Abstract:

The paper focuses on strategies for teaching IT management, using interactive methods and e-learning tools. We reveal the importance of the topic and discuss students feed-back towards the course, which is delivered for MA students.

The educational material has been prepared and provided within UBBonline e-learning platform. There are two students groups: one in Cluj, the university’s residence, with face to face classes, and one in Bistrita, an old Transylvanian town, for this group mostly e-learning techniques being used. E-learning facilities are available for both student groups.

Main course topics are structured on: IT strategies, information systems, IT strategies in organization evolution and types of information systems: web sites – portals – e-commerce systems, activity management systems (ERP) and e-learning systems.

The educational e-learning tools that have been prepared contain: a modular e-learning resource containing educational goals and resources for each topic, discussions, tasks, communication facilities: e-mail, chat and video-conferences with the Bistrita group. For this group, courses are delivered by videoconference and practical tasks are discussed both in videoconference and face to face meetings. Tasks are posted and assigned on the portal but also interactively discussed and solved in face to face classes, based on the learning material, case studies and learning by discovery techniques.

We have prepared an on-line quiz for evaluating the course, by using the portal’s built in facilities. Students express a positive feed-back towards the importance of the topic, its relevance for management training, the course content and interactive teaching methods.

The paper reveals the importance of interdisciplinary training on IT management, especially for management levels, and proposes a set of efficient educational methods

Keywords:

IT management, interactive educational resources, educational feed-back, UBB on-line e-learning portal.