Teaching Plan‐Do‐Study‐Act (PDSA) in a Supply Chain Context: A Paper Football In‐Class Activity

Abstract

We develop a single-class period learning game for the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) improvement cycle. The experiential activity walks teams through the PDSA problemsolving process as they create paper American footballs and improve their performance using each step of the cycle. The game is one of the first to focus on PDSA. Key benefits include increased student attention, engagement, and learning. Empirical tests show that participant pre-and post-test scores regarding their understanding of each phase of PDSA improved 21.2% after completing the game. Additionally, the treatment group performed 16.6% higher than the control group. In participant perception questions, 85% of participants felt the game was more effective than lecture or reading, 93% felt the game was fun, 95% felt the game improved their understanding of PDSA, and 98% felt the game was engaging.

Increasing Student Accounting Self‐Efficacy, Interest, and Knowledge Using the DuPont Model

“…In addition, differences in pre‐ and postactivity self‐efficacy were positively correlated with students’ attitudes toward accounting and their postactivity exam score. These results reinforce the value of using analogies to help students achieve higher levels of self‐efficacy, interest, and knowledge, and they build upon the work of others who have also developed proven activities that use analogies to teach operations management, supply chain management, lean manufacturing, and Six Sigma (Brau, Gardner, Webb, & McDonald, 2019; Hanson & Phillips, 2006; Miller, Hill, & Miller, 2016; Snider & Southin, 2016; Swanson, 2008; Tucker, 2017).…”

A Simulation for Managing Retail Inventory Flow Using RFID and Bar Code Technology

“…This exercise enables the students to experience the usage of bar code and RFID technology, rather than just reading about them. Similar experiential exercises have been shown to be successful in the context of just‐in‐time production (Ashenbaum, 2010) and the Plan‐Do‐Study‐Act improvement cycle (Brau et al., 2019), among others.…”

A Searchable Spreadsheet for Educational Games in the Decision Sciences

“… Action games rely on students’ physical movements, such as walking around the classroom or building products in a makeshift production line, as the primary way of learning. Games involving physical exercises or activities can improve students’ understanding of and engagement in the subject with reduced material preparation time for instructors (Brau et al., 2019). Adventure games tend to span an extended time or serve as a semester‐long project woven into regular lectures.…”