A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Remote Learning on Supply Chains Using MINIS as a Learning Environment

Modern supply chains are prone to up- and downstream uncertainties, which result, for example, in bullwhip effects. In the era of digitalization, visualizing tools provide a basis for understanding the complexity of these processes and environmental variables, which can affect a supply chain. An interplay of actors from different domains and disciplines accompanies the increase in the digitalization of supply chains. However, mediating the cause-effect relationships proves to be a significant challenge in lectures. This challenges educators, requiring the digitalization of experiments and a redesign of teaching methods to appropriately address current topics and complex issues in their respective fields. Against that backdrop, we propose MINIS as a remote learning environment to mediate the complexity of industrial supply chains. Our article builds upon existing design knowledge of remote laboratories, with an emphasis on mediating skills in supply chains. Following the paradigm of design science research and constructive alignment, we conceptualize a prototype for mediating excerpts of competencies for understanding a production system serving as a subset of supply chains. To evaluate the extent of beneficial learning effects provided by our prototype, we conducted a comprehensive survey embedded in an experimental design. Based on meticulous analysis, we derived four preliminary design principles that serve as a guide to help lecturers mediate relevant skills through remote learning environments, such as MINIS.