*5.3. Discussion*

As the results indicate, the introduction of ERP concepts using a business simulation game was very well accepted by the students. They confirmed the appropriateness of the used experiential learning approach and confirmed that the obtained knowledge and skills were needed for the efficient use of ERP systems. More specifically, they confirmed that the gathered technical skills and knowledge needed for using the SAP ERP, and also the skills about collaboration and coordination between different roles in the organizations and benefits of the integration of different ERP modules. The results also provide insight into the other aspects that are part of experiential learning approaches, such as motivation, competitiveness, and actions within the debriefing phase together with communication between and within teams, whereby the results confirm that digital natives respond well to competitive environments. Another aspect that has a significant impact on satisfaction and frequency of use is the perceived usability of the software that was used. In the study, we calculated the SUS score based on the students' answers. The score displays the perceived usability of SAP ERP as seen from the perspective of an IT student and ERP newcomer. If the perceived usability would have been low, this would have a negative impact on frequency and satisfaction of use. However, based on the results, the perceived usability is OK, since, with the use of the business simulation game, the focus is transferred from the complex user interface to the simulation game. The student thereby unconsciously conquers the basic ERP concepts.

The main expectation of using a simulation game approach as an introduction to the course was to increase the attendance of the lectures. Trends show low motivation among enrolled students, a high dropout rate and low engagement. With the use of an approach that requires an active amount of student collaboration, the potential to resolve the above-mentioned challenges arises. Based on the results, the intent to attend lectures is higher every year. The students' positive attitude is also confirmed with the results of the official university students' survey. The results are presented in Table 3.

> **Table 3.** Results of official students' survey.


The scale of the survey was a five-point scale, ranging from −2 to 2, where −2 stands for very bad and 2 stands for very good. After the implementation of the business simulation game approach, the overall ERP systems course rating increased from 1.61 to 1.88 on a scale from −2 to 2. Additionally, 93.3% of students evaluated the cooperation of teachers with students as a 2, and 86.7% graded the learning outcome as a 2, again on the five-point scale from −2 to 2.

To ensure student engagemen<sup>t</sup> in study courses it is crucial that study materials and learning approaches are adapted to today's generations. Since the fourth goal of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals is quality education [49], new and adjusted learning approaches are required when teaching digital natives. Therefore, the implemented study contributes to the theory and practice

of experiential learning in multiple areas. First, with the applied course outline, which was not used in any of the related studies. The outline predicts the use of experiential learning approach as the introduction of ERP concepts, before continuing with traditional learning approaches. This could increase the students' motivation and at the same time enough knowledge and skills are obtained to overcome the initial challenges connected to complex study materials. Therefore, the presented approach could be included in any existing study course without completely replacing the existing teaching methods and changing the study materials. Finally, an important contribution is also the measured usability of SAP ERP system as seen from the ERP newcomer IT students' perspective.
