Enhancing Student Learning in Tertiary Education Through Simulation

Nang Laik Ma, Ivy Sook May Chia, Murphy Junyu Choy

2025

Abstract

Simulation-based learning has emerged as a transformative approach to enhancing student learning in tertiary education, bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application. Our university has employed simulation-based learning in an undergraduate course for nearly a decade, training thousands of students to foster active engagement, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. The pivot of this approach is a virtual business simulation where students, organized in teams of five, manage a comprehensive business over a twelve-week semester. The simulation has multiple departments ranging from forecasting, finance, operations, transportation, and logistics to give our freshers a holistic overview of how to run a business and the interdependency and connection between departments. Student activities are continuously tracked during the simulation. As instructors, we can download the learner activities after the simulation game. It enables us to develop a predictive model with 90% accuracy in forecasting the students’ final scores. This model supports timely, pre-emptive interventions to identify students who might need additional assistance and help them increase their active participation. At the end of the course, each team will give a fifteen-minute presentation to showcase their simulation results, strategic thinking, and data analysis skills using simulation-generated data. This paper provides valuable insights into best practices and future directions for leveraging simulations in tertiary education. It emphasizes the role of simulations in tertiary education, which fosters teamwork, critical thinking, and real-world business acumen. In addition, the simulation also effectively prepares students for professional success in a dynamic and competitive landscape.

Paper Citation

in Harvard Style

Ma N., Chia I. and Choy M. (2025). Enhancing Student Learning in Tertiary Education Through Simulation. In Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Computer Supported Education - Volume 2: CSEDU; ISBN 978-989-758-746-7, SciTePress, pages 705-712. DOI: 10.5220/0013278300003932

in Bibtex Style

@conference{csedu25,
author={Nang Ma and Ivy Chia and Murphy Choy},
title={Enhancing Student Learning in Tertiary Education Through Simulation},
booktitle={Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Computer Supported Education - Volume 2: CSEDU},
year={2025},
pages={705-712},
publisher={SciTePress},
organization={INSTICC},
doi={10.5220/0013278300003932},
isbn={978-989-758-746-7},
}

in EndNote Style

TY - CONF

JO - Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Computer Supported Education - Volume 2: CSEDU
TI - Enhancing Student Learning in Tertiary Education Through Simulation
SN - 978-989-758-746-7
AU - Ma N.
AU - Chia I.
AU - Choy M.
PY - 2025
SP - 705
EP - 712
DO - 10.5220/0013278300003932
PB - SciTePress