Evaluating a Computer-Based Marketing Course by Means of Focus Groups and Interviews

Being independent of place and time is becoming increasingly important in education and learning (Lang and Pätzold, 2002, p. 112). Therefore learning concepts using new media as a way of acquiring knowledge are increasingly being introduced at education institutions. E-learning, defined as a process of learning in environments with electronic media (Dichanz and Ernst, 2001, p. 7), is the new buzz word in discussions of computer-based learning. In autumn 2002 the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration (VUEBA) introduced a new marketing course in which students had the option of attending class and/or studying on-line. Course material was provided on a learning platform via the Internet. It consisted of a textbook, slides, text items and links to a variety of topic-related articles on the Web. The new course was evaluated during a pilot study that ran from April to June 2002. The research questions for the study are shown in Figure 9.1.