Mixed Reality and Gamification in Distance Learning Education: The Virtual Enterprise Planning Simulator to Learn ERP Strategies

Abstract

The worldwide confinement due to Covid19 has boosted the development of creative learning activities in academia, including role-playing games and multidisciplinary workshops brought to students’ homes. Tecnologico de Monterrey, like most universities in the world, is delivering classes remotely using internally developed and external platforms designed to continue the practices that were done every day in laboratories, facilities, and partner companies and institutions. One of the biggest challenges of distance education is creating fun and practical learning. Integrating innovative technologies into the learning process is necessary to achieve this challenge. One of these technologies is Augmented Reality (AR), which allows virtual objects to be superimposed in the real world to “coexist” with the objects in real-world surroundings. In this research, we generated an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) simulator based on the educational platform “Tec21 Car Assembler”. Using Virtual Reality (VR), the students applied the virtual classroom’s theoretical learning to practice, guided by an academician collaborating with training partners from companies and institutions partnering with Tecnologico de Monterrey to transfer knowledge to students.