Using a Group Role-Play Exercise to Engage Students in Learning Business Processes and ERP

With the increasing process-centric focus and proliferation of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems in organizations, it is imperative for business graduates to understand cross-functional business processes and ERP system’s role in supporting business processes. However, this topic can be rather abstract and dry to undergraduate students, most of whom have little work experience. In this paper, we present a group role-play exercise that has been used in an introductory management information systems course to actively engage students in learning business processes and ERP systems. Student learning outcomes and their perceptions of the group role-play exercise were measured using a questionnaire. Results indicate that student knowledge of three key business processes and ERP system’s role in supporting business processes increased significantly after participating in the role-play exercise. Students also had positive perceptions of the group role-play exercise. Teaching suggestions for implementing the group role-play exercise, as well as contributions of this study, are discussed

Increasing Intrapreneurial Intentions among Business Students: Using a Net-Enabled Business Innovation Cycle (NEBIC) Theory Team Project

Institutions of higher education are placing greater emphasis on entrepreneurship education. Yet, in reality, few students will actually use their entrepreneurial skills to start a business. Instead, many will go to work for existing organizations as intrapreneurs – those who contribute to entrepreneurship at the firm level. This paper describes how we developed and implemented a team project using the Net-Enabled Business Innovation Cycle (NEBIC) theory as a means to promote intrapreneurial intention in a Technology Entrepreneurship course. We also present pre- and post-project survey results showing that completing the NEBIC project increased students’ intention to become intrapreneurs

UNDERSTANDING STUDENT ENGAGEMENT AND LEARNING OUTCOMES: THE ROLE OF LEARNING STYLES

Despite extensive research on the influence of student engagement in the classroom on student learning outcomes, few studies have examined student learning styles and their engagement in learning activities. In this research-in-progress paper, we propose a research model to examine whether student engagement during role-play exercises will lead to better learning and satisfaction, and the role learning style plays in influencing engagement. We conducted a survey study to evaluate our research model. Preliminary results show partial support for our research model. Our research will make contributions to the theoretical understanding of the relationships between engagement, learning styles and learning outcomes. Our study will also provide practical guidance for instructors to design instructional activities that accommodate for individual learning style differences

Exploring the Relationship Among Learning Styles, Engagement, and Learning Outcomes in the Context of Role-Play Activities

This study proposes a research model to examine whether student engagement during role-play exercises leads to better learning and satisfaction, as well as the influence learning styles have on engagement. Our results confirm that engagement is a multifaceted construct, and show that learning styles affect the dimensions of engagement differently. The effects of each dimension of engagement on student learning and satisfaction also vary. Our research contributes to the theoretical understanding of the relationships among engagement, learning styles, and learning outcomes. Our study also provides practical guidance on how to design instructional activities that accommodate differences in individual learning styles

Applied Learning of Emerging Technology: Using Business-Relevant Examples of Blockchain

Within the ever-changing technology and business landscape, it is imperative that students develop skills in identifying and leveraging emerging technologies to create business value in innovative and novel ways. Drawing on the Net-enabled Business Innovation Cycle framework, applied learning techniques, and current events, we developed an assignment to explore one such emerging technology – blockchain – to enhance students’ ability to apply what they have learned to solve business problems. Our findings showed that students overwhelmingly found the activity and experience beneficial in three important ways: (1) understanding an emerging technology, (2) applying the technology to contemporary business issues, and (3) leveraging what they learned to create plausible solutions to business challenges and opportunities

Conformational studies of Gram-negative bacterial quorum sensing acyl homoserine lactone (AHL) molecules: The importance of the n → π* interaction

A 1H NMR study shows the presence of intermolecular hydrogen bonds for AHLs in CDCl3 solution. A detailed computational study of the structure of AHLs and the relative stability between the extended conformations (X) and those showing n → π* interactions (np) have been carried out by means of DFT calculations. Solvent effects have been shown to be very important when stabilising np conformations, particularly with polar solvents. This was shown by the shortening of C⋯O intramolecular distances and the increase in the relative energies favouring the np conformation with the dielectric constant of the solvent. The charge transfer between the O donor and the acceptor carbonyl group, assessed by second order perturbation energies, E(2), also shows an increase in the E(2) values with the dielectric constant of the solvent

Conformational Studies of Gram-Negative Bacterial Quorum Sensing Acyl Homoserine Lactone (AHL) Molecules: the Importance of the n→* Interaction

A 1H NMR study shows the presence of intermolecular hydrogen bonds for AHLs in CDCl3 solution. A detailed computational study of the structure of AHLs and the relative stability between the extended conformations (X) and those showing n→p* interactions (np) have been carried out by means of DFT calculations. Solvent effects have been shown to be very important when stabilising np conformations, particularly with polar solvents. This was shown by the shortening of C···O intramolecular distances and the increase in the relative energies favouring the np conformation with the dielectric constant of the solvent. The charge transfer between the O donor and the acceptor carbonyl group, assessed by second order perturbation energies, E(2), also shows an increase in the E(2) values with the dielectric constant of the solvent

Conformational Studies of Gram-Negative Bacterial Quorum Sensing 3-oxo N-acyl Homoserine Lactone Molecules

In their 1H NMR spectra in CDCl3 3-oxo-N-acyl homoserine lactones (OHLs) show significant downfield chemical shifts of the amide N-H proton when compared to the parent N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs). NMR spectroscopic and DFT calculation studies have shown that this is most likely due to the presence of a stabilising intramolecular H-bond from the N-H to the 3-oxo group. The 1H NMR spectra also show evidence for the enol tautomers and that the amount of enol present for a range of OHLs is 4.1-4.5% in CDCl3 and 6.5-7.2% in CD3CN. In contrast, DFT calculations show that the lowest energy enol tautomer and the keto tautomer are of equal energy in the gas phase, but that the keto tautomer is more stable in chloroform, acetonitrile and water solution. The calculations also show that there is no evidence for any n→p* or C5 H-bonding interactions being present in either the lowest energy keto or enol tautomer of the OHLs in solution or the gas phase, which is in contrast to the reported solid-state structure