A contestant sits in the hot seat.

The host asks: “Which visual representation is equivalent to Toyota production system’s ‘five whys?’ (a) Multi-Vari Chart , (b) Fishbone Diagram, (c) Pareto Chart, or (d) Scatter Plot?”

Tense music plays as the contestant considers the four possible answers. Should he call a friend for help? Or ask for the answers to be narrowed to a 50-50 choice? He decides to choose: “(b) Fishbone Diagram.”

“Is that your final answer?,” the host inquires.

The contestant says yes.

“Correct!” the host says, as triumphant music plays.

This may sound like the latest episode of the television game show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire”â with host Regis Philbin, but it’s not. This is Management 502: Managing Operations for Competitive Advantage, a graduate course with “host” Gilles Reinhardt, an assistant professor who teaches in the International Marketing and Finance MBA program at DePaul University’s Kellstadt Graduate School of Business in Chicago. The course is one of several at the highly ranked business school that uses computerized game show-like exercises as an innovative way to help students prepare for tests.

Projected from a computer onto a classroom screen, Reinhardt’s version of “Millionaire” sounds a looks similar to the real game show. The only differences are that students in the “fastest finger” round write their answers on the blackboard, audience polling is done with lettered cards, and students in the hot seat may call on classmates for help rather than ringing them on the phone. (more) There’s also no million dollars to win—only increased knowledge and perhaps a better grade on the next test.

Reinhardt said he developed the multimedia classroom version of “Millionaire” to generate student enthusiasm about the management concepts taught in his lectures, particularly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York’s financial district.

“These are students who dream of working on Wall Street,” he said. “They were very downcast after Sept. 11, and I wanted to do something to raise their spirits. The “Millionaire” game reinforces the lecture material and brings fun to the classroom.”

The game show exercise also has been a good icebreaker among the American and international students enrolled in the program, which attracts students from all over the world. Versions of the real “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” game show are broadcast in more than a dozen countries, and the show appeals to college students from diverse backgrounds.

Another popular game show, “Jeopardy!,” was the inspiration for DePaul Accountancy Professor Elizabeth A. Murphy to develop a computerized spreadsheet game called “Governmental Jeopardy!” for students in her undergraduate advanced accounting course. The course, which teaches students to understand and interpret financial statements for local and state governments, also prepares students for the CPA exam.

“There is an overwhelming amount of terminology and concepts that are unique to governmental reporting,” Murphy said. “This must be understood before students can begin to analyze and evaluate governmental financial statements. ‘Governmental Jeopardy!’ is a good tool to help students learn governmental accounting terminology and financial statement relationships.”

Students compete in three groups and can “ring in” with an answer by raising their hands. Scores are kept for each group within the game itself, and sound effects like those on the televised show are integrated into the classroom game for “time’s up,” the “Daily Double”, and the “think theme” for Final Jeopardy.

A survey of students who participated in the “Governmental Jeopardy!” exercise showed strong support for the game as a fun and interactive way to learn course material, Murphy said. Students often become so engrossed in the game that they do not realize that the scheduled class time is over, she said.

Murphy also has adapted the board for use in introductory accounting courses. She developed an Excel-based Jeopardy board that is used in class and as a tutorial for students outside of class to learn the debit/credit system for recording transactions. In addition, Murphy requires students in a second introductory accounting course to prepare the content for a “Statement of Cash Flows Jeopardy Board” as part of a group project. Thus, students learn not only from using boards prepared for them, but also by preparing the content for the boards in an Excel-based Jeopardy template provided for them.

Murphy has shared her approach with other DePaul accounting professors who have adapted the content for use in their courses, including introductory accounting, auditing and business processes.

Based on her experiences with the game, Murphy has written an academic paper, “Using an Innovative Teaching Method to Enhance Student Learning: Governmental Accounting Jeopardy!,” which has been accepted for publication in an upcoming edition of the Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting & Financial Management. She hopes the article will inspire professors at other institutions to develop innovative teaching techniques.