Abstract:

The adaptation of the Universities to the European Higher Education Area has meant an increase in the use of new teaching technologies, allowing even the students to control their own learning. In this sense, serious games and simulation can be considered a form of teaching-learning in which students merge, in the same activity, the subject to be learned and the implementation of that knowledge.

Research literature shows that this type of experiential learning results in better conceptual understanding, critical thinking and problem-solving skills. It also increases enthusiasm and implication, enhances the performance, provides higher level of self-confidence and self-efficacy and, finally, achieves enhancement of learning.

The objective of this work is to analyze the effectiveness of a simulation game as a pedagogical tool taking into account the learning styles of the participants as a moderator variable. In order to achieve this goal, we implement the Markstrat software, which is a marketing management simulation game, in students groups with different learning styles. Based on the Honey-Alonso test, we difference the students in two competence games. In one of them, student teams are grouped according to the learning styles; in the other, students in teams are mixed with different learning styles. After having carried on the experiment, we compare the learning results of the students and extract interesting conclusions for the implementation of simulation games.

Keywords:

Learning styles, Serious games, simulation games, marketing.