The MikesBikes World Champs (MWC) is an opportunity for the best performing MikesBikes Business Simulation teams from around the world to compete for the title of MikesBikes World Champion. View: All-Time MWC Wall of Champions How do I enter the competition? Smartsims will invite the top teams from courses around the world who have used either … Continue reading MikesBikes World Champs
This article is inspired by Dale Carnegie’s principles from his book How to Win Friends and Influence People. If there’s one thing every high school teacher knows, it’s this: students learn best when they care about what they’re doing. Dale Carnegie understood that long before modern education research caught up. This is exactly why business … Continue reading Engaging the Modern Learner: Why Business Simulations Work for High School Students
For many introductory business courses, one of the biggest challenges is helping students move beyond memorizing concepts and begin thinking like real business professionals. At Drexel University experiential learning plays a central role in solving that challenge through the BUSN102 Foundations of Business course, where students take part in the MikesBikes Introduction to Business Simulation. … Continue reading How Drexel University Brings Experiential Learning to Life with MikesBikes
Business education in high schools is often criticized for being too theoretical. Students learn concepts like supply and demand, budgeting, marketing, and entrepreneurship, but rarely get to experience how these ideas actually play out in real decision-making. This is where business simulations come in. Business simulations are interactive learning environments where students run virtual companies, … Continue reading Are Business Simulations Worth It? A Pedagogical Approach for High Schools
For many students business and marketing strategy can feel highly theoretical. Frameworks, models, and concepts discussed in lectures can feel disconnected with the real-world. Compare this to students placed in a competitive, decision-driven environment where every choice has real consequences; learning becomes far more engaging and memorable. This was one of the key themes explored … Continue reading “My Mind Is Absolutely Blown”: The Real Impact of Simulation-Based Learning
In the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey introduces Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind. At its core, this principle challenges us to define our desired outcomes first, and then align our actions to achieve them. For educators, this raises an important question: What is the true “end” of business education. … Continue reading Begin with the End in Mind: Why Business Simulations Belong in Education
Simulation-based learning has become increasingly common in secondary education, particularly in subjects like business studies, economics, and STEM. Rather than relying solely on textbooks and lectures, business simulations place students in interactive, decision-driven environments where they must apply knowledge in realistic scenarios. But beyond engagement, what does the research actually say? 1. Simulations significantly improve … Continue reading What Research Says About Simulation-Based Learning in Secondary Education
In most organizations or classrooms, we still treat knowledge as if it were enough. We teach frameworks, models and tools then expect people to perform under uncertainty, pressure and failure as if those conditions were already trained. But in reality, success in business rarely comes down to what you know. It comes down to whether … Continue reading Why Business Simulations Are One of the Most Effective Ways to Teach Grit
Walk into a typical classroom and you’ll see a familiar scenario: students reading textbooks, listening to lectures, and taking notes. Yet ask those same students a week later what they remember, and much of that information has faded. This isn’t a failure of effort, it’s a reflection of how human memory actually works. Decades of … Continue reading Why Students Remember What They Do, Not What They Read
If you’re preparing to use MikesBikes Introduction, either as a student or an instructor, it helps to understand what the simulation actually looks like in practice. Drawing from real classroom experience, this guide breaks down how MikesBikes works and what you can expect. What is MikesBikes Introduction? MikesBikes builds students’ knowledge and confidence over time … Continue reading A Beginner’s Guide to MikesBikes Introduction Business Simulation (Based on Real Instructor Experience)