Comparing student competences in a face-to-face and online business game Àngels Fitó-Bertran a,1 , Ana Beatriz Hernández-Lara b,2 , Enric Serradell-López a,⇑ a Business and Management Department, Open University of Catalonia, Av. Tibidabo, 39-43, 08035 Barcelona, Spain b Department of Business Management, Rovira i Virgili University, Av. Universitat, 1, 43204 Reus, Spain article info Article history: Available online 9 July 2013 Keywords: Business game Competences Face-to-face learning Online learning abstract In today’s globalized environment, universities and business schools need to incorporate elements and tools to obtain high-performance capabilities. Curricular schooling can benefit from the usage of educa- tional business games. We analyzed the evolution and performance of two group of students who have followed a business simulation during some academic semesters. Data from a questionnaire answered by 146 students were analysed and compared with the European Tuning Project competence ranking. The results showed that the level of generic and specific competences obtained using business games is quite high. Moreover, the study have found that the assessment of competences acquired by students with a business game is not the same in the case of on-campus students than in the case of online students, in most cases the online group values specific competences higher than the face-to-face group. Our results suggest that the use of business games and can be considered a useful tool to improve student’s achievements and to foster a good level of competences. Ó 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Contemporary education involves a shift towards a paradigm focused on students, learning and competences (Brand-Gruwel, Wopereis, & Vermetten, 2005). In the specific context of Europe, The European Higher Education Area (EHEA) place the concept of competence as the main element of the learning process, and stu- dents as the centre of the educational model (Benito, 2009; Corpas, Bautista, Castillo, Toledo, & Seghiri, 2007). The transmission of knowledge is no longer the primary educational aim, students are expected to construct their own knowledge, search and process information, and instructors are now considered as a facilitator, collaborator, adviser, moderator and coach in the learning process (Blázquez & Alonso, 2009; Cantoni & McLoughlin, 2004; Ruiz, Mintzer, & Leipzig, 2006). This implies a radical change from a learning model focused on contents to a model focused on compe- tences (Mulder, Wesselink, & Bruijstens, 2005). The incorporation of these competences means more than a mere transmission of knowledge and, according to the Bologne Declaration (1999) (EHEA, 1999), involves a commitment to assert the unavoidable bond between the study programmes at the university level and the abilities or knowledge that professional profiles require. It means that, in this context of competence-based learning, aca- demic designers have to ensure that the new degrees adapted to EHEA include the competence profile prescribed for a successful professional performance. The competence-based learning model requires new and valu- able learning tools to allow students to develop these skills and be- come active constructors of knowledge rather than just passive receivers of contents. E-learning, generally defined as different forms of learning supported by information and communication technologies (ICTs), emerges as this new learning environment and constitutes a new paradigm of modern education (Sun, Tsai, Finger, Chen, & Yeh, 2008). E-learning, and especially the use of the Internet, has been widely used for some years now (Ma, Vogel, & Wagner, 2000), it allows students to learn in a more autonomous environment and facilitate interaction between instructors and students without time or spatial restrictions (Barker, 2002; Benito, 2009; Cabero & Gisbert, 2005; Sun et al., 2008). In the specific case of business students, business games consti- tute a relevant e-learning method in management training (Ben- Zvi, 2007; Siddiqui, Khan, & Akhtar, 2008; Wolfe & Sauaia, 2005). They simulate a business environment where different groups of students run Online companies which compete between them. This simulation of a real business environment allows students to develop an experiential learning and to be close to the decision making process and the problems that managers face, but in a learning environment where risk of real mistakes is not assumed. Business simulations and games provide a useful setting for stu- 0747-5632/$ - see front matter Ó 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2013.06.023 ⇑ Corresponding author. Tel.: +34 932542112; fax: +34 934176495. E-mail addresses: afitob@uoc.edu (À. Fitó-Bertran), anabeatriz.hernandez@urv. cat (A.B. Hernández-Lara), eserradell@uoc.edu (E. Serradell-López). 1 Tel.: +34 932542112; fax: +34 934176495. 2 Tel.: +34 977758932. Computers in Human Behavior 30 (2014) 452–459 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Computers in Human Behavior journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/comphumbeh