Distance learning with TOPSIM: Online education for Universities

Distance learning, e-learning or learning anytime anywhere are fast becoming an essential part of educational systems and on-the-job trainings all over the world. What are the main advantages of online learning and how can TOPSIM help you facilitate your seminars completely remote? Learn more in this article.

What are the main advantages of distance learning?

  • Independent from time and location: 70% of students liked that distance learning is flexible and every student has the possibility to learn whenever they want.1
  • Own learning speed and self-learning scenarios: At least 30% of students said, one of “the most significant contribution of online programs […] is the opportunity for working at your own pace and at your time schedule”.2
  • Interactivity: the “quality of interaction with instructors” increased about 57% with distance learning, the communication and interaction between students increased as well.3

Distance learning thus offers completely new learning opportunities for students, as they are encouraged to learn independently and individually and are given new perspectives on learning content through the use of various media and presentation forms. This is often accompanied by an increase in motivation. Also teachers and lecturers profit from distance learning, as it easier to monitor learning success, and the multilingualism of online learning platforms also makes it possible for foreign students to participate.

Which possibilities for distance learning seminars does TOPSIM offer?

In our online concepts the whole course takes place in distance learning format. E-lectures, e-learning-contents and the business simulation complement each other, and the simulation has the function to motivate through interactivity and gamified learning.

Thanks to the TOPSIM – Cloud, students as well as lecturers have access to the simulation and all important information from their own computers. Evaluations and theory inputs can take place via web sessions.

  • Use of single player: In single player, each participants play against a computer-based opponent. It is ideal as a preparation for the multiplayer and can be used to bridge the time until the start of the semester. Our simulation portfolio includes single player simulations TOPSIM – easyManagement (6 periods, complexity level 1) and TOPSIM – Production & Services (4 periods, complexity level 2).
  • Use of TOPSIM on Demand – Business Challenge: Our new product is a single player over 4 periods. In this brand new simulations participants have access to a variety of interactive elements, like a virtual consultant who helps with the decision-making process or analysis of reports. Thanks to the new technical onboarding, there is no need of an onboarding through a teacher.
  • Use of Multiplayer: Our multiplayer simulations can be used remotely, in combination of screen sharing tools for the evaluation of the results. Here it is possible to use the datahub function in the TOPSIM – Cloud to communicate and share files.

How could a distance learning concept with TOPSIM – business simulations look like?

It is possible to conduct an online seminar with TOPSIM – business simulations during the whole semester or as a block seminar on several days. Like in an attendance seminar you can integrate supplementary tasks, for example SWOT analysis or a strategy paper could be submitted and shareholder meetings or marketing campaign can be carried out as virtual presentations. Different audit tasks are also possible, such as a written reflexion report or an error analysis in a competing company.

If you want to learn more about the design of online seminars with TOPSIM – business simulations, do not hesitate to contact us

A few concepts to learn from

User of our business simulations already developed a few concepts for distance and online learning:

1 Radović-Marković, Mirjana (2010). ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF E-LEARNING IN COMPARISON TO TRADITIONAL FORMS OF LEARNING
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nicolae_Ecobici/publication/49965686_TAX_AND_ACCOUNTING_IMPLICATIONS_OF_THE_USE_OF_SPECIAL_CHARGE_SCHEME_FOR_SECOND-HAND_GOODS_TO_THE_PAWN_SHOPS_IN_ROMANIA/links/5693b4a808ae820ff0727953/TAX-AND-ACCOUNTING-IMPLICATIONS-OF-THE-USE-OF-SPECIAL-CHARGE-SCHEME-FOR-SECOND-HAND-GOODS-TO-THE-PAWN-SHOPS-IN-ROMANIA.pdf#page=289
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3 Keremidchieva, Great and Plamen Yankov. CHALLENGES AND ADVANTAGES OF DISTANCE LEARNING SYSTEMS. http://procon.bg/ru/system/files/06.09_Keremidchieva_Yankov.pdf

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