Experiential MIS, BIS & business computing simulation
Students purchase datasets, analyze them in Excel or our Analysis Lab, submit strategic plans, and compete in teams, while you get rubrics, analytics, and assessment evidence automatically.
Pedagogical design: Traditional cases test memory; MISsimulation tests business decisions under real competitor pressure.
Traditional labs teach the how. Here students must justify the call with data and see competitors respond.
35+ universities · 14,000+ students · Peer-reviewed in JSDSE (2022) · IS2020 + AACSB alignment
A fictional election creates budget limits, incomplete information, and competing teams. The learning objectives are data analysis, resource allocation, and evidence-based decisions. Here is one complete turn:
A team must decide whether buying more information is worth the budget it cannot then spend on outreach.
In the Analysis Lab or Excel, they filter the voter file, compare segments, and save a profile with the evidence behind the choice.
They submit a structured Action Plan: target segment, linked evidence, strategic role, and a numeric forecast recorded before results exist.
The action runs against rival teams. Results show what the forecast got right and what the next turn should change.
You review the reasoning feedback, can override scores with a required justification, and export grades and evidence for your gradebook.
Students analyze real datasets, submit structured Action Plans, and compete turn-by-turn. You get process evidence and AI-supported feedback you can review before release.
A quick visual sense of the experience: competitive student work, strategy context, and the instructor role, before you dive into the full walkthrough.
Strategy view: map, budget & standings
L0–L3 analytical maturity, filter logs, and CSV export map to direct measures for accreditation reviews.
A peer-reviewed article (DOI 10.1080/26939169.2022.2138799) describes teaching data analytics with MISsimulation, the skills students practice, and student feedback, cite-ready context for curriculum committees.
Read the Study →Students complete a full practice simulation first, fewer first-turn mistakes, cleaner debriefs, and fewer grade disputes when the real competition starts.
See How It WorksStudents filter multi-source datasets in the built-in Lab or spreadsheet exports, then link artifacts to Action Plans. Walk through Step 2 (Acquire & Analyze) with examples on the instructor overview.
See the Analysis Lab walkthrough →Activities map to measurable learning outcomes with exportable depth scores, built to support syllabi, AoL binders, and accreditation self-studies. Faculty validate the interpretations.
Open the accreditation guide →No prerequisites, fast setup, flexible teams, and one instructor account across sections, details and kit materials on the instructor kit page.
Open the instructor kit →Full UI in 8 languages, EN, FR, ES, RU, PT, AR (RTL), ZH, HI. Lock section language or let students choose.
See How It WorksAdjust complexity to match your students. From a streamlined intro for freshmen to a full-featured capstone-you control the experience from one dashboard.
Streamlined experience focused on core data analysis and budgeting. Perfect for students' first exposure to business simulations.
Full-featured with social media, team collaboration, peer review, and multi-source data analysis. The core MIS experience.
Every feature enabled. Maximum strategic depth with advanced competitive dynamics, external funding, and full data access.
Team sizes, budgets, turn schedules, feature toggles, data set pricing-configure it all from a single instructor dashboard. No technical setup is required.
Classroom origin for the simulation, not a multi-school case study.
Used in MIS courses so students must justify a decision with data under competition and incomplete information, not only complete isolated spreadsheet drills.
...and many more leading institutions worldwide
No setup wizard. One class section. You can see the student view and the instructor view from the same login.
A switch at the top of the screen takes you from the student experience to the instructor console, where you create the class, review reasoning, and export grades.
Create a class section for your course. Practice is already included: students can try a full turn on their own before the graded competition starts. You do not need a second section for practice.
Open a team in the roster and play that team's turn. You see the same datasets, budget, and Action Plan your students will see, so you can walk the assignment before you assign it.
Inside the section, open Resources for the rules, scoring formulas, and slides you can share. Students see the same reference, so you are not writing a separate game manual.
Students log into your section, practice on their own, then join the live competition when you open the first graded turn. No duplicate accounts, and no extra practice section to configure.
You are not grading a disconnected essay or an unverified spreadsheet file. The simulation generates three interlocking layers of process evidence, then you review, override, and release.
Students analyze multi-source CSV datasets in the browser Analysis Lab or export to Excel/Sheets. Saved filters, segments, and purchases show the analytical work behind the decision.
Before a turn runs, teams submit a four-step plan: who they target, which data they cite, the strategic role, and a numeric forecast. The plan is locked before results appear.
AI scores the plan against Lab depth, purchases, and execution, not writing style. You review, override, and export to the gradebook. Final authority stays with you.
We do not publish a fixed hour savings. Time recovered is the first-pass read of every team's plan, the spreadsheet assembly for grades and AoL, and the hunt for inactive students. It scales with how many teams you would otherwise have graded by hand.
Analysis Lab trails, structured Action Plans, and execution records make ChatGPT shortcuts visible. You still review the linked evidence rather than the prose alone.
Adopt without departmental friction. Zero software licenses, zero LMS lock-in fees.
Students go to missimulation.com, enter your section code, and purchase individual semester access via card. Instant setup with no bookstore coordination required.
Order via your campus store adoption portal. Supports inclusive access programs, financial aid vouchers, and 100% returnable drip purchase orders.
Your department or program covers student access centrally. We generate a batch of prepaid access codes or unlock the course section for seamless roster entry.
General business sims teach supply chain, marketing, and finance. None of them teach your students how information systems drive those decisions. That's the gap MISsimulation fills. And it's the gap your SLOs require you to close.
| Capability | General Business Sim (CAPSIM, etc.) | MISsimulation |
|---|---|---|
| IS-Specific Curriculum | ❌ Business strategy only | ✅ Data analysis, IT decision-making, system selection |
| Dataset Purchase & Filtering | ❌ Not applicable | ✅ Students buy, filter, and interpret real data sets each turn |
| AoL Evidence Generated | ⚠️ Manual export / external rubric required | ✅ Analytical Depth Scores auto-populate AoL report |
| Decision Traceability | ❌ Outcome-only scoring | ✅ Every decision step logged. Process graded, not just result. |
| AI-Resistant Submission | ❌ Outcome can be AI-generated | ✅ Lab trail, Action Plan, and execution records. Review the evidence, not the prose. |
MISsimulation complements general business simulations or replaces them entirely in IS courses. Many instructors run both in the same program.
Compare to CAPSIM →Quick answers to help you decide if MISSimulation is right for your course
Preview the instructor overview at /instructor-overview to see the student and instructor workflow before committing. Or, your free instructor account gives you full live access - all screens, all data, all AI feedback - with no credit card required.
Preview the instructor overview - no account needed →Each turn, students access CSV datasets, analyze them in Excel or Google Sheets or in the built-in Analysis Lab, allocate resources across target segments, attach a saved Lab profile or upload a filtered list for targeted outreach, and complete a structured Action Plan. After the deadline closes, you release results and AI-supported feedback. Weekly time typically ranges from 15 minutes to over an hour depending on depth and your section settings.
As much or as little as you choose. Many instructors run a 15–20 minute debrief discussion after each turn - students arrive with their results and the conversation writes itself. Others let the simulation run entirely asynchronously with no required class time. It's fully up to you.
A team's grade is determined by the quality of their analysis, the rigor of their decision rationale, and their use of data-not by whether they won the simulation. The included grading rubrics assess data interpretation, strategic reasoning, and budget justification independently of competitive outcome. One team winning does not reduce another team's grade. You can also weight participation, improvement over turns, and individual contribution scores however fits your course.
Students open the simulation via an embeddable link or course code you share in Canvas, Blackboard, D2L, or Moodle, not a full LTI grade passback. The Instructor Kit includes setup guides for each LMS. After each turn, export a grade CSV and import it into your gradebook. Automatic gradebook sync is on our roadmap. No IT admin ticket required to get started.
Control game length (4-13 turns), dataset complexity, required analysis depth, and grading rubrics. Perfect for both undergraduate and graduate courses.
Students get direct support access, and instructors have a dedicated support channel with 24-hour response time. Plus, there's a private instructor community to share best practices.
Basic spreadsheet comfort is enough for the export path, open a CSV, filter, simple arithmetic. Students who use Analysis Lab can build segments in-platform with guided steps. Advanced students can go deeper with pivots, joins, or multi-dataset Lab profiles.
A free instructor account gives you the full platform: all datasets, all screens, and AI feedback, with zero obligation or software to install.