We’re in the midst of a digital revolution, with rote learning and static classrooms becoming a thing of the past. Experiential learning is the future of education, with business simulation games becoming the norm in universities and colleges across the USA, in particularly in the Midwest*. Each year more and more business schools are offering business simulation courses as a forward thinking alternative to traditional education.
Here are three reasons why experiential learning is the future of education:
1. Bridges the Gap Between Theory and Practice
Experiential learning gives students valuable first-hand experience, which plays a crucial role in retaining concepts and ideas. Bridging the gap between theory and practice accelerates learning by allowing students to develop their critical thinking, problem solving and decision making skills. This is a safe learning environment for students to experiment as they receive real-time feedback and the opportunity to reflect.
2. Personalized Learning
Experiential learning is personalized. Each student has the freedom to set their own pace and be as creative as they like. Mistakes are celebrated as valuable learning curves and there is no set formula for success.
Many neuroscience studies have shown that a personalized experience positively affects how the brain receives new information. Dr Judy Willis, a neurologist and educator states “[a] student must care about new information or consider it important for it to be stored as long-term memory. Memories with personal meaning are most likely to become relational and long-term memories available for later retrieval”.
3. Better Success Rates
Experiential learning produces self-directed learners who have knowledge of what is required for real-world success, so it’s not surprising to see it has an exceptional ROI. Students who learn in this collaborative way tend to feel more engaged in their learning experience, as they are actively and immediately involved in the process. The knowledge and skills gained in an experiential learning course are adaptive and readily applicable.
Education is undergoing a transformation. Experiential learning is being recognized globally as the future of education and Smartsims is behind this movement. Smartsims Business Simulators provide a virtual setting for students to bridge theories and concepts taught in class with real-life experience. Through this experiential learning environment, students understand business strategy and management concepts at a deeper level, while creating memorable learning experiences.
Try Smartsims for yourself to discover why instructors love teaching with Smartsims Business Simulations.
*Use of business simulations is booming in Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, Kansas City and other cities in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.