What about your students?

This semester I'm teaching 5 different sections that I can classify into 4 distinct categories:

1. Level 9 eBusiness, PM, students

2. Level 7 Web Development, PM, students

3. Level 6 Business Administration, PM, students

4. Level 3 Computer Information Systems, AM, students

For the sake of this discussion, I'll select the first category. 

The eBusiness group that I'm teaching are sharing the same objective that majority of the students I met had, that is, achieving a Bachelor degree to improve their employment opportunities. Some also are interested in postgraduate education to achieve higher social status and make their families proud. Both objectives, together with other more individually specific objectives, work as motivators for this group of students to continue their education, in a rather tough circumstances  while doing a full time job and taking care of their immediate and extended families.

Most courses studied in the eBusiness program are theoretical in nature, which implies the need for good attendance of class discussions and doing the necessary follow-up reading and research. The above described circumstances work against my students’ interest and give them very slim chance to read the assigned material. This makes class time so precious in their learning process. This group mainly learns from the teacher in the class, and less often through the class assignment and project.

The assessment strategy of the course is 50% group work in the shape of and assignment and a project. The rest of the course assessment is based on two individually written case study based tests. The students are given a case 2 days prior the assessment date and asked to research it using publicly available resources, in order to answer the exam questions during a 2 hours assessment session.