PANEL DISCUSSION ON USING THE INTERNET FOR COURSES Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, Volume 25, 1998 PANEL DISCUSSION ON USING THE INTERNET FOR COURSES Sharma Pillutla, Towson State University Michael D. Crino, Clemson University Eliot S. Elfner, St. Norbert College David T. Bill, Centurion Systems J. Bernard Keys, Georgia Southern University John K. Butler, Jr., Clemson University ABSTRACT The proposed panel would like to discuss the use of the Internet in the classroom for enhancing teaching and learning as well as its use in academia for administrative and research purposes. The Internet has not only revolutionized the computing industry, its wide reach has now extended to having an effect on all facets of life. Businesses, government and society itself has been deeply impacted by this technology. Higher education is right in the middle of the fray and methods of delivering college courses will change drastically in the near future. PRACTICAL ISSUES The business world has been transformed with the advent of the internet and intra-company intranets. Most functional areas are being affected by the internet. Business have been forced to examine their strategies and operations in light of the new capabilities offered by the internet The capability of conducting business transactions on the Internet has resulted in the explosion of electronic commerce. Issues pertaining to e-commerce including Internet strategies, marketing on-line, advertising, purchasing, invoicing, payment systems etc. are now important elements of knowledge which a business student needs to have. This necessitates a change or addition in the content that needs to be imparted to business students. Several schools have therefore introduced new courses on business on the net, e- commerce, knowledge navigating etc. METHODS OF INSTRUCTION Infusion of technology into the classroom is occurring at a lightning-like pace. Instructional pedagogy has moved away from an objectivist learning theory which proclaims the instructor as the “sage on the stage” where the student adopts a passive role in the learning process. Instead, active learning and experiential learning approaches cast the instructor as a “guide on the side” in the role of coach The internet is one resource that promotes active learning by providing the learner multiple sources of knowledge, multiple modes of accessing the knowledge, and branching which allows the students to learn at a pace and a manner suited to their own learning styles. METHODS OF DELIVERY Delivery of information in a traditional classroom setting is no longer the norm. Instructors are providing everything on-line including syllabi, class notes, class schedules, and “real time” course information. Students have the convenience of browsing this material at their leisure at a time of their choosing. The proliferation of these systems is currently being impeded only by the lack of standards. Holding electronic office hours via internet-based video-conferencing is only a couple of years down the road. Members of the panel are currently using the internet to: • have students turn in homework, class projects, term papers etc. • grade and return these assignments to the student • conduct on-line tutorials and sample exams with instant feedback. • conduct regular exams on-line • conduct audio conferencing and video conferencing • have students conduct research projects based entirely on data from the internet • encourage and train students to use search engines on the WWW to conduct job searches and career planning exercises • use the WWW, with appropriate Universal Resource Locators (URLs), to search for information relevant to course topics • use interest lists to shadow professionals and practitioners • instigate collaboration among students at different institutions 111 Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, Volume 25, 1998 • set up virtual universities for students to hold real-time competition, such as games and simulations, with groups of students from another university • have students build web pages on class projects Administering entire courses on line is now a matter of time. Packages such as WebCt (developed by the University of British Columbia), Webucator (SGI) etc. are facilitating creating, maintaining and monitoring of on-line classes. Features of such packages address most aspects administering a course including registering, providing instructional material, grading etc. The possibility of thus having classes which are almost completely mediating by computers and the internet impacts the current traditional model of academia. We discuss this next. CONCLUSION As seen from the discussion above, the Internet and its most popular resource, the World Wide Web, have opened up new possibilities. It has affected the world of business and created a whole new area of e-commerce. It has affected traditional campus- bound universities which are now seeking to diversify their programs and their mode of delivery. It has even affected societal interaction which is beyond the scope of discussion of this panel. 112 Table of Contents Volume 25, 1998 Marketing Goes to the Movies Bringing Experiential Learning to a Principles of Marketing Course Investment Analysis Application Using In-house Spreadsheet Models SugarCoated Statistics: An Exercise for the First Day of Class Improving Undergraduate Student Involvement in Management Science and Business Writing Courses Using the Seven Principles in Action Establishment and Funding for Interuniversity / Multidisciplinary Student experiences The Prospects of Creative Teaching: A Discussion with Patricia Sanders The Simulation and Classroom Assessment Techniques Developments of Management Skill Assessment Games as Instruments of Assessment: A Framework for Evaluation The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Business Curricula Threshold Solo Competitor: A Management Simulation (V1.0) a Windows-Based. Play Alone, Total Enterprise Simulation and Assessment Instrument Toward An Understanding of One's self-concept Total Enterprise Simulations and the Internet: Improving Student Perceptions and Simplifying Administrative Workloads The Expatriate an Assignment Orientation Game An Expatriate's Nightmare: An Experiential Exercise in Coping with Overseas Assignments Analyzing Experiential Exercise: Using the Scientific Method for Problem Solving The Second Component to Experiential Learning: A Look Back at How ABSEL has handled the Conceptual and Operational Definitions of Learning Predictive Models of Learning: Participant Satisfaction of Experiential Exercises in Business Education Accelerating Moral Development through Use of Experiential Ethical Dilemmas Ethical Dilemmas to use with Business Simulations to Teach Ethics The Class Approach in Behavioral Simulation in a Business Policy/Strategic Management course: A Progression toward Greater Realism An Exploration of the Emergence of Process Prototypes in a Management Course Utilizing a Total Enterprise Simulation How Organizations Are Improving Their Performance Utilizing Electronic Commerce: Examples From The Internet The Market Access Planning System (Maps): A Computer-Based Decision Support System For Facilitating Experiential Learning In International Business An Excel Workbook For Student Planning And Interface With A Simulation Game Design Of Multi-Media Based Pedagogy For Leadership Training Panel Discussion On Using The Internet For Courses Valuing And Enhancing Teaching: Sharing Tips Via The Web The Buddy Project: A Semester Long Project Aimed At Developing An Appreciation For Diversity Enhancing The Excitement And Learning Retention In The Classroom: The Power Of Magic The Supervised Management Internship: A Job Or Learning Experience Team Ware™ An Online Moderated Class Discussion Facility And Beyond A Neophyte Distance Educator's Experience Learning Management By Practicing Management: A Report Of Significant Student Service In 1997 Integration Of Academic And Service Learning: Students' Perceptions About Its Effects And Outcomes The Value Of Incorporating A Service Learning Component Into Course Content: A Presentation And Roundtable Discussion Business Games Teach: Thoughts on the Sources of Conflicting Conclusions on their Effectiveness Antecedents Of Learning In The Simulation: A Replication Using Student Journals To Enhance Learning From Simulations Technological Change And Intertemporal Movements In Consumer Preferences In The Design Of Computerized Business Simulations With Market Segmentation Integrating The Marketing Curriculum Using Collaborative Learning Teaching Time Management In A Sales Program: The Application Of A Computer Simulation Game Adapting Interactive Computer Simulations For Content Based Esl Instruction Multimedia And Student Expectations Synthesizing Data For Media Simulations Composing A Team Health Promoting Behaviors-A Decision Making Exercise Does it really Work? An Application of the Group Interaction Framework Administering the MIT Beer Game: Lessons Learned A Paperless Economy? Instructing Students on the Aspects of Successful Electronic Commerce Maximizing Learning Gains in Simulations: Lessons from the Training Literature Observing General Ability in a Total Enterprise Gaming Simulation FReach Teach: A Computer-Based System for Teaching Advertising Media Planning An Integrated Business Instruction System An Experiential Exercise you can Tinker With Experiential Exercises or Computer Simulations? Cash Flow Statements: Are They Important in Business Simulations? Holistic Cognitive Strategy in a Computer-Based Marketing Simulation Game: An Investigation of Attitudes Towards the Decision-Making Process Barnga: A Game on Cultural Clashes The Many Faces of Culture: Understanding Country and Corporate Culture Students' View of the Use of Business Gaming in Hong Kong Assessing General Management Interest What is the Future of Business Gaming? Starting a Small Music Trivia Business Exercise and Other Innovative Icebreakers An Integrated Approach to Behavioral Skill Development Career Focus: A Student and Business Learning Experience The Use of Concept Mapping in Teaching Strategic Management An Experiential Approach to Developing Mission Statements Business Games in Brazil-Learning or Satisfaction A Simulation within a Simulation: Job Layoff's and Emotional Reactions