Goals and Critical Success Factors in a Problem Based Marketing Course

Abstract

During the last couple of years there has been an intense debate among Norwegian university teachers and students. The focus of this debate has been the students’ high drop out figures, poor examination results and the inefficiency of traditional learning methods. One major point in this debate is that university teachers claim that the students’ poor examination results are caused by their low motivation and insufficient as well as inefficient use of the time used on study activities. The students’ counter reaction is to put the blame on poor and demotivating pedagogical methods. Lectures in gigantic auditoriums with hundreds of students present represent a learning environment based on a philosophy more similar to recitation in the ancient cathedrals. The new generation of students — often called sound bite generation — demand pedagogical methods that to a greater extent can engage, stimulate, activate and put pressure on the students. One way to meet these requirements is a student-centered, independent resource-based learning, which facilitates flexibility to the timing, pace and place of learning (Ottewill & Jennings 1998). Accordingly, the students are expected to be responsible for organizing their own learning.