Digital Business Simulations in Higher Education: Quantifying Skill Development and Technological Impact

This study leverages a digital business simulation platform to quantify its impact on employability skills, contributing to the growing field of digital education technologies. A semester-long virtual simulation with forty-two undergraduate business students was conducted, and post-simulation surveys assessed perceived skill development. Data were analyzed using one-sample t-tests, Pearson correlations, and multiple regression. Our findings demonstrate how scalable virtual learning tools can bridge the gap between theory and practice, offering a model for integrating immersive digital experiences into higher education curricula. Students reported significant skill improvements, with the highest gains in teamwork (M = 4.32, p < .001) and job preparedness (M = 4.10, p < .001), followed by decision-making (M = 3.90, p < .001) and leadership (M = 3.69, p < .001). However, no correlations were found between skill domains, nor did they predict job preparedness, suggesting differentiated learning outcomes. While affirming simulations’ value for employability skills, this study reveals a disconnect between skill gains and their integration into holistic career readiness. It calls for structured debriefing to bridge this gap and offers insights for optimizing simulation design. Limitations and future research directions are discussed.