Innovative Teaching at XAMK: Institutional Membership with RealGame in Action

At South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences (XAMK), business education is constantly developing to prepare students for the fast pace of the real-world business environment. With RealGame’s institutional membership, an unlimited number of educators can integrate business simulation into their courses, providing students with hands-on learning experiences. We spoke to Hugh Clack, Jarmo Kulhelm, Vaahersalo Salla, and Petteri Oinas, all senior lecturers at XAMK, to explore how they use RealGame and why institutional membership benefits educators, the university, and students.

A Comprehensive Learning Tool for Diverse Courses

XAMK’s institutional membership allows RealGame business simulations to be utilized across various courses, from business analytics and logistics to digital teamwork and customer insights. The flexibility of the simulation ensures that educators can tailor it to fit their course objectives.

“I use RealGame in my production and intra logistics course. It helps students see the big picture and understand how the concepts I teach work in real life.” – says Salla Vaahersalo, senior lecturer at XAMK, who uses RealGame in her logistics courses for bachelor students.

“I integrate it into my business game course, where students need to make a business plan and strategy before diving into operations. RealGame is the foundation of the entire course.” – says Petteri Oinas, senior lecturer at XAMK.

Petteri Oinas and Saara Vaahersalo during their teaching visit

Encouraging Real-World Decision-Making

One of RealGame’s greatest strengths is its ability to simulate real-time decision-making, helping students understand the ripple effect of their choices across different business functions.

Jarmo Kulhelm praises this feature in his feedback: “RealGame is different from traditional business games where you make a decision and wait for results. Here, decisions are made continuously, just like in a real business environment.”

Students quickly realize that their decisions in production, marketing, logistics, and finance are interconnected, reinforcing key business principles.

“At first, students think that production happens instantly. Through RealGame, they understand that raw materials need to be ordered in advance and that lead times impact operations.” – says Hugh Clack, Senior Lecturer & International Student Counsellor at XAMK, who uses RealGame in his “Customer Insight and Customer Experiences” and “Digital Teamwork” courses.

Enhancing Student Engagement and Collaboration

With RealGame, teamwork is essential. Many educators choose to group students randomly to mimic real-world professional environments where colleagues aren’t chosen. This fosters collaboration and strategic thinking.

“In other group projects, I get complaints when I assign teams. But with RealGame, I have received none. The students are fully engaged.” – says Salla Vaahersalo.

“Students are so immersed in the game that they don’t even want to take breaks during sessions. They tell me, ‘Let’s keep playing!’” – adds Petteri Oinas.

Reducing Educators’ Workload

A common concern for educators is the additional workload that comes with new teaching tools. However, XAMK lecturers found that once they became familiar with RealGame, it became an efficient and seamless part of their courses.

Petteri Oinas shares his path to starting using simulations: “The first time takes some effort, but after two or three sessions, it becomes intuitive. The real workload comes from reading student reports, not from using the game.”

“My role shifts from traditional lecturing to coaching, which I find more engaging and rewarding.” – say Jarmo Kulhelm.

Positive Student Feedback and Learning Outcomes

Students at XAMK have responded enthusiastically to RealGame, often requesting more gameplay sessions. “The only complaint I get is that students want to play more!” – says Salla Vaahersalo.

Hugh Clack’s students also benefit from simulation-based teaching: “By the end of the course, students truly understand business relationships and decision-making. It’s no longer just theory; it’s a real-world experience.”

Why Institutional Membership Matters

By adopting an institutional membership, XAMK ensures that all educators can access RealGame without limitations, fostering an innovative and collaborative teaching culture. 

For example, Jarmo Kulhelm uses RealGame for the logistics course at the Master’s level. “I collaborate with another lecturer and we combine students' groups for one-day gaming.” - he says. Lecturers Vaahersalo and Oinas have used RealGame in their teaching abroad. 

The institutional membership allows multiple courses across disciplines to benefit from simulation-based learning, making it an invaluable investment in modern education. For universities looking to enhance business education, improve student engagement, and prepare learners for real-world challenges, an institutional membership with RealGame is the way forward.

Are you ready to bring RealGame to your institution? Let’s connect and explore how we can transform learning together!

This post was prepared by the RealGame Business Simulations Team 

RealGame provides real-time, interactive business simulations for business management, supply chain, logistics, entrepreneurship, operations, and data analytics. Our cloud-based simulations offer hands-on experience with real-world business scenarios, helping learners understand the direct impact of their decisions. Scalable for both online and onsite learning, RealGame bridges theory and practice, equipping participants with critical decision-making and problem-solving skills essential for today’s fast-changing business landscape.