All students enrolled in Economics & Personal Finance or IB Business have experienced the struggle of having to complete the grueling Virtual Business Simulations. The program is compiled of four sections; a reading, a reading quiz, a math quiz, and then a simulation. 

These simulations don’t have time limits, but may take anywhere from 30 minutes to three hours, depending on their individual level of difficulty. 

After each section of the lesson is completed, students are given a grade. Reading quizzes are graded out of ten, the math is out of five, while the simulations, grading varies depending on performance and ability to keep up with the assigned tasks. 

“I don’t think these prepare students for real world situations; if anything it [Virtual Business] just frustrates the students and has them try to work around the sim rather than actually work it, so that they can try and get in their scores as fast as possible,” Howard Dwyer, longtime economics teacher said. 

Jerome Dwyer, who also teaches Economics and IB Business, agrees with aforementioned statement. 

When asked to comment on the program, he simply stated, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don”t say anything at all.” 

The course in its entirety consists of nineteen lessons, each containing four subsections. After completing the assignments, students receive a certificate which indicates course completion. 

“I don’t stress about the grades I receive on the sims because my teacher can always reset it for me,” junior Grace Hatch said. 

Students are required to get a minimum of seventy percent on each section of the lesson in order to pass the simulation. 

Students need teachers to reset the reading and math quiz if they receive less than the required minimum, allowing them to simply retake the questions. In the case of the simulations themselves, students can easily press the reset option and retake the simulation. 

The number of retakes has no effect on the student’s final grades, as the only grade recorded in the gradebook is that of the final retake. Although some students believe that Virtual Business does help them acknowledge basic tasks and responsibilities they will face during adulthood to an extent, the real benefit of the program is still questioned by many. 

“I don’t like virtual business because it’s a very restricted reality and I believe that not everyone will go through the same thing a simulation asks you to go through,” junior Shirley Chu said. 

Junior Jessica Roop argues the opposite, citing the program as being helpful in learning time management. Others think of it as an unnecessary stress. 

“The program is stressful and unhelpful and doesn’t relate to what we’re learning,” junior Rebecca Kindling said.

 It is safe to say that the overwhelming majority of both students and teachers believe that there isn’t much practical knowledge to gain from these simulations, and that they are essentially a waste of time.