Fidelity and game-based technology in management education

Abstract

This study explores educational technology and management education by analyzing fidelity in game-based management education interventions. A sample of 31 MBA students was selected to help answer the research question: To what extent do MBA students tend to recognize specific game-based academic experiences, in terms of fidelity, as relevant to their managerial performance? Two distinct game-based interventions (BG 1 and BG 2 ) with key differences in fidelity levels were explored: BG 1 presented higher physical and functional fidelity levels and lower psychological fidelity levels. Hypotheses were tested with data from the participants, collected shortly after their experiences, related to the overall perceived quality of game-based interventions. The findings reveal a higher overall perception of quality towards BG 1 : (a) better for testing strategies, (b) offering better business and market models, (c) based on a pace that better stimulates learning, and (d) presenting a fidelity level that better supports real world performance. This study fosters the conclusion that MBA students tend to recognize, to a large extent, that specific game-based academic experiences are relevant and meaningful to their managerial development, mostly with heightened fidelity levels of adopted artifacts. Agents must be ready and motivated to explore the new, to try and err, and to learn collaboratively in order to perform.

Gamification in Management: a systematic review and research directions

“…So far, the discussion about the employment of gamification in organizations has been attracting attention from both practitioners and scholars around the globe. Although the inclusion of games in business contexts is not new and it has been used for business education purposes [14], [15], gamification brings novel applications to various management fields due to its interdisciplinary and dynamic features. From the academic perspective, gamification has drawn interest from various fields, including commerce, education, health, and management [16], becoming an interdisciplinary strategy.…”

Gamification in Accounting and Students’ Skillset

“…With this set of attributes this study is exploring their influence on learning outcomes, as games and their mix of attributes "can lead to better cognitive, skill-based and affective outcomes" (Wilson et al, 2009, p. 259). Cornacchione (2012) has investigated if business game and simulations can provide students with meaningful learning experiences associated with their managerial development, based on heightened fidelity levels. To do this, the researcher used a survey conducted with 31 students enrolled in a MBA program in Brazil.…”

“…If the software is difficult to operate or does not represent the reality it should represent, students may feel less engaged in playing the game, for example. Therefore, this part of the questionnaire was based in Cornacchione (2012) and deals with students' perceptions regarding the usability of the adopted software. In this context, students answered questions related to the system operation, evolution and pace of the game, applicability of the software to the accounting area, and its fidelity level (degree of approximation to the real world).…”

Inside a 3D simulation: Realism, dramatism and challenge in the development of students’ teacher digital competence

“…Realism may be defined as the learning strategies' degree of fidelity with the environment they aim to represent (Alessi, 1988;Cornacchione, 2012). The significance of realism is supported in the literature by evidence on its contribution to learning of quality (Allen, Otto, & Hoffman, 2004).…”

“…Moreover, with a different financial investment the generalisation of immersive technologies and 3D digital environments (Esteve-González, González Martínez, Gisbert Cervera, & Cela-Ranilla, 2017) has enabled the creation of simulated experiences in a multitude of contexts. It is easy to begin documenting applications of these learning strategies in contexts such as education (Park et al, 2011) and business administration (Cornacchione, 2012) and, irrespective of the field of knowledge in question, to find studies that link simulations to constructivist or constructional approaches (Chittaro & Ranon, 2007;Crookall, 2012).…”