Contribuições de uma plataforma de simulação gamificada para ensino superior nas áreas de administração e gestão

Abstract

Digital games are increasingly present in the daily lives of a large fraction of students in our society. Keeping this phenomenon in mind, in recent years different authors have been studying the influence of games on society. Specifically, for the purposes of this study, the influence of these games on Education and their benefits. Games can be understood as active teaching methodologies and, within the scope of active methodologies, the use of game elements is called gamification. There are several types of games used for teaching, one of which is business games, which seek to simulate everyday situations in the profession linked to the student's course. These business games are widely used in the context of higher education Administration and Management courses; therefore, several studies deal with the topic. The current national curriculum guidelines, published in 2021, direct educational institutions to adopt active methodologies in their courses, among these methodologies, the use of games. However, specifically in higher education in Administration and Management, the vast majority of studies fully look at these games, the game as a whole. This study therefore explores the possibility of using games for educational purposes, motivated by the need to analyze the current online digital business gaming platform used by the educational institution. To this end, the general objective of this study was defined as "Analyzing the Simulare gamified simulation platform in terms of the requirements defined in the DCNs for Administration and Management courses, in order to understand its contributions to teaching subjects in a higher education course". Therefore, looking at the platform is not limited to its suitability for the content, but rather a look from the perspective of gaming and gamification elements. Furthermore, it seeks to explore the benefits of adopting this platform for teaching and the ones regarding the instrumentation of teachers in the area of Administration and Management studies at a higher education institution. For this analysis, the evaluation elements are listed in categories and their presence and functionality when using the proposed platform is observed. Moreover, it seeks to verify whether the use of this platform is appropriate to the recommendations of the new curricular guidelines for Administration courses. To this end, a critical comparison is made between the game elements verified on the platform and compliance with the guidelines. Among the elements are the mechanics, dynamics, components and dimensions of games, in addition to their engagement and interface models. Hence, in addition to demonstrating whether the platform meets curricular guidelines, this study demonstrates benefits and contributions of using a gaming platform for teaching practice, such as a greater possibility of student engagement and attention, enabling the adoption of activities gamified and possibilities for increasing the role of mediator. However, the platform analysis also demonstrated gaps, such as bilateral communication, the need for internet availability and some aspects of accessibility. [resumo fornecida pelo autor]