An empirical investigation on factors affecting perceived learning by training through simulations

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to make an exploratory investigation of the important factors affecting the students’ perception of learning using simulation. Design/methodology/approach This exploratory research focuses on how collective learning, satisfaction, fun, collaborative communication, and time committed for the simulation affect the learning perceived by the students in a business post graduate course. In all, 157 students in a management course were divided in 26 teams of 6 members each. At the end of the simulation, learners were examined through surveys about their perception of different aspects of the simulation. Findings The findings of this research study showed that only four of these factors (collective learning, satisfaction, collaborative communication, and time) affected the students’ perceived learning. Research limitations/implications The exploratory nature of this study, along with the small sample size and the detail that responses were gathered from a single course, limits the extent to which we can make generalizations from the results. Practical implications The results from this research represent an important contribution to the premise of use of simulation in education, broadening the research of perceived learning through the perspective of simulations and opening a path for further research in this field. Originality/value Preparedness of management students with simulation training is of importance to business organizations and B-schools. Simulations permit learners to solve real-world problems, and they offer an opportunity to test recently attained skills without risk. Simulations can permit learners to visualize, discover, and articulate explanations for phenomena that would otherwise be difficult to observe.