Using Serious Games in Logistics Education

Abstract

Within the field of logistics education, conventional education remains the dominant mode of knowledge transfer. However, in the last two decades, didactics has evolved in the vast majority of fields and this has caused the appearance of different approaches to generate more efficient teaching-learning techniques, which provoke more meaningful learning, motivation and develop skills in students. One of the techniques that has been able to generate good results in the vast majority of disciplines is the use of simulators. One of the advantages of using this type of tool is their capability to show complex and fuzzy problem scenarios for students to relate different variables and conduct experiments. Furthermore, these simulators become an even more efficient tool if they present an achievable challenge for students and can be set up as a game. This article shows the development of a game focused on logistical decision-making that has been developed by professors at our university and that has modified the way of teaching this topic to students. A short description of the game will be presented, the different ways in which it has been used under different contexts will be described, and some academic results that we have achieved using this simulator will be shown.