Accelerating Learning through Gaming?

Abstract

Gaming as a tool for learning in business settings and in business schools is gaining in importance. New interactive technologies enable innovative strategies for enhancing the learning experience and the learning outcomes. This development evokes the question: Can gaming, as a form of simulating business reality, accelerate learning? This question will be the topic of this paper. In this paper we present the impact of two economic games. We evaluate the games based on a Media Functionality Framework (Vernooij, Thijssen, Schermerhorn, 2001) developed from literature research on learning practices and media functionalities and disfunctionalities. The first game is an entrepreneurship game for students at the Vrije Universiteit, called Economy Class . The second game is an Innovation Game as part of a course for innovation consultants of the Dutch Government. The proposition is that interactive experiences have greater impact than one way communication as in traditional methods of instruction. The learning points of the two games are made explicit and implications for innovative education and learning are indicated.