INTERNET-BASED
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING IN
INTERNATIONAL
BUSINESS: THE CASE OF GLOBALVIEW.ORG
“I
hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand,” Confucius c.
450 BC
Ilan
Alon, State University of New York Brockport
The paper discusses a unique Internet-based learning
method, which involves the construction of international marketing plans for
real companies seeking internationalization. Globalview.org has brought together international scholars,
university students, and companies to participate in the alpha testing of this
concept. This article reports on
the experience of one college using Globalview.org. It also outlines the framework for successful implementation
of the projects and the likely outcomes that may emerge from usage of
Internet-based experiential projects in the classroom.
Recent advances in technology that make it possible
to access resources in other countries seamlessly through the Internet have
created new opportunities for teaching courses with an international
component. This paper describes
the use of Internet resources, library subscription databases, and a web-based
classroom management system in an international business marketing class.
The tremendous amount of information (and misinformation) now readily available via print sources, subscription databases, and the Internet highlights the need for students to learn how to find and evaluate information. The days of an employee's remaining with one company for an entire career have disappeared for the most part. Successful careers now depend on the development of lifelong learning skills. Institutions of higher education have recognized this need and are adding information management (or literacy) components to their courses.
The SUNY Board
of Trustees, for example, recently mandated the addition of an
"information management" component to the curriculum. Key accrediting
agencies, including the Middle States
Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), are concerned with information
literacy. The Association of College and
Research Libraries has defined information literate students as those who
"recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate,
evaluate, and use effectively the needed information" (Association of
College and Research Libraries, 2000) . There are many ways to teach information management
skills. Because teaching faculty are experts in their subject areas and
librarians are experts at locating information, collaboration is a logical
choice. This paper will discuss
the integration of information management skills into a college business
course.
Instructors utilized Globalview.org, an
Internet-based program designed for California State University – Chico, to
facilitate cross communication between student groups and faculty members. The program had two sections that
related to the students’ assignments.
The first section was the “global cases” section. There, the students could view the
information about the cases and post periodic reports on the cases for the
leading professors and other student teams to view. The students were required to report on their research
progress weekly to facilitate communication and encourage active participation. The second section of the program was
the WebCT communications package.
In the WebCT section, students could post messages to all, or selected,
student groups and professors, read, compose or reply via email to other
student groups, and chat online.
The chatting provided students with a no-cost method of communicating
with other students across the world in real time.
The librarian and the faculty member collaborated on
the development of an International Business web site. In addition, the
librarian gave an instruction session on print resources, online subscription
databases such as Lexis-Nexis, and Internet searching techniques. The librarian
and faculty member also provided individualized assistance in finding the
information needed for the detailed marketing plans. This approach was very
successful. Students commented they had no idea there was such a wealth of
information available, particularly on web sites from foreign countries. The information gathering skills gained
from this assignment should be very useful to students in their future business
careers.
An International Business web site (http://www.oneonta.edu/~libweb/subject/intbus.html)
was created to provide students with selected electronic resources. Both open
access web sites and subscription databases were included. The initial
selection of web sites was based on recommendations from books, journal
articles, and other web sites. Each web site was then evaluated and categorized
into separate modules: I. International Companies, Industries, Competition; II.
Regional Focus; III. Country Data Sources; IV. International Marketing; V. International Trade and Economics; VI. International
Finance; VII. International Law; VIII.
International Institutions; IX. Gateways to Resources; X. Consulting Firms; XI.
International Business Employment; XII. International Business Associations and
Societies; XIII. Working Papers.
The primary function of the International Business web site was to
provide content. Therefore, the web site was designed with a minimum of
graphics in order to speed downloading time. Javascripts (which can cause problems on some browsers) were
also avoided.
A significant amount of information from a wide variety
of sources was required to complete the assignment. In order to develop the marketing plan, students needed to
do a situation analysis (which included an environmental analysis, a market
analysis, a customer analysis, and a competitor analysis) as well as develop
marketing objectives, marketing strategy, and marketing programs. A library instruction session, in a
classroom equipped with computers for each student, provided an overview of
print reference books, subscription databases, and Internet resources. This
two-hour, hands-on session gave students the opportunity to search for
information with the guidance of both the librarian and the business professor.
Since projects dealt with international marketing for small businesses, print
sources were used mostly for background information. Subscription databases, including Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe and the National Trade Data Bank (NTDB), were used to locate items such as
industry news, country-specific data, and journal articles on marketing. An example of Internet use was finding
companies that distributed high voltage capacitors in the Czech Republic. Students were taught how to evaluate
information found on the Internet using a web site created by Susan Beck of New
Mexico State University (Beck, 1997). In addition, the librarian demonstrated
precision search techniques of the Internet using practices recommended by
Danny Sullivan of Search Engine Watch (Association of College and Research
Libraries, 2000).
In recent years, the interest in experiential
learning techniques in business education has grown. Simply defined, experiential learning is “learning by
doing.” Writing about principles
of instructional design and adult learning, Niki Fardouly of the University of
New South Wales, Sidney, Australia, proposed that to achieve a deep level of
understanding, students need to practice new behaviors and skills, receive
feedback, and observe the consequences of the new behaviors. In this way students can integrate new
skills into their way of thinking.
The Center of Extra-Mural Studies of the University of Cape Town (UCT),
South Africa, defines experiential learning as “a spectrum of meanings,
practices, and ideologies which emerge out of the work and commitments of
policy makers, educators, trainers, change agents and ‘ordinary’ people all
over the world.”
In response to the growing interest in this form of
learning a number of associations were created and business schools across the
world have started to adopt their curriculums. For example, the National Society for Experiential Education
(NSEE) is a membership association that embraces experiential learning in the
classroom, workplace, or community.
The association offers its members professional development
opportunities as well as discounts on books (NSEE, 2000). Likewise, the
Association for Experiential Education (AEE) is devoted to promoting
experiential education in all settings and to support professional development,
theoretical advancement, and evaluation in experiential education
worldwide. The association motto
is: “Tell me, and I will forget; Show me, and I may remember; Involve me and I
will understand” (AEE, 2000).
A number of university centers around the world also
embraced the experiential learning format. The Graziadio School of Business and Management of
Pepperdine University, for example, created a Master of International Business
program that emphasizes experiential learning to develop practical and relevant
job-related skills and abilities.
The University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth and Washington University’s
Olin School of Management both advertise that their students are involved in
experiential learning where they apply classroom theories to real-life
situations.
Colorado State University created a Center for
Teaching and Learning that advocates experiential learning. The center divides experiential
learning education into three types: (1) field-based experiences (such as
internships which involve working with practitioners); (2) prior learning
assessment (credit for life experiences as determined by standardized tests
such as CLEP); and (3) experiential classroom-based learning (teaching methods
that involve students learning by doing) (Quick, 1998). It is with the last category that
Globalview is concerned.
Because
experiential learning engages the students, its benefits include:
The
characteristics of experiential learning have been summarized by Burnard
(1989), Joplin (1981) and Kolb (1984).
The important features of classroom-based experiential learning are:
International business students at SUNY-Oneonta
needed to locate country-specific business information in order to develop an
export marketing plan for a manufacturer of high-voltage capacitors located in
Oneonta, NY, and an import marketing plan for a small art store located in
Amsterdam, Netherlands. Marketing teams (who worked independently) were located
at SUNY-Oneonta, California State University--Chico, and the Amsterdam School
of Business, Netherlands. Instructors utilized WebCT, a web course development
tool, in creation of the assignments.
This assignment had several advantages over the
traditional class assignments, such as case studies, country analysis or
textbook exercises. First, it
utilized information technology to gather, analyze and interpret international
business and economic data to generate information to solve practical business
problems. Second, it used “real”
and “live” firms both in the region where the students reside and in other
areas of the globe, leading to the development of analytical, communicative and
interpersonal skills. Students saw
that their work can actually impact a company’s decision-making processes and, thus,
became engaged and interested in the results of their assignment.
The end products of the assignment were two typed
reports of international business/marketing plans, which were submitted to the
companies as well as to professors to grade. The students were so successful in achieving their stated
objectives that the export company invited them to its headquarters to present
their findings to its top management.
The import team was contacted by the Dutch company a few months after
the completion of the assignment.
The company wanted to meet with students to discuss their analyses and
to arrange to meet in New York. In
short, the assignment developed students’ “real-world” information management
skills, integrated the latest information technology, helped with regional
economic development, and provided companies with value-added services that
will enhance their ability to penetrate international markets. Such assignments, therefore, benefit
three major stakeholders: the students, the companies, and the local
community. The University also received
recognition through the local newspapers, including The Daily Star
(December 16, 1999), which reported that SUNY Oneonta classes made
international marketing plans for local firms. These articles increased public awareness of the degree of
economic impact the college has on the local community.
Successful implementation of the proposed Internet-based experiential projects outlined in the paper can result in many positive outcomes to students, professors, communities, colleges and companies involved.
Students can benefit from:
Association
for Experiential Education (1999). Retrieved August 24, 2000 from the World
Wide Web: http://www.aee.org/
Association
of College and Research Libraries. (2000). Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher
Education. Retrieved September 5, 2000 from the World Wide Web: http://www.ala.org/acrl/ilcomstan.html
Beck, S. (1997). Evaluation Criteria. The Good, The Bad & The Ugly: or, Why It’s a Good Idea to Evaluate Web Sources. Retrieved September 5, 2000 from the World Wide Web: http://lib.nmsu.edu/instruction/evalcrit.html
Burnard, P. (1989). Teaching Interpersonal Skills: A Handbook of Experiential Learning for Health Professionals. London: Chapman & Hall.
Fardouly,
N. (2000). Learning Styles and Experiential Learning. Retrieved August 24, 2000
from the World Wide Web: www.fbe.unsw.edu.au/learning/instructionaldesign/styles.htm
Joplin,
L. (1981). On Defining Experiential Education. Journal of Experiential
Education, 4 (1), 17-20.
Kolb,
D. A. (1984). Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning
and Development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
National
Society for Experiential Education (2000). Retrieved August 24, 2000 from the
World Wide Web: http://www.nssee.org/intro.htm
Quick,
Don (1998). Experiential Learning in Higher Education. Retrieved August 24,
2000 from the World Wide Web: www.colostate.edu/Orgs/CTLearn/forums/Handouts.html
Sullivan,
D. (2000). Web Searching Tips.
Retrieved September 5, 2000 from the World Wide Web: http://searchenginewatch.com/facts/index.html