A Web-Based, Interactive Simulation for EngineeringEconomics Courses

摘要

A game simulating realistic economic decision-making was devised and integrated into a RowanUniversity course on engineering economics in 2001 and 2002. The activity was extremely wellreceived and the NSF provided a CCLI grant for development of software that automates thegame, making it suitable for widespread dissemination.The game itself challenges students to not only learn engineering economic principles such aspresent worth, but also to use them to make realistic economic decisions in a competitive setting.Each student starts with $10,000, and is presented with a list of investment opportunities.Students apply the principles learned in class to the possible investments and make decisions,such as how much to bid on a particular item in an auction. Additional investment opportunitiesare introduced weekly throughout the semester. The required analysis grows in complexity asthe students’ knowledge base increases. The game is interactive; for example the owner of afactory must negotiate the price of raw materials he/she needs with the owner of a mine.The software is written using standard HTML and Active Server Pages with a Microsoft AccessDatabase. Students use the software to manage their company, taking such actions as placingbids in an auction, purchasing buildings and ships, setting production rates for mines andfactories, and borrowing money from a bank. Students can also use the software to view reports,such as lists of their assets, their current bank balance, etc.In the fall of 2003, an initial version of the software was used in an engineering economy courseat the University of Kentucky, and the results of this preliminary test were presented at the 2004ASEE Annual Conference. Since that time, the software has been revised to addressshortcomings identified during the preliminary test. The improved software is currently beingused in the engineering economics course at Rowan. This paper describes the game itself, theimproved software, and its use in the course.