Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 1. Pre and post survey means on selected questions, Fall 2000
Pre-project:
S.001 S.002 Combined
On previous teams, all members
contributed equally
2.5
2.16
2.3
My expectation for learning for this
project is high
3.8
4.04
3.94
Post-project:
On this team, all members contributed
equally
2.88
3.78
3.4
The learning value for this project was
high
3.29
4.22
3.82
educational experience for the semester. It was a difficult semester to stay focused for faculty
and students alike. Perhaps another year of process tweaking will be needed to determine the
actual strength of this learning method.
Students who added optional comments to their surveys often indicated that the
projects are too much work, and that the team project concept is not the same as working with
coworkers in a real job situation, where they receive a salary for performing their duties. They
fail to understand that not all employees are motivated by money, and that team efforts still
reflect personality and commitment issues. Perhaps better questions would include whether
they learned new skills and if they have a better understanding of the business and technical
issues of e-commerce development.
Teaching the E-Commerce Consulting Class
Teaching a structured project class such as this one requires an additional time
commitment from the professor for preparation and availability. Planning and up-front
preparation is important, as well as the choice of participating businesses and active
involvement to insure that businesses and students benefit. This year, for example, a sole-
proprietorship artist was one of the organizations selected; almost daily emails with this client
added workload for the professor as well as the teams.
Table 2. Pre and post survey means on selected questions, Fall 2001
Pre-project:
S.001
S.002
Combined
On previous teams, all members contributed
equally
2.2
2.4
2.6
My expectation for learning for this project
is high
4.1
3.9
4.0
Post-project:
On this team, all members contributed
equally
3.6
3.1
3.4
The learning value for this project was high
3.6
3.7
3.6
