University accounting courses have long been criticized for focussing on technical accounting skills with little emphasis on the other non-technical skills (such as intellectual, communication, interpersonal, personal and organizational skills) required by accounting graduates. This study reports on the perceptions of students of the effectiveness of an immersive learning experience on their development of non-technical skills, their ability to demonstrate these skills, realism and satisfaction with the exercise. The exercise was delivered at an Australian university in a third (final) year undergraduate unit that is mandatory to all accounting and business students. The three years of data reported here relates to two delivery models of the same simulation scenario which involves students investigating a potential child labour ethical dilemma. 1) a technology enabled mixed reality simulation with actors operating avatars of interviewed executives (two years, 853 students, N=212) and 2) an in-class role-play with students taking over the interviewed executive roles (one year, 357 students, N=65) that was introduced when the University closed its’ simulation unit. The findings indicate that both approaches can be effective in developing accounting and business students’ non-technical skills with the low-tech role-play perceived as more effective then the technology enabled mixed reality simulation across all dimensions with results significant at the p<0.05 level for skill development and realism of the learning exercise.