McGraw-Hill Delivers New Game-Based Learning Simulations in Higher Education Course Materials

Developed in partnership with Muzzy Lane Software, the simulations and scenarios provide opportunities for students to apply their learning in experiential situations that mimic "real-life" work scenarios. They are embedded in the digital course materials students access via the powerful McGraw-Hill Connect® digital learning platform. McGraw-Hill's solutions give educators the flexibility to teach their course their way, while providing students with affordable, engaging products designed to help them meet learning outcomes.

For example, in an Economics course, students take on the role of an advisor to the Federal Reserve chair as they try to navigate a financial crisis. Using real economic data visualizations, the student must indicate the appropriate course of policy action and then see how their decisions would impact the economy over several months if put into effect.

Ian Skurnik, an instructor at the University of Utah, who tested a simulation for a marketing course, notes, "I was really impressed by the overall complexity of the [simulation]. It does exactly what you'd want from a simulation for students in marketing, which is to reinforce a sense of how interrelated many marketing decisions are, and how complicated the marketing picture can get. The fact that you could change so many variables, from product design to promotional spend, was great."

The simulations from Muzzy Lane were built based on the findings of a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-funded research study into the benefits and effectiveness of simulated learning principles. They give students the ability to apply knowledge, start to develop real-world skills as they practice communicating, decision-making and critical thinking in scenarios that simulate real experiences and allow students to practice solving more complex problems.

"Adding these simulations to our courses in Connect gives students a chance to practice crucial skills needed in their future careers and apply things they've learned in situations that resemble real life - all in a safe, low-stakes environment," said Scott Virkler, Chief Product Officer for Higher Education at McGraw-Hill. "This is another example of how technology is transforming and improving the learning experience for students and helping produce better outcomes for them."

McGraw-Hill's work with Muzzy Lane will continue over the next several years as more simulations are added to Connect.

"Working with McGraw-Hill, we've developed the capability to create simulations at scale," said Dave McCool, CEO of Muzzy Lane. "We're committed to helping students build confidence applying what they've learned, and to providing instructors with richer, more nuanced student data."

About Muzzy Lane

Muzzy Lane delivers game-based learning solutions designed to help students practice skills and improve performance in real world situations. The Muzzy Lane Author platform provides easy-to-use authoring tools that allow subject matter experts to create activities for their online courses. Activities created with Author are mobile first, meet WCAG 2.0 AA accessibility requirements, and integrate into all popular Learning Management Systems.