Volume 5
Volume 5, Number 31 |
December 4, 2007 |
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Kamal M. Kakish
S. Alan McCord
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Abstract: Many MBA programs include an exposure to electronic commerce (e-commerce), but often that exposure falls short of providing the student with a practical experience to help them understand how businesses use the Internet to generate sales, provide information, and gain market share. A project-based approach to e-commerce offers the MBA student a pedagogically comprehensive learning experience that builds upon assigned readings, major and minor assignments, and a project that explores one of seven aspects of e-commerce systems. E-commerce as a field of study is particularly well suited for project-based teaching. The project-based approach exposes the MBA student to real-life scenarios and offers exposure the major considerations involved in e-commerce systems. The approach provides choice for students to focus their learning experience on a particular area of interest. The implementation of an e-commerce project facilitates the understanding of e-commerce implementation strategies from both business and technology perspectives, and the effects of strategy decisions on business performance. This article describes a project-based approach to teaching e-commerce, discusses lessons learned and the future evolution of the course, and offers recommendations for other institutions who may wish to implement a project-based approach to teaching e-commerce.
Keywords: project based teaching, electronic commerce, pedagogy, hybrid instruction, MBA
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Recommended Citation: Kakish and McCord (2007). The Value of a Project-based Approach to Teaching Electronic Commerce in MBA Programs. Information Systems Education Journal, 5 (31). http://isedj.org/5/31/. ISSN: 1545-679X. (A preliminary version appears in The Proceedings of ISECON 2006: §3325. ISSN: 1542-7382.)