MIXING CASE METHOD WITH BUSINESS GAMES - STUDENT-EVALUATIONS

This article explores students' perceived learning from using either a complex business game or a simple one, along with some case studies i n business policy courses. The pedagogical differences between the cas e method and the game method are discussed. The criteria important to teaching business policies are identified The course pedagogy involves a mix of cases, computerized business games, readings, lectures, and student presentations, with the principal emphasis on cases and games. This experiment was designed to compare the perceived effectiveness o f applying a simple versus a complex game as supplements to the case m ethod in a business policy course. There were 159 students in a busine ss policy course who participated in the study. The results seem to in dicate that the complex game is pedagogically more effective than the simple game, that the students using the complex game gain more insigh ts into business environment and various functions of the firm, and th at the complex game is as effective as the case method along some impo rtant pedagogical dimensions.