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http://www.slis.indiana.edu/hrosenba/www/Pres/aoir_01/
Howard Rosenbaum
10.11.01
Using the Internet to teach ecommerce: The challenges of digital pedagogy
I. Introduction
• The challenge of digital pedagogy
• Collaboration technology, problem based learning, and the internet
II. Teaching ecommerce with a virtual economy
• How the VE works
• Using PBL in the VE
• Student and shopper experiences
III. The value of a net-based simulation
• Pedagogy and the “real world”
I. Introduction
• The challenge of digital pedagogy
We spend many hours at work immersed in digital environments using information and communication technologies (ICTs)
This is extending into our social and private lives as well
We expect that our students are going to spend many years working in networked organizations
What are the most effective ways to prepare our graduates for work in these environments?
In the discourse on socio-technical trends in higher education, we find that
Schools are increasing their investments in ICTs and are integrating them into their curricula
They are offering instruction in different formats to provide students with more flexibility
More curricula are beginning to focus on a range of information environments and information problems
What do these trends mean for the ways in which we educate our students?
An opportunity
A suggestion
An implication
We have an opportunity where we can rethink the ways in which we combine ICTs, the net, and pedagogy
An important focus should be on the investigation of information problems in networked organizational environments
Pedagogical strategy and the socio-technical infrastructure that supports it should immerse students in these problems
• Collaboration technology, problem based learning,and the internet
Our Masters of Information Science program emphasizes teamwork
The concept of teamwork is grounded in situated learning, which assumes that learning and cognition require social interaction and physical activity
“Communities of practice” form where learning is constituted through the sharing of purposeful and patterned activities Roschelle, J. (1995), Brown, J.S., Collins, A., and Duguid, P. (1989)
Problematic situation
Successful resolution
Collaboration technologies
Community of practice
and uses
faces a
leading to a
A group
reinforcing the
which faces a
Situated learning and collaborative technology
Information professionals learn to recognize typical problems that arise in their workplaces
They develop a repertoire of information behaviors that allows them to resolve these problems
Collaboration technologies are important resources in this work helping people
Jointly produce shared knowledge
Generate communities of practice
Mutually produce new practice
Interact, communicate, and work with each other
In a sense, this is the “real world” we hear so much about
How can we provide students with learning experiences that prepare them to enter this world?
Is there a way to simulate the complex organizational environments that they will face upon graduation?
How can we create a class that requires students to spend an extended period of time grappling with a difficult problem?
Are there pedagogical approaches that focus on problems?
Are there net-based collaboration technologies that can support this approach?
Problem based learning (PBL) is an approach that foregrounds “the problem”
Learning is motivated by a problem that should resemble one students might face in the workplace
The problem should be complex and ill structured
It should have no clear-cut and easy answers
It should have nuances and subtleties not apparent upon first analysis
It should have relevance to students who can analyze it using prior knowledge and experience
(Abdullah, 1998; 1)
PBL reverses the traditional approach to teaching and learning
As they work on the problem, students propose plausible explanations or hypotheses
They develop plans and strategies to resolve the problem
They gather data that to test their hypotheses or critically evaluate their explanations and plans
The instructor provides relevant information, but only if students offer a good reason for wanting it
(Margetson, 1998; 194)
Using PBL, students
Take responsibility for their education
Learn about problem solving in situations resembling those they will face in their professional careers
Learn to recognize and analyze problems, taking into account their contextual and dynamic natures
Develop, evaluate, and select among alternative resolutions
Engage in self-directed study resulting in knowledge that can be used in problem analysis
Present and defend their ideas in front of their peers
I. Introduction
• The challenge of digital pedagogy
• Collaboration technology, problem based learning, and the internet
II. Teaching ecommerce with a virtual economy
• How the VE works
• Using PBL in the VE
• Student and shopper experiences
III. The value of a net-based simulation
• Pedagogy and the “real world”
II. Teaching ecommerce with a virtual economy
Challenge: to design and develop an inquiry-based networked, learning environment for teaching ecommerce
Objective: provide students with a challenging, novel, technology-focused, and learner-centered educational experience
They learn by “doing” ecommerce instead of listening to someone talk about “doing” ecommerce
Technology: a working, robust, and web-based virtual economy (VE: Web, Cold Fusion, and Oracle)
Syllabus:http://www.slis.indiana.edu/hrosenba/www/L561/syll/syll6.html
• How the VE works
The virtual economy is a distributed digital marketplace
It is a simulation of a competitive environment for buying and selling digital products
Activities
Students start up, design, and operate e-businesses which compete in the VE
This is a semester long project
Shoppers use digital money to purchase information products and services
They participate for eight weeks
Store 1 Store 2
Store 3Store 4
Bank
Store 1
Store 2
Store3
Store 4
Portal page
Shoppers
Flow of digital money Entering the VE Traversal to store To portal
Structure of the virtual economy
The VE is based on HTML, Cold Fusion, and Oracle
It uses no pre-existing code and is a proprietary design written to be transparent to the participants
No programming knowledge is required to set up storefronts or to shop in the VE
The programming is modular, portable and runs on a Solaris platform on a Sun Enterprise 250 server
Cold Fusion can encrypt the code for the primary functions (product catalogs, shopping cart, and digital bank), so the VE is relatively secure
The VE is a collaboration technology
It provides a shared work space for store teams to develop their businesses
Each team works out its own norms of interaction and rules for working together
It also provides a means for store teams to engage in customer relationship management as they attempt to initiate and build relationships with the shoppers
In past iterations of the VE, this has involved the use of email newsletters and chat rooms
Synergia: information services Vegas Casino: entertainment
GetBusy: information, services DigiTeam: collaboration services
Succinct: subscription
SWOT.com: information GetBusy
Business Bistro: bundled information
• Using PBL in the VE
The problem is how to start up, design, and manage a web-based ebusiness
This is complex, messy, and ill-structured
Students work in small, self-directed teams and investigate issues involved in creating ebusinesses
They determine what they need to learn to develop and manage their stores
They draw upon a range of disciplines to resolve the problems they face
The work is evaluated against real-world benchmarks
Sales, repeat customers, traffic analysis, and customer feedback
Students apply what they learn to the basic problem as it evolves over time
This is “authentic learning” because “students publicly exhibit their learning, and there are often real life standards of quality” (Gordon 1998: 391)
Outcome: “higher levels of comprehension, more learning and knowledge-forming skills, more social skills” (Rheem, 1999)
Structure of the course and timeline for the VE
Week 1: Introduction: Developing a start-up company
Week 2-7: Design, build, and test the site
2: Present business plan, begin content development
3: Database population, evaluation of sites and development of initial prototype
4: Development of advertising and marketing plan
5: Final design; online ad auction
6,7: Presentation of customer service and support strategies, testing and redesign
Week 8-15: Operate the storefronts
The simulation becomes more real in several ways
There is competition: bonuses added to the final grade for the most profit and the most traffic
They never meet the shoppers face to face
Real digital products are being sold for real purposes
There is initial investment and costs that have to be managed
The banner ad auction
Web hosting
Consulting ($125/hr)
Market research (~$400 for a report)
• The student experience in the VE:
Store owners:
Develop and implement business plans
Design working storefronts
Design content pages (product descriptions, help pages, etc)
Used a template page to set up a product catalog, transaction procedures, and an order form
Develop content
Annotated bibliographies and collections of articles, web site reviews, newsletters, subscription services,
editing and consulting activities, and entertainment
They:
Create advertising and marketing strategies, banner ads for the portal page, sales, and other promotions
Participate in an ad auction
Set up customer service and loyalty programs
Develop policies to protect customer privacy, handle grievances, complaints, and technical support
Manage their businesses
Monitor store accounts, handle customer service and support, and maintain inventory
Add and remove content and redesign pages
Over the term, store owners raised fascinating ethical issues
They
Took advantage of the architecture of the VE
Looked at each others’ store directories
Read each other’s weekly reports
Searched for pricing information
One group downloaded at least one of another group’s articles and sold it as their own
When do business practices cross the line between competitive and unethical?
The student experience in the VE
Consumers
Had to develop familiarity with ecommerce
Used the VE extensively
Checked their accounts and purchase histories
Provided extensive feedback to store owners and the instructor
Committed fraud
Claimed files were corrupted or never delivered
Took advantage of closing strategies
Formed buying circles
I would like to thank my faculty colleagues and collaborators:
Australia: University of Canberra: Ric Jentzsch University of Queensland: Sophie Cockcroft
UK University of Bath: Richard Vigden, Joe Nandhakumar University of Greenwich: Margaret Lennox
US The Citadel: Janette Moody Duquesne University: A. Graham Peace, William Spangler Kennesaw State University: Martha Meyers Lehigh University: Catherine Ridings
Georgia College and State University: Ric Bialac
I also received assistance from talented SLIS students, some on the payroll and some with independent studies
Sun Microsystems and Ameritech have also supported this work
I. Introduction
• The challenge of digital pedagogy
• Collaboration technology, problem based learning, and the internet
II. Teaching ecommerce with a virtual economy
• How the VE works
• Using PBL in the VE
• Student and shopper experiences
III. The value of a net-based simulation
• Pedagogy and the “real world”
III. The value of a net-based simulation
• Pedagogy and the “real world”
This course shows that a complex simulation can provide students with a real world experience
Internet-based collaborative technology be used as the basis for such a simulation
Much has to change in the pedagogy of a course built around a semester-long simulation
Teaching and learning change
Technology and pedagogy can be used to bridge the gap between “knowing what” and “knowing how”
This combination of pedagogy and internet technology is a useful way to prepare students for their careers in IT
They learn that their implicit knowledge is legitimate and useful when facing apparently unfamiliar tasks
Because of the range of problem resolutions, they learn that heuristics are not absolute
Students generate their own solutions, which makes them creative members of a culture of problem-solving and community of practice
They acquire new cultural tools
A shared vocabulary
Workable methods of problem analysis
Collective problem solving
The means to discuss, reflect upon, evaluate, and validate community procedures in a collaborative process
Groups give rise to insights and solutions that would not come about without them
Displaying multiple roles
Successful problem resolution helps them learn about the many different roles needed for most cognitive tasks in the workplace
They can confront and discard ineffective strategies and misconceptions
They refine their collaborative work skills
They learn about project management
They learn that ecommerce is hard work!
Abdullah, M.H. (1998). Problem-Based Learning in Language Instruction: A Constructivist Model. Eric Digest. ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading, English, and Communication, Bloomington, IN.
Brown, J.S., Collins, A., and Duguid, P. (1989) Situated Cognition and the Culture of Learning, Educational Researcher, 18, pp. 32-42. http://www.ilt.columbia.edu/ilt/papers/JohnBrown.html
Gordon, R. (1998). Balancing real-world problems with real-world results. Phi Delta Kappan, 390-394.
Margetson, D. (1998). What Counts as Problem-Based Learning? Education for Health: Change in Training and Practice, 11(2): 193-202.
Rheem, J. (1998). Problem-Based Learning: An Introduction. The National Teaching and Learning Forum. 8(1).
http://www.ntlf.com/html/pi/9812/pbl_1.htm
Roschelle, J. (1995). What Should Collaborative Technology Be? A Perspective From Dewey and Situated Learning. http://cica.cica.indiana.edu/cscl95/outlook/39_roschelle.html
http://www.slis.indiana.edu/hrosenba/www/Pres/aoir_01/
Howard Rosenbaum
10.11.01
Using the Internet to teach ecommerce: The challenges of digital pedagogy