Impact of an ERP simulation game on online learning

Abstract

The ever increasing use of online education dictates that the use of traditional face-to-face tools for students be expanded into the virtual classroom. Business students in online MBA courses at two universities are tasked with making decisions using SAP's ERPSim Manufacturing Game. The students are polled before and after their simulation experience on five dimensions including attitude toward SAP and several dimensions in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) knowledge. Students were found to have increased their attitudes toward SAP and knowledge of ERP upon completing the three-period simulation game. These results are significant for business educators of online courses because it shows that increased learning due to ERPSim not only takes place in face-to-face education classrooms but in an asynchronous environment as well. A comparison of our results with those reported in prior studies involving traditional classes revealed additional insights and potential topics for future research.