Nuts and bolts session

Title: Simulations: Learning by Playing Around

Philip Reece

Abstract

“There has been consistent, if not justified, criticism that in many discipline areas, universities teach a too theoretical line and do little to actual equip students for the real world. These criticisms are often levelled at Australian business schools, especially in key areas such as Management. This paper seeks to draw on the experience of both the researcher and a small group of students about the usefulness of simulations to address this criticism.

The paper uses a case study methodology which seeks not to derive a high level of statistical reliability but rather, seeks to examine what students thought about their experience in three simulations during second semester of 2002. The researcher had incorporated three simulations as part of the 12 workshops that comprise the action learning approach, as an important part of the experiential learning ethos of Murdoch Business School.”