Facilitating feeling: An facilitators guide to reflection events

The use of serious games to support experiential learning has much to offer operational management teaching (Kiili & Keramon, 2007), by offering an opportunity for learner to engage in socio-emotional experiences. However, there is a gap in the ability of facilitators to meaningfully engage in this pedagogical tool, often leading to flat and apathetic learning experiences. This paper presents an collaborative autoethnographical approach to the authors experiences of serious game simulations in operations management (Hayano, 1979). The paper finds that serious games typically have a moments when the learner’s perception of the game shifts, what we characterise as a “framing event”. This paper also offers practices for facilitators in to leverage emotional engagement during the serious game safely.