Gamification in International Supply Chain Management: Impact on students' engagement and performance

Gamification in education has gained momentum as a means to improve students’ motivation and learning outcomes. This study evaluates the effect of gamification on the engagement and performance of first students in the International Supply Chain Management course at a University of Applied Sciences. Several students were exposed to the pilot of The Fresh Connection compact, a simulation game which was implemented between May to June 2025. Based on 350 observations, students are categorized as control group (without exposure to game, n=217) and treatment group (with exposure to game, n=133). These groups were further divided based on individual’s average grade in midterm and final exams: pass (grade ≥5.5) or fail (grade ˂5.5). The dataset is supplemented by a survey conducted among students that played the game. Results show significant difference between 78% of students who participate in the game and took both exams (78%) versus 44% of students who do not participate in the game (p-value = 9.39e-10), as well as between students’ participation in the game and their exam performance (p-value = 7.17e-13). However, there is no significant difference in the performance of students in the exam with exposure versus without exposure to the game when filtering out students who did not take one or both exams. Overall, the survey shows significant satisfaction of students in using the game (71%), although some students would like to see tighter integration of the game in course assessment. Learnings from this pilot will be used to improve student engagement and passing rate.