A Web-based Distance Learning System in Business Administration Experiences from an Inter-Nordic Course

The paper presents a specially constructed Web-based tool, WebGPSS, developed in Sweden, for teaching business students simulation. The tool includes a Java Applet that provides a Graphical Users Interface, by which the student can build a simulation model of a system, such as an inventory system. The model is then run on a remote server, which then sends result graphs and tables over the Web to the student computer. The paper furthermore discusses the experiences made when using this tool in a distance-learning course at the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration (NHH) in Bergen, in 2000 – 2002.