-related knowledge while promoting HOTS for vocational students has yet to be explored.…”

The effect of games and simulations on higher education: a systematic literature review

“…Simulation games are often seen as powerful tools in promoting teamwork and team dynamics (Stanley & Latimer, 2011;Tiwari et al, 2014;Lin, 2016;Wang, 2016), collaboration (Hanning, 2012), social and emotional skills (Ahmad et al, 2013), and other soft skills, including project management, self-reflection, and leadership skills (Siewiorek, 2012;Wang et al, 2016), which are acquired through a reality-based scenarios with action-oriented activities (Geithner & Menzel, 2016).…”