Game in teaching and learning: Student’s acceptance and its impact on their learning

Game based learning is one of the innovative approaches to complement classroom teaching. It utilizes game related technology and features to support and facilitate students’ learning. In this study, a game called Hay Day has been used as a teaching tool to help students understand Enterprise Resources Planning (ERP) topics. The Hay Day game simulates agricultural activities, where students can apply the ERP concept to manage the resources in their farm in order to obtain optimum production and profit. Students were instructed to apply what they had learned on Hay Day after the face-to-face lecture. Students’ acceptance of using Hay Day in their learning is evaluated once they have completed the course. Students must also take a final test that covers the ERP topic. The marks for that topic are taken and compared to students from the previous semester. The data on student acceptance of Hay Day demonstrate that students think Hay Day is a great tool for learning and that it is simple to use. The final exam revealed that the majority of students had a strong grasp of the ERP topic. This demonstrates that students’ acceptance of the game has an impact on their understanding of the topic because the game allows them to put what they’ve learned into practice.