Capsim provides an expansive library of instructor resources to complement the simulation experience.
The Strategy Worksheet and the After Action Review are two of the most impactful activities.
The Strategy Worksheet helps students create their mission statement and identify their strategy, while the After Action Review helps them reflect on the previous round's results.
Watch Austin Vogel, Client Relationship Consultant at Capsim, provide a detailed overview of how to implement both activities successfully.
Austin from CapSim Support Team: "Hi everyone, I'm Austin from CapSim support team, and I'd like to highlight a couple of resources available to you that can enhance the simulation experience for your students. Those two resources include our mission statement strategy worksheet and our after-action review, and both of these resources are located under the help and support tab near the top of your dashboard. Currently, I'm demoing a CapSim Global game, but these materials are going to be available in any simulation.
Now, you're going to find both of these resources under the 'During Course' section. Students can access these materials as well from their help and support tab under the header 'Worksheets and Activities.'
So let's check out mission statement and strategy. This activity is intended to help teams establish a strategy or competitive advantage in the market. Teams who make the effort to build a well-fleshed-out strategy document will have a huge leg up when the simulation starts. Here's what they have to do:
First, select a strategy. There are a number of prompts provided in the activity that will help with this decision, but essentially, it boils down to how should we differentiate ourselves from our competitors?
Once they have their strategy, this exercise continues into tactics. How does this come to life in R&D, marketing, production, and finance? Students will fill out these areas and typically submit the document as an assignment. Best practice is to have teams collaborate and turn one worksheet in.
How you utilize this activity is completely up to you; however, my recommendation and what we most commonly see is to assign this to students prior to the beginning of round one decision-making after teams are established. Usually, professors grade this assignment based on completion—either they did the assignment or they didn't. So, really, it's about getting the teams thinking together as a group and creating momentum towards decision-making. Regardless of the strategy a team selects, they can succeed in the simulation. What matters more is execution and communication—that their tactical decisions are aligned with their strategic direction. This worksheet will ultimately help put each team on the right path. Additionally, it can serve as a helpful artifact for you to reference. If teams struggle or get off track, you can pull up the worksheet and say, 'Hey, here is what you set out to do. Did you execute on your vision?'
Alright, so the next activity we're going to look at is our after-action review, and we can find that after action review right underneath the mission statement strategy worksheet here. The after-action review assignment is designed to help students track their strategy and analyze their performance by referring to four critical questions:
Diving into these questions can help the team think deeper about the results and refocus their efforts going into the next round. Many professors will have students complete this assignment intermittently throughout the practice and/or competition rounds. For example, we could instruct students to complete this assignment after every round or after every few rounds to ensure they're thinking strategically. It's up to you how often you utilize these after-action reviews.
Just like the mission statement strategy worksheet, most professors will grade this assignment based upon completion rather than quality of the responses. However, if you wanted to assign a score based on the level of detail and accuracy the team articulates, that would work well too. This could even be an optional extra credit activity if that fits your needs. Ultimately, the after-action review is a tool that will benefit the team that takes the reflection seriously. It is in students' best interests to approach it honestly, helping them identify what's working and what isn't. The assignment can also be a valuable glimpse into the team's process for the instructor. Periodically assigning an after-action review can give you additional insights into which teams are making the effort and grasping the concepts and which teams require more hands-on instruction or even intervention.
With both of these materials, you have the opportunity to spark deeper reflection and a more effective simulation experience for your students. They are flexible and can be implemented to fit your needs in a course structure. I recommend giving them a try. If you have any questions about the mission statement strategy worksheet, the after-action review, or any other resources available to you in the help and support tab, please feel free to reach out to support@capsim.com. Thanks for watching."