Using a Serious Game to Teach Maritime Economics and Technology to Students from Mixed Backgrounds

Abstract The objective of this paper is to discuss the success of using a complex serious game to teach maritime economics to non-maritime economic students (i.e. Naval Architects and Marine Engineers) and to teach maritime technology aspects to non-naval architects (transport and logistics students). A complex serious management game was developed in a joint effort by the University of Delft’s Marine Technology and the University of Antwerp’s Maritime Economics programme over the past decade. It has proven to be a highly appreciated and effective way to teach engineering students about the maritime economic concepts and economics students about the translation of market factors into technology. Key success factors of the course are reported to be the clear structure and high motivation that comes from the competitive nature of the game. These factors have led to a continuing expansion of the user base, with other universities implementing the course also in their curriculum. The paper discusses the course design and history, demonstrates its success based on evaluations and continued expansion of the user base, and explains the success of the design by linking it to educational theories such as the use of scaffolding, direct instruction, assessment for learning, the role of feedback and the importance of context. The final discussion/reflection focuses on the impact of online and distant learning on achieving the learning goals, based on five courses at five different institutions given in the period September 2020-January 2021.