by Gemmy Allen Mountain View College
Welcome to Teaching Marketing Online. I hope this information will be useful for you. This marketing course was featured in "Putting Your Course Online: A How-to for Faculty" live via satellite November 13, 1997 by the PBS Adult Learning Satellite Service and on the Microsoft Higher Education site July and August 1998.Permission to duplicate or distribute this document is granted with the provision that the document remains intact or if used in sections, that the original document source be referenced.
I. Teaching Online
II. How I Got Started
III. My Online Marketing Course
IV. The Internet
The Internet is an instructional resource that can be used to enhance traditional classroom offerings (for example, see Nicenet's Internet Classroom Assistant and an Online Powerpoint Presentation) or provide completely asynchronous learning options. With the globalization of economies and technology helping eliminate distances, people living in different countries can communicate through the Internet as effectively as people physically located in the same city. Late breaking news on the Internet can keep your course up-to-date. Fluctuations in the global economy and the emergence of new markets can render even the most recent textbook out-of-date. Linking to web pages outside of your own allows you to expand your instruction almost infinitely.
An online course promotes learning experiences based upon interactions that can occur at any time or in any place. Interactions include faculty with students; students with other students; and students with resources such as books, journals, experts, and other dynamic electronic sources.
Marketing 2370 can be accessed from the college lab, home, or work. In order to access the Internet, students must have an email account and Internet access. See DCCCD Computing and Information Systems Rules for Responsible Computing.
Internet Assignments
In 1992, I attended a League for Innovation conference and found out about the Internet. I came back to my campus, called computing services, and got connected. It was so exciting to sit in my office while searching databases, library catalogs, and electronic journals around the world! I developed a few projects for my classes using file transfer protocol (ftp) to transfer publicly available files and gopher to access data. My students actually asked me to give them more Internet assignments. In 20 years of teaching, I had never been asked for more assignments. I was hooked on the Internet!
Modem Class
In 1995, Emilio Ramos, a computer professor at another campus of the Dallas County Community District - Richland College, trained Kathy Hegar and me to use the Wildcat Bulletin Board System. I offered Marketing 2370. To conduct our classes, we used World Group Manager bulletin board system. Students with a computer and modem called the server from four - then eight -- phone lines and communicated publicly by discussion forums and privately by email (email and Internet access were given to the students). They were allowed two hours of access per day and could download the syllabus, schedule of assignments, and lectures. They could upload assignments. All files were documents created with Microsoft Word.
Internet Class
In 1997, I moved Marketing 2370 to the Internet. In addition to discussion forums and email, I added crossword puzzles by using software from Cogix and test reviews by using software from QuizPlease to the course to make it more interactive. Also, I added videos to the course by using RealPlayer.
I obtained copyright clearance for materials used on the course Website. See Copyright Clearance Center and Copyright and Fair Use.
return to topThe primary framework for instruction is the Internet. The interactive capabilities of the Internet (such as, email and listserv, digital libraries and office hours, discussion forums) facilitate student-to-student and instructor-to-student communication. Course content is delivered on the Web and includes a course orientation, a course syllabus, core course information and announcements, and structured student activities.
Marketing 2370 is an interactive training system that combines electronic learning materials with online instructor guidance and expertise. The course is built around a syllabus, textbook(s), online documents, and audio/visual programs. It is accessed via the Internet from the student's computer at home or work or in a lab -- any time, day or night. Concepts are presented through textbook CD-ROMs and the Internet. The CD-ROMs contain text, photos, audio, and video materials. The study guide is available online. Assignments from The Internet Guide for Marketing tie the Internet to valuable marketing resources. The project is called "plan" and is completed with online forms. Students can practice vocabulary with online crossword puzzles. Also, they can review for tests online, as well as take tests online.
The online instructor monitors the student's progress and advises the student as appropriate via e-mail, discussion forums, and chats. Students are evaluated by means of tests, assignments, and projects. To measure the extent to which students attain the objectives of the course the following are graded: (1) Tests, (2) Internet assignments, (3) Marketing Plan (online forms), (4) Discussion Forum. Students can check their grades online at the course site.
Determine your course goals.
Marketing 2370, an introductory marketing course taught at Mountain View College of the Dallas County Community College District is described in the catalog.
Catalog Course Description: A comprehensive course designed to take you into the world of the marketer. The scope and structure of marketing are examined. Marketing product, price, promotion and place, consumer behavior, marketing research, sales forecasting and relevant state and federal laws are emphasized.
The instructional goals of the course are (1) to gain a broad understanding of the marketing process for goods, services, and ideas; (2) to emphasize the importance of the customer and the need for a customer orientation on the part of all employees of an organization; (3) to analyze the relationships among marketing and other business functions, the government, and society; (4) to determine how marketing managers develop strategy and make decisions concerning product, promotion, distribution, and pricing.
Determine your course objectives.
The objectives of the course are found under "Purpose" in The Internet Guide for Marketing by Hall and Allen, published by South-Western College. Students can order the book online.
 | determine Internet features |
| exhibit e-mail skills |
| demonstrate discussion forum options |
| critique mission statement |
| analyze marketing situation |
| analyze demographic forces |
| analyze social/cultural forces |
| analyze economic forces |
| analyze political/legal forces |
| analyze competition |
| analyze technological forces |
| assess international marketing |
| examine target markets |
| assess market potential |
| conduct marketing research |
| determine product strategy |
| determine pricing strategy |
| determine promotion strategy |
| determine distribution strategy |
Determine how objectives will be met online.
Interactive communication components used in Marketing 2370 include email, discussion forums and chat sessions. Students use the computer independently of other students and the instructor. This asynchronous learning allows students who have other responsibilities to participate in course offerings. Being able to send a message to the instructor at any time, instead of travelling to the campus during the instructor's posted office hours, makes it possible for those who have limited or no time beyond the normal classroom hours to talk to the instructor and the other students.
Electronic mail (email) is a system of sending and receiving messages, using a computer and a mail program. Students are encouraged to send messages to me. This immediate communication eliminates what some see as the isolation of learning online. Students attach assignments to email. See The Net: User Guidelines and Netiquette.
Discussion forum simulates the seminar, where each participant has an opportunity to respond to the comments of the instructor and other members of the class. The discussion forums are asynchronous, rely on 'threads' of conversation, and are text based. Marketing 2370 discussion forum questions include introduction, product, price, promotion, and place. A conference section allows students to ask questions about the course. Chat sessions are used to clarify material. The students are engaged with the material, by talking about it in the online classroom. All students are required to participate. See Resources for Moderators and Facilitators of Online Discussion. See Rich Holeton: Breaking Down the Classroom Walls and Deja News.
Forms can make the difference between a passive presentation and an active learning experience. They are used for the Marketing Plan. In this assignment, students choose one company, real or imaginary, and answer the questions on the form. There is one form (series of questions) for each textbook chapter. Students send assignments over the Internet by email - Microsoft Word attachments -- and filling in forms. I grade the assignments and return them by email. See NCSA's tutorial on forms.
Create a syllabus.
A syllabus guides students through the course and shows them what
the course is about, what they should learn in the course, what books and materials they
need, what assignments and projects are required, and how they will be tested and graded.
A syllabus includes:
| course description |
| course goals |
| performance objectives |
| SCANS competencies |
| learning activities |
| evaluation |
| course materials/hardware/software |
| instructor information |
Notes:
| Software to help you in developing a syllabus is Instructional Performance Systems Incorporated (IPSI) - formerly PEAKS. IPSI contains three programs (CourseBuilding, LessonBuilding and ExamBuilding) |
| For students living outside your campus area, print materials may be ordered through the Web. Check with the publisher of your required texts to determine the availability of an online order form. |
| If tests are a part of your course evaluation, you may want to proctor the test. |
| Libraries are needed to conduct research. |
| Student services include Help with Writing, Help with Study Skills, Learning Improvement Courses, How Do I Rate as a Distance Learner? (A quick self-rating quiz), General Resources (Dictionaries/Reference Misc./General Newspapers) |
Create a Schedule of Assignments.
A schedule is a timetable for the course. A calendar includes assignment and project due dates, as well as test dates.
Develop the actual instruction.
Instruction includes media selection, strategy development, and production. Lecturing is difficult to conduct in an entirely online classroom. The role of the teacher has changed from the role lecturer to the role of facilitator. Short video lectures in the form of interviews are available online for Marketing 2370 students using RealPlayer.
Create test items based on the objectives. Students can be
required to come to campus for testing or participate in a proctoring system to take
exams. However, the interactive capabilities of the Internet can provide assessment
feedback. Marketing 2370 has online tutorials or reviews with true/false and multiple
choice test questions. Tests are available online. See QuizPlease.
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The Internet, a worldwide means of exchanging information and
communicating, is one of a teacher's most important resources. The most important Internet
development has been the explosion of activity on the World Wide Web (WWW). The Web
contributes to communication by combining sounds, graphic images, video, and hypertext to
aid in the interpretation of text. The World Wide Web (WWW or the Web) was developed in
1991 at CERN, the European Laboratory for Particle
Physics in Geneva, Switzerland. The Web is the easiest way to access the Internet and
represents a new way of organizing and presenting instruction. See Zen and the Art of the
Internet. See Adult
Learning Online. See Taking Your Course
Online. Links to courses using the Web to deliver class materials include:
Teaching & Learning on the WWW
World Lecture Hall
WWWDEV Member's Courses
Syllabits
Internet Access
The teacher and the learner will need a computer with modem and Internet connectivity software and a Web browser. The computer on which the actual Web pages or hypertext markup language (html) files will reside needs to be a high-end or powerful computer (server) with a fast connection to the Internet. The server must be able to accommodate numerous learners accessing it at the same time.
Students will need to know how to access your course materials from home, work, or on-campus labs. If Internet access is available at your campus, computing services can explain what you need and how to get specific help with particular problems, such as getting your network connection, getting your account, and figuring out how to do the basics. If Internet access is not available at your campus, students will need access to a computer, modem, and one of the commercial Internet service providers such as America Online, The Microsoft Network, or AT&T.
Browser
Graphical web browser software displays the contents of the Web and makes it easy to access hypermedia documents. No two Web browser programs are exactly alike. The most popular browsers are Netscape's Navigator and Communicator and Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Both browsers can be downloaded for free. Check your Web pages with several browsers to make sure that the features you include are supported by the browsers your students will be using.
HTML
Hypertext mark-up language (HTML) is the programming language of
the Web. HTML markups a document in such a way so that Browsers will display it. It was
first developed in 1989 at CERN, the
European Particle Physics Laboratory. It requires a text editor or word processor, and is
composed of tags applied to the beginning and end of blocks of text that tell the browser
how to present that block of text. The benefit of hypertext is that it can combine text,
graphics, video and audio interactively. The learner can click on highlighted text and
immediately be led to another part of the document, a separate document on the same
computer, or a document on an entirely different server. Also, html can be
updated easily to meet the needs of changing subject matter . See NCSA's Guide.
CharmNet Style Guide
JHU ECE Tutorial
The Web Developer's Virtual Library
The Web Developer's Virtual Library
Creating Web Sites
See Tim Berners-Lee's Style Guide for Online Hypertext. To add pictures, audio, and video to your Web page, see Yale University's site on how to/how not to use graphics and hypermedia . Also graphics can be found at Barry's Clip Art Server and HTML Goodies. To add a clickable map to your Web page, see The University of Texas' tutorial and Hiway Technologies.
Java allows great interactivity and control of the user interface. RealPlayer delivers audio and video. The Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) allows for the development of shared interactive 3-D spaces. Shockwave allows the inclusion of hypermedia instruction created to MacroMedia's Director authoring system to be accessed over the Web.
Editors
You don't necessarily have to know anything about HTML in order
to create Web documents. Editors are tools
that help a developer create Web documents without actually writing the HTML tags. Microsoft and WordPerfect
have added HTML to their word processors.
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Permission to duplicate or distribute this document is granted with the provision that the document remains intact or if used in sections, that the original document source be referenced. For additions, comments, suggestions and requests for revisions, please click here to send email to - Gemmy Allen gallen@ollie.dcccd.edu