Abstract

In this literature review, we examine and assess the state of research of online and blended learning in the business disciplines with the intent of assessing the state of the field and identifying opportunities for meaningful future research. We review research from business disciplines such as Accounting, Economics, Finance, Information Systems (IS), Management, Marketing, and Operations/Supply Chain Management. We found that the volume and quality of research in online and blended business education has increased dramatically during the past decade. However, the rate of progress is somewhat uneven across disciplines. IS, Management, and multi-disciplinary studies have the highest volumes of research activity, with markedly less activity in Finance and Economics. Furthermore, scholars of online and blended business education predominantly publish in learning and education journals of the business disciplines rather than also publishing in journals that focus on technology-mediated learning, thereby missing an opportunity to inform scholars in other disciplines about their work. The most common research streams across disciplines were outcome comparison studies with classroom-based learning and studies examining potential predictors of course outcomes. Results from the comparison studies suggest generally that online courses are at least comparable to classroom-based courses in achieving desired learning outcomes, while there is divergence in findings of comparisons of other course aspects. Collectively, the range of untested conceptual frameworks, the lack of discipline-specific theories, and the relative absence of a critical mass of researchers focused on the topic suggest ample opportunities for business scholars seeking to enter this research community.

Citation

Arbaugh, J.B., Godfrey, M.R., Johnson, M., Pollack, B.L., Niendorf, B. & Wresch, W. (2009). Research in online and blended learning in the business disciplines: Key findings and possible future directions. Internet and Higher Education, 12(2), 71-87. Elsevier Ltd. Retrieved January 28, 2023 from https://www.learntechlib.org/p/105516/.

Keywords

• blended learning
• Business Administration Education
• Business Education
• Comparative Analysis
• Computer Assisted Instruction
• Educational Research
• educational technology
• electronic learning
• Intellectual Disciplines
• literature review
• Literature Reviews
• online courses
• online learning
• Outcomes of Education
• Program Effectiveness
• Research Needs
• Web Based Instruction