How to design lean six sigma simulation games for online learning

Abstract

Simulation games (SGs) have been widely used in classrooms since they help mimic a real world operation or process in a controllable way. While simulation games are widely applied in face-to-face settings, their availability for use in online learning environments is very limited. This is an important education issue since 33.5% (7.1 million) of all higher education students take at least one online course. This number is is believed to reach up to 90% over the next 5 years as there is an increasing number of universities now experimenting with Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)[1]. The objectives of this paper are: 1) to identify the gap between face-to-face and online simulation games, 2) to identify key features of simulation games that enable making the learning process transformative, and 3) to develop a design-decision framework for online SGs that are as effective as their face-to-face counterparts. For these purposes, existing face-to-face and online simulation games related to lean six sigma are analyzed. Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), a multi-criteria decision making technique, is applied here to develop a new design-decision framework for designing educational online SGs. Through the AHP methodology, prioritized design criteria are identified. The anticipated outcome is that the online simulation games will improve student learning through active and experiential learning.