Business, Economics and Law Online Simulation

This is a very authentic teamwork task. Team members have to draw on different individual skills and strengths to work together as a team. If one team member does not pull their weight, the performance of the airline suffers. The team needs a leader and tasks have to be delegated, managed and carried out to ensure optimal team performance. The teams compete against each other and this competition is a strong motivator for students. Producing the proposal and annual report also requires a lot of collaboration and coordination between team members. The assessment can't really be broken into pieces for individuals to work on and then reassembled on the due date. Tasks are interdependent and individuals really have to work together to produce a high quality assessment.
 

Some teams get very competitive and take the simulation too seriously. This can lead to individuals and teams investing a disproportionate amount of time in the simulation and assessment tasks. It is a challenge because it detracts from the time they can invest in other assessments (in the course as well as other courses).

Provide plenty of in class training and support throughout the simulation . A workshop format is perfect for this. Personalise the support provided to each team. Some teams will blaze ahead and others need more support at the start. Allow students to 'trial' the simulation before they start playing for marks so they can learn the software and technical aspects.

The course is delivered in a flipped classroom format and students 'play' the simulation in class. A facilitator meets with each team every week in class to address any issues or questions. This means that the performance and progress of each team is closely monitored. The performance of each airline is also unique to the decisions teams make. This makes it very difficult for teams to copy a previous year's report or to outsource assessment to ghost writer.