Evaluation of System Dynamics-Based Serious Games for Teaching Project Management Concepts in Construction

The current study is a first-ever evaluation of the system dynamics (SD)-based serious game for its pedagogical impact on teaching construction project management (CPM) concepts. An online game designed by the MIT Sloan School of Management is explored to identify three learning objectives consistent with the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). A newly designed game session allowed the participants to control a project's hiring, management, and quality pressures and learn through the simulated impact. The game's effectiveness on learning outcomes was captured using pre- and post-game questionnaires implemented for 23 civil engineering undergraduate and graduate students in India. A statistically significant improvement of 44% in the post-game scores was obtained for the three learning objectives. About 83% of the participants agreed with the game's effectiveness in delivering the CPM concepts. The participants' feedback on sessions encourages further exploring the potential of SD's use in CPM teachings.