Spoiler alert: They're not PowerPoint slides.
Quick quiz: Would you rather read 200 pages on how to bake bread or just get your hands dirty?
Obvious, right? Because learning is sensory. It's messing up the kitchen, burning your first attempt, celebrating when that bread finally rises. Now put yourself in your students' shoes. They've been looking at slides about “organizational change management” for 60 minutes. You've explained Kotter's model perfectly. Your presentation is flawless. And yet, they have no idea how to apply it if they have to lead a real team tomorrow.
It's not that they're not paying attention. It's just that the human brain isn't wired to learn that way.
The elephant in the classroom: Theory does not work on its own
Let's be brutally honest about something we all know but no one wants to admit in curriculum meetings: you can explain a concept perfectly for 90 minutes, and still, most of your students will have no idea how to apply it in real life a week later.
And no, it's not your fault. Nor is it that your students aren't bright.
It's science. And science is relentless.
The numbers no one wants to see
Ebbinghaus's forgetting curve (yes, that guy who spent years studying memory in the 19th century) gave us the bad news 140 years ago, and we continue to ignore it:
- In the first 24 hours after a lecture, your students forget between 50% and 70% of what they “learned.”
- After a week, they retain only 25%.
- After a month, if they haven't reinforced their knowledge, 90% has disappeared.
Now add this: the most common teaching method in higher education (the lecture) has a retention rate of 5%. Yes, you read that right. Five. Percent.
- Reading a text: 10%.
- Watching an instructional video: 20%.
Do you know which method has a 75% retention rate? Practicing by doing. Experiential learning, simulations, case studies where students make decisions and see consequences.
The brain is not designed for this
The problem is that the human brain evolved to learn through experience, not by passively consuming information. It is designed to:
- Experience situations
- Make mistakes (in safe environments)
- Adjust strategies
- Repeat with new knowledge
- Create memory through emotion and doing
It is not designed to scroll through 89 slides on “organizational change management” while trying to stay awake in a classroom at 2 p.m.
The result? A cycle we all recognize
- For students: Memorize for the exam. Pass. Forget everything in two weeks. Graduate without the confidence to apply what they “studied” for four years..
- For you as a teacher: Mediocre evaluations from students who say, “The teacher knows his stuff, but I didn't learn anything useful.” The frustration of seeing that your best explanations don't translate into real understanding.
- For academic coordinators: Employability reports showing that graduates lack the skills companies are looking for. Institutional pressure to improve results. And the eternal dilemma: more content or better learning?
The irony is that it is not a problem of quantity of information. It is a problem of how that information is converted (or not) into applicable knowledge.
The gift that truly transforms: Learning experiences
Imagine this: instead of explaining how a business ecosystem works over 16 weeks of PowerPoint presentations, your students run a virtual company. They make decisions about production, marketing, and finance. They face liquidity crises at 11 p.m. They negotiate with suppliers. They compete with other teams. And they see the consequences of each choice in real time.
The difference? They're not studying business. They're doing business. And when they make mistakes (because they will), no one loses real money. But the learning is completely real.
The science doesn't lie: The numbers on experiential learning.
This is experiential learning, and after decades of research, the evidence is overwhelming:
Knowledge retention:
- A TalentCards survey of 600 frontline workers revealed that 69% believe they remember at least 50% of their training after 30 days. The reality is much harsher: without active reinforcement, most retain less than 20% of what they have learned.
- Hermann Ebbinghaus' research on the forgetting curve (replicated in modern studies published in PMC, 2015) confirms that approximately 50-70% of new information is forgotten within the first 24 hours, and up to 90% within a month without active reinforcement techniques.
Engagement that really matters:
- A study by Engageli (2024) that measured verbal and nonverbal participation showed dramatic differences: active learning sessions generate a participation rate of 62.7%, versus just 5% in a lecture format.
- Students in active learning environments show 13 times more verbal participation and 16 times more nonverbal engagement through surveys, chat, and interactive tools (Engageli, 2024).
- Research from the Community College Survey of Student Engagement confirms that “students who are actively involved in both academic and extracurricular activities get more out of the college experience than those who are not.”
Academic results:
- The same study by Engageli (2024) found that students in active learning environments score 54% higher on assessments than those in traditional classrooms.
- A meta-analysis published in PNAS (Freeman et al., 2014) that reviewed 225 studies found that students are 1.5 times less likely to fail in classes with active learning.
- Studies in higher education show a 33% reduction in academic performance gaps when active learning is implemented.
The skills companies really want (and that lectures don't develop)
Here's the reality check according to LinkedIn's Global Talent Trends report: 92% of recruitment professionals say that soft skills are as important as or more important than technical skills. And when a hire doesn't work out, 89% of the time it's because of a lack of soft skills, not technical knowledge.
What are employers specifically looking for?
According to a study published in PMC (2023) that analyzed 3,461 job offers between 2017-2021 to identify soft skills in demand in the Industry 5.0 era:
- Interpersonal communication (17.6% of offers explicitly require it)
- Analytical and critical thinking (14.0%)
- Problem solving (10.7%)
- Taking responsibility (9.6%)
- Flexibility (8.6%)
- Teamwork (5.3%)
The problem: according to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), 84% of human resources professionals report finding a deficit in key soft skills, including creative and critical thinking, in job candidates.
And here's the uncomfortable truth: these skills are not developed by reading case studies. They are developed by facing real problems, making difficult decisions, and living with the consequences.
How simulations transform learning (without drama)
Educational simulations such as those from Eureka Simulations are exactly that: safe laboratories where your students can fail, learn, and grow without the consequences of the real world.
Think of them as flight simulators for pilots, but for any discipline:
- More engaged students: When learning feels like an exciting challenge (not a boring task), intrinsic motivation comes naturally. They are investing emotional and cognitive energy, not just completing credits.
- Real knowledge retention: The difference between “I studied supply and demand theory” and “I had to adjust prices three times because my inventory stagnated” is huge. Experience creates emotional memory. Your students won't forget that complicated negotiation that almost sank their virtual company in week 6.
- Organic development of soft skills: There is no “teamwork class.” But when a team must decide how to allocate limited resources at 11 p.m. before a deadline, leadership, effective communication, and conflict resolution emerge naturally. And failing in a simulated environment teaches them more than any assessment rubric.
- Authentic assessment of learning: You can finally assess what really matters. Not whether they memorized definitions, but whether they can apply concepts to solve complex problems. Can they analyze data and make strategic decisions? Can they justify their choices and adapt when the context changes?
Why Eureka Simulations
Eureka simulations are not educational video games. They are learning experiences specifically designed to bridge the gap between academic theory and professional application:
- Curriculum integration: They adapt to your existing program without requiring a complete overhaul. The concepts you teach in class become tools your students use in the simulation.
- Real-time feedback: Students see the consequences of their decisions immediately, which accelerates the learning cycle.
- Data for you: As a teacher or coordinator, you gain visibility into your students' thought processes, not just the final result. You can see where they are struggling and adjust your teaching accordingly.
- Real professional experience: When they finish, your students have not only passed a module. They have tangible experience that they can discuss confidently in job interviews.
The real ROI: Professional confidence
At the end of the day, the best gift you can give your students isn't more information. It's the confidence that comes from knowing they can do something with what they've learned.
When a student completes a simulation like Eureka's, they don't just get another certificate. They've led teams under pressure, made strategic decisions with incomplete information, negotiated resources, and pivoted strategies when things didn't go as planned.
That's a transformation they carry with them long after graduation.
And you, as an educator, get something just as valuable: the satisfaction of seeing your students go from passive recipients of content to confident, competent professionals ready for the job market.
The legacy you leave behind
In 10 years, your students won't remember most of your classes. It sounds harsh, but it's true. They won't remember slide 23 of your presentation on financial analysis. They won't remember that perfect definition you wrote on the board. But they will remember how they felt when they solved a complex problem for the first time. They will remember the moment their strategy worked after three failed attempts.
They will remember that you gave them the space to experiment, make mistakes, and become competent professionals. Those moments—those transformative experiences—are your real legacy as an educator. Eureka simulations don't replace your expertise. They amplify it. They give you a tool to create those memorable moments that your students will carry with them for the rest of their careers.
Because at the end of the day, it's not about how much content you covered. It's about how many students you transformed. Do you want to be part of that transformation?
