Informatics in Education

The integration of management education with information technology tools, such as simulation games and business analysis platforms, is playing an increasingly important role in developing students’ decision-making skills as well as earn and acquire best business practices. It is particularly useful to test the didactic process effectiveness by the use of simulation game, i.e. to investigate the specificities of the use of the same software by teams from two countries. The analysis of the literature has shown that there are many cases where the same simulation tool is used by educationalists from different countries. The computer business game “Kietas riešutas” has been widely used in Lithuanian universities and colleges. The question naturally arises which aspects of the simulation game are perceived similarly by members of international teams and which are different. A questionnaire for students was developed for this purpose, on the basis of which the study was conducted. An additional questionnaire was used to investigate the relationship between the game and the uptake and usefulness of the game in computer science subjects for decision making. The paper compares the achievements obtained in the game, discusses the results of the simulation of international teams and the rationality of the decisions taken. The study showed that the business game not only helps to understand the purposeful use of information technology, but also motivates people to use it to achieve better game results.

While educators teach their students about decision making in complex environments, managers have to deal with the complexity of large projects on a daily basis. To make better decisions it is assumed, that the latter would benefit from better understanding of complex phenomena, as do students as the professionals of the future. The goal of this article is to evaluate the relevance of the use of simulation games for learning about the complexity of large-scale socio-technical projects. Relevant concepts from complex adaptive systems will be introduced or described. The conjecture is that complex adaptive systems can be simulated by games, in which players are able to experience the system workings, and retrieve more insight in their complex behaviour as a result. The multiplayer computer game SimPort-MV2 illustrates this by simulating the decision making process revolving around Maasvlakte 2 (MV2), an extension of the Port of Rotterdam into the North Sea. The game has been played by hundreds of students of higher education. Based on this study, we present preliminary indications of learning and conclusions on how simulation games can provide insights in a complex adaptive system and be used to educate both students and professionals.