97-034
USING INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TO ADD VALUE TO MANAGEMENT EDUCATION: A CASE STUDY
Maryam Alavi, Youngjin Yoo, and Doug Vogel
During the last decade, business organizations have used information technology
(IT) to transform their processes through formation of value-added
partnerships. As in the industrial sector, pressure to transform management
education increases. This paper describes a case study of the design and
delivery of an MBA-level information systems course for students and
instructors from two universities. Advanced information technology-wide-area
videoconferencing, high-speed links to shared databases and file servers, and
an electronic group support system (GSS)-enabled the transformation.
Information technology is used to enable collaborative learning and teaching
with transcontinental student teams, multiple instructors, and integration of
external expertise. The IT-enabled value-added partnership such as the one in
this study enriches the student learning experience and expedite faculty and
institutional development. Our prediction is that transformation of the type
reported here will increase in order to add more educational value at lower
overall cost as schools of management and, in general, institutions of higher
learning seek to adapt more rapidly to changes in our increasingly complex and
dynamic world. The innovation reported in this paper is course-content
independent and applicable to teaching a wide variety of management courses.
GM
43 pages
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