Classroom Simulation is Computer Based

TL;DR: The authors review and evaluate the use of a business simulation, specifically he Hotel Operational Training Simulation (HOTS), in the fourth year of a hospitality undergraduate program, to determine whether a simulation can provide the students with a more satisfying learning experience while at the same time providing them with a combined academic and practical learning process.

Abstract: The authors review and evaluate the use of a business simulation, specifically he Hotel Operational Training Simulation (HOTS), in the fourth year of a hospitality undergraduate program. Four dimensions were explored: learning experience, alternative method of instruction, critical and analytical thinking ability and delivery time frame, in addition to the student overall satisfaction with the learning experience. This article is available in Hospitality Review: http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/hospitalityreview/vol19/iss2/2 Classroom simulation is computer based by David Martin and Bernard McEvoy The authors review and evaluate the use of a bus~ness !mulatron, spec~fically he Hotel O~eraf,onal Trarn~no Srnularon ihOTS), In the buflh year of a hospitaw undergraduate program. Four dimensions were explored: learning expenewe, aiiernative method of instrucfion, criticaland analytical thinking abilik and delivery time frame, in additbn to the studenh'owmll saIfacfion with the learning experience. T he rapid developments in, and sophistication of, computer technology have made it increasingly possible to simulate real world situations in a classroom environment. Sirnulations in the hospitality industry have been around since the late 1960s, with the introduction of the Cornell University CRASE (Restaurant Simulation) and CHASE (Hotel Simulation primarily a batch processing model with limited student interaction with the computer).' Most recently the Hotel Operational Training Simulation (HOTS) by the Orange Simulation Company (1999) was introduced; a windows-based environment, it allows participating students much more interaction with the computer-based model. The fundamental question to be answered is whether a simulation can provide the students with a more satisfying learning experience while at the same time providing them with a combined academic and practical learning process. In academic programs there is a perception that students who progress through an undergraduate program with the traditional heavy use of lecture and case study modes oRen have a problem in applying their area of study in related business situations.' Similarly, in the business world there is the perception of an application gap in the education of students with a particular industry focus, such as hospitality This gap is often attributed to deficiencies in courses and programs, which