A strong challenge being confronted by our education system today is how to leverage the learning of concepts and theories with the use of modern technology and create engaging, relevant, and personalized learning experiences for all students that can serve as the reality of their future.
At present, a majority of B- schools and universities follow a teaching style that is a blend of theory and practical. The traditional methods of teaching within the confines of the classroom that include lectures and textbooks surely sets the basic foundation for a student. Yet, to attain the skills, which will be required at the workplace, these concepts have to be applied. This application of the learning will make sure that the student has been able to improve their critical thinking skills. Thus, the two years of PGDM / MBA should ideally comprise this blend of theory and practice giving the student a comprehensive curriculum.
At Asian Business School (ABS), the academic activities like Business Plan Competition organized under the umbrella of Entrepreneurship Development & Incubation Centre (EDIC) as well as the multifarious activities conducted within the multiple Student Clubs like The Entrepreneurship Club: SEED, The Marketing Club: Mark-Techos, The Finance Club: Bulls N Bears, and The IT Club: Technocrats give the students great opportunities to collaborate and work with peers. And, it is here that for subjects like these, the implementation of ‘Simulation’ can turn out to be the best solution as it deals with the real-life application of the knowledge gained in the classroom.
The Clear Benefits of Simulation
‘Simulations’ can be largely defined as “games that follow a system or a phenomenon”. The players here are expected to achieve certain pre-specified goals and the environment of the simulation is pre-defined through algorithms and programming. The biggest benefit of simulations is that students get deeply involved in playing the simulation and they consider it as a game or a competition in the real sense. While they are in the process of playing the simulation, the students ideally start applying the concepts that they have learnt in their classes. This gives them an engaging opportunity to find out how the concept actually works.
What’s more, ‘Simulations’ is also the best way to implement ‘Action Learning’, i.e., learning by doing. In modern times, simulations are available online so they can be accessed from anywhere. As a matter of fact, students can form teams and access the simulation from any part of the world. It also encourages more interactions among the students that set the platform for learning from each other. Apart from this, they can also afford to make mistakes and learn from it as the stakes are low and they have nothing to lose in terms of money or any other resource.
The Crucial Need For Inclusion of Simulation in Learning Pedagogy
Considering the fact that ‘Simulations’ are beneficial for management students, it is important that it is included in the learning pedagogy at such institutes. ranked as one of the best B-schools in Delhi NCR, Asian Business School has been implementing simulations in its PGDM courses. A few of the key aspects that need to be considered for including Simulation in the learning pedagogy are:
· Determine the learning objectives of the subject and check the relation between the concepts taught and the simulation game. It is required that there should be a perfect match between the learning objectives of the course and the skills that the simulation tests in the student.
· Again, it is required that the simulation game should be in a sequence. This sequence should move in terms of complexity. For example, a simulation may be played over 4 quarters and the decisions that the players have to take in the initial quarters should be simpler than the ones that they have to take in the later stages.
· It is also necessary that the class has to be closely guided by a coach who will channel the thoughts and ideas of the students. There has to be a little bit of hand-holding in the initial stages of the simulation so that the students understand the process properly.
· Here, the coach can at first give a brief synopsis of the situation in which this simulation is being conducted. And, if required, the initial stages can be demonstrated by the coach so that the students can follow his or her footsteps.
· While the students play the simulation, the coach should encourage the students to think about their decisions and predict the consequences of their decisions accordingly. Then, the coach will have to connect this analysis with the learning objectives of the course.
· It is also suggested that the teams should be able to present their decisions and, if required, prepare a brief report of the simulation. The coach can then give their feedback so that the concepts become clear to the students.
In the light of the present dynamic environment, it is proposed that the main focus of higher educational institutions should be to strongly enable student-centered teaching. And, this will be attainable only when learning happens in an active and collaborative environment. So, in view of this crucial need, it can be said that the inclusion of ‘Simulations’ in the teaching and learning of management concepts will not only make the students better learners but will also prepare them to better face the challenges of the vibrant corporate world.
