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When participants in introductory business courses encounter the term "operations strategy," it is not easy for them to appreciate what operations strategy is about, or how it fits with overall business strategy. This game breaks down highfalutin jargon into experiences that participants can readily relate to. While working in teams to make paper boats, and competing with other teams, participants realize that they have intuitively engaged in the formulation and implementation of their team's operations strategy. They begin to appreciate the interplay between the customer's requirements, their own team's strengths, the "competitive priorities" that their team must emphasize, and the tradeoffs inherent in making these decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Games can be great pedagogical tools for educators and students. COTS games (commercial-off-the-shelf) are designed for the pure purpose of leisure but can also contain educational value.Aim. In this paper, we address the potential of COTS games as serious games. We develop an interpretive evaluation framework that can identify the educational value in COTS games.Application. The presented framework can create evaluative profiles of the learning, social, game, and immersive mechanics of COTS games as educational tools. Moreover, the framework can position COTS games between four intertwined dimensions, namely pedagogical, design, knowledge, and sociotechnical considerations.Demonstration. To validate the practical application of the interpretive framework, we apply it to a real-world example. Our demonstration reveals the usefulness of the framework.Conclusions. The framework enables critical reflection on the game mechanics; thereby capturing the complexity of the game mechanics that makes COTS game both educational and fun to play. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Using digital games for educational purposes has been associated with higher levels of motivation among learners of different educational levels. However, the underlying psychological factors involved in digital game based learning (DGBL) have been rarely analyzed considering self-determination theory (SDT); the relation of SDT with the flow experience has neither been evaluated in the context of DGBL.Aim. This article evaluates DGBL under the perspective of SDT in order to improve the study of motivational factors in DGBL.Results. In this paper, we introduce the LMGM-SDT theoretical framework, where the use of DGBL is analyzed through the Learning Mechanics and Game Mechanics mapping model (LM-GM) and its relation with the components of the SDT. The implications for the use of DGBL in order to promote learners’ motivation are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Brain-based learning (BBL), also referred to as educational neuroscience, examines learning as a biological process. Teaching to support BBL requires blending of understanding of neuroscience with the practice of education. With BBL, the learning environment is designed to enhance the brain’s natural ability to learn. Aim: This manuscript describes the fundamentals of brain-based learning, translates the basic tenets of BBL to the simulation learning environment, and presents practical application strategies for simulation-based learning.Method: Focusing on the work of Renate and Geoffrey Caine, this article examines their approach to BBL, including the three core elements of brain-based learning experience: orchestrated immersion in complex environments, relaxed alertness, and active processing. The three elements of the Caine and Caine model are well-embedded in the larger BBL literature and have particular utility with simulation-based education.Results: The three core elements of BBL have direct application to simulation as a teaching and learning practice. This paper presents several specific strategies designed to enhance both the simulation event experience and the debriefing.Conclusion: The simulation learning environment can be adapted to capitalize on the tenets of BBL. Several instructional strategies are available to enhance the biological process of learning while utilizing simulation-based learning practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information about issues related to JASAG and ISAGA. The editorial committee of ISAGA 2003 has completed the selection of papers to be published in the official postconference publication of ISAGA 2003. The postconference publication will be a one-volume academic book that contains about 30 articles from various research fields in simulation and gaming. JASAG publishes a journal, Studies in Simulation & Gaming, for its members. As this journal includes papers on simulation and gaming approaches and related academic discussions, members can familiarize themselves with the current state of Japanese scholarship in the field of simulation and gaming studies.