E-LEARNING TOOLS IN TEACHING DATABASE CONCEPTS

The paper focuses on teaching database concepts using interactive methods and e-learning tools. We describe the tools that we use, together with their learning impact, and discuss students feed-back towards the course, which is delivered for BA management specialization students. The educational material has been prepared and provided within UBBonline e-learning platform. Main course topics are structured on: database concepts, Access databases and tables, Access queries, Access forms and pages, Access reports and Access macros e-learning systems. We have chosen Access to exemplify database facilities because it is interactive, user friendly, suitable for management students, and its interface is similar to other well known Office tools. Acquiring the proposed Access skills brings students not only specific capabilities of designing their own databases with medium complexity (for example, form managing clients), but also of understanding the basis of structuring data for the ERP systems that will later be implemented and used in organizations. Students will therefore perform better in providing user input and requirements in the process of information system implementation. The educational e-learning tools have been prepared on the UBBonline educational structure, containing: a modular e-learning resource with educational goals and resources for each topic, discussions, tasks, communication facilities: e-mail and chat. Seminar exercises are solved in face to face meetings and pursue the course structure. We have designed specific exercises and requirements for practicing Access objects on students, library and personnel databases. Tasks are posted and assigned on the portal but also interactively discussed and solved in face to face classes, based on the learning material, group work and practical applications. We also analyze the results obtained by students in latest year exams, discussing the results in theoretical quiz and practical grades, as well as in examination chronology. 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 course content, the acquired knowledge and interactive teaching methods. The paper reveals the importance of teaching database concepts for management specializations and proposes a set of educational methods which have a good student feed-back.