Abstract
Simulation-based teaching has become an increasingly prominent approach in project management education (PME), reflecting the need to prepare students for complex, uncertain, and collaborative professional environments. This developmental paper maps the evolution of simulation-based pedagogies in PME from 2010 to 2025 and advances a design-oriented perspective on their educational value. Drawing on a structured review of 62 studies and bibliometric mapping, the paper identifies dominant simulation modalities, thematic clusters, and emerging research trajectories. The analysis suggests that simulation effectiveness depends less on technological sophistication than on alignment between simulation design, reflective processes, and curricular integration. The paper proposes a three-layer design framework linking modality, learning processes, and assessment alignment, and outlines directions for more coherent and inclusive simulation practices in project management education