Motivaton of students for futher education in simulation by an applied example in a related other course in engineering education — A case study

The present paper explains, how a simulation-based study course raised significant interest in discrete-event simulation, finally undergoing a simulation focused course. The simulation based course during the course ¿Production structures and design¿ used a model for own studies, acting as a test-bed for optimal setup-time optimization. An easy access to simulation technology was provided by an Excel-based front end, where any figures related to the model were available for student´s analysis. Nevertheless the students started to act on their own with the Enterprise Dynamics based simulation model, discovering the benefits of simulation. High-quality elaborations of the students were finally achieved, going far beyond of just answering the related questions. In addition, due to the part-time study program, interest in the company´s approach on production planning raised. Subsequently the demand for further dedicated courses in computer simulation raised and were finally addressed.