Management Skills2

ERIC Number: EJ1104079

Record Type: Journal

Publication Date: 2015

Pages: 12

Abstractor: As Provided

Reference Count: 36

ISBN: N/A

ISSN: ISSN-2375-2084

An Assessment of Competency-Based Simulations on E-Learners' Management Skills Enhancements

Levy, Yair; Ramim, Michelle M.

Interdisciplinary Journal of e-Skills and Lifelong Learning, v11 p179-190 2015

There is a growing interest in the assessment of tangible skills and competence. Specifically, there is an increase in the offerings of competency-based assessments, and some academic institutions are offering college credits for individuals who can demonstrate adequate level of competency on such assessments. An increased interest has been placed on competency-based computer simulations that can assist learners to gain tangible skills. While computer simulations and competency-based projects, in general and particularly in management, have demonstrated great value, there are still limited empirical results on their benefits to e-learners. Thus, we have developed a quasi-experimental research, using a survey instrument on pre- and post-tests, to collect the set of 12 management skills from e-learners attending courses that included both competency-based computer simulations and those that didn't. Our data included a total of 253 participants. Results show that all 12 management skills measures demonstrated very high reliability. Our results also indicate that all 12 skills of the competency-based computer simulations had higher increase than those that didn't. Analyses on the mean increases indicated an overall statistically significant difference for six of the 12 management skills enhancements between the experimental and control groups. Our findings demonstrate that overall computer simulations and competency-based projects do provide added value in the context of e-learning when it comes to management skills.

Descriptors: Electronic Learning, Computer Simulation, Competency Based Education, Business Skills, Quasiexperimental Design, Pretests Posttests, Instructional Effectiveness, Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students, Business Administration Education, College Instruction, Student Projects, Statistical Analysis

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