Revas case study: Digital Agency business simulation in master's education at GCA.

How Group Colleges Australia built a course where students apply business strategies in practice

Country

Australia

Organization

Group Colleges Australia

Programme / Course

M2A / ITC

Simulation

Digital Agency

Client

Group Colleges Australia is a higher education institution in Australia. It offers programmes that prepare students for professional careers in business, technology and related fields.

As part of the M2A programme, students take the ITC course, where they develop practical knowledge connected with business, entrepreneurship and IT.

Challenge

Teaching at master’s level requires more than explaining concepts in theory. Students need to understand how business strategies work in practice and how their decisions influence company results.

In a traditional classroom, students can discuss entrepreneurship, strategy and management. It is often harder for them to experience how these ideas work together in a realistic business setting. The teaching team needed a practical learning environment where students could test decisions, observe results and understand the consequences of their choices, and where they would be encouraged to think more entrepreneurially.

Solution

The teaching team built the Digital Agency simulation into the ITC course as a practical learning tool that runs alongside traditional teaching.

Students manage virtual digital agencies throughout the course, making business decisions and applying business and IT knowledge in a realistic environment. The simulation also serves as the course’s final project, giving students a way to bring the whole course together. How the simulation is spread across the course, and how the final project and presentations tie back to the course content, is the institution’s own course design.

Results

Based on the lecturer’s feedback after running the course:

Student engagement was rated higher compared to traditional teaching
The simulation was rated more effective than traditional teaching methods
Students’ understanding of business decision-making was rated 4 out of 5
Active participation in class was rated 4 out of 5
The likelihood of recommending Revas to other educators was rated 4 out of 5

The lecturer observed a change in students’ behaviour and decision-making skills. One of the most noticeable shifts was a more entrepreneurial approach: students began applying business strategies in a practical way rather than only discussing them.

Engagement was highest during the final reports and presentations. At this stage students reflected on their decisions and presented the results of their simulation work, which helped them connect the simulation with the course content.

The lecturer described the simulation as a way for students to combine business thinking, decision-making and IT-related knowledge.

Summary

At Group Colleges Australia, the teaching team built an ITC course within the M2A programme where students apply business strategies instead of only studying them, using the Digital Agency simulation throughout the course and as its final project. Running virtual digital agencies, students make decisions and observe how those decisions influence company performance, building a better understanding of entrepreneurship, decision-making and practical business education.

As the Assistant Program Director put it: “Revas engages students in a simulation start-up that requires the application of decision-making and IT knowledge.”

Assistant Program Director, Group Colleges Australia

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Digital Agency simulation used at Group Colleges Australia?

It’s a business simulation in which students manage virtual digital agencies, making business decisions and applying business and IT knowledge in a realistic environment.

Which course at Group Colleges Australia uses the simulation?

The ITC course within the M2A programme, where students develop practical knowledge connected with business, entrepreneurship and IT.

How is the simulation used in the course?

It runs alongside traditional teaching throughout the course and also serves as the final project, which gives students a way to bring the whole course together.

What did the lecturer observe in students?

A more entrepreneurial approach: students began applying business strategies in practice instead of only discussing them. Engagement was highest during the final reports and presentations, when students reflected on their decisions and presented their results.

How was the simulation rated by the lecturer?

Student engagement and effectiveness were rated higher than traditional teaching. Understanding of business decision-making and active participation were each rated 4 out of 5, and the likelihood of recommending the simulation to other educators was also rated 4 out of 5.