So your course is about to start, your students have been introduced to the business simulation game component, and you are ready to wish them luck on the first round. However whether you are an experienced user or a first timer, there are a number of often overlooked features that can make your life as an instructor easier when running a simulation based class.
We've recently looked at some of the underused features on our platform, and compiled a handy business simulation hacks list for you to make sure you are getting the most out of your business simulation exercise experience:
1. Quickstart Guide
While the Cesim business simulations platform is built to be intuitive and easy-to-use, when you are just getting started it can still seem daunting at first. The quickstart guide is there to walk you through the ins and outs of using your instructor account, how to create your first course, and the best way to inform your students about the registration process. The guide is accessible through the green light bulb icon on the upper right corner of the home page of your instructor account.
2. Material Management
Every business simulation comes with a set of default materials like the case description and the decision-making guide, but did you know that you can also upload and add your own files to the course through the material management interface? Whether you would like to add a custom strategy .doc, a related video link or any other files, you can do so by navigating to the Material upload tab under Materials > Material Management. Once the file is uploaded, you can assign it to any active simulation course under the Material matrix tab.
3. Case Management
Similarly to the materials accompanying the simulations, each product is based on a default case that has been designed to provide a challenging and educational game experience for the participants. In order to improve the replayability of our simulations however, we have opened up the platform for modifications, so you can not only create your own custom case under Case management, but view and use any of the cases that have been created by other educators on the Cesim platform.
4. Quiz
Do you want to test whether your students understood the core principles present in the simulation? The Cesim platform offers two types of preset quizzes: a capstone quiz and a simulation specific quiz. The former is designed to assess the students' general understanding of business theories and is the same across all business simulation games. The latter on the other hand is designed to gauge whether the participants familiarized themselves with the discipline specific concepts of the course. In addition to the default quizzes readily available on the platform, you can also create your own questionnaire with the Quiz builder. Once you have decided to add a quiz to your simulation based course, just remember to select the course in question and assign it in the Quiz subsection under Courses.
5. Forum
Whether you are running a class based, blended or completely online course, communication is vitally important throughout the game. The Cesim platform comes with an integrated forum that facilitates a discussion between team mates (team forum), students of the entire course (course forum), and instructors and the Cesim team (instructor forum). Make sure to utilize these to disseminate information, answer questions, and find solutions when needed.
6. Analyzer
Do you need a little extra information to analyze results? The Analyzer is a special feature depicted by a blue 'A' icon under Results, available only to instructors, and is designed to provide valuable information about how student decisions affect demand.
7. Logs & Metrics
In a team based business simulation course, transparency is key. The Logs in the Course Editor under Courses keeps track of each participants time spent in the game, their registration and last login date, whereas the Metrics show a snapshot of the teams results side by side, their total time logged in the simulation, as well as whether they have taken their assigned quizzes yet.
Can you think of any other useful but underused feature in a business simulation? Is there one that hasn't been built yet but should be? Let us know!
