Experiencing project management and controlling through a business simulation game

Business simulation games (BSG) are used in many different learning contexts and offer a wide variety of benefits. They allow learners to experiment and adopt an active learning style, which has shown to improve learning outcomes (Freeman et al., 2014). At the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, a BSG on project management accounting is being developed. Its goal is to create a holistic learning environment in which students can actively apply their theoretical knowledge and simulate some of the challenges regarding management accounting that occur in many companies. The game can be integrated into a blended learning or inverted classroom environment and follows a half-open approach. This means that some tasks require students to follow a specific path, whereas the open parts of the game allow players to find their own solutions. The practical application of theoretical knowledge about project management accounting in an active learning environment is expected to lead to increased student motivation and improved learning outcomes.