Developing expertise in e-commerce: a content analysis of students knowledge of online auctions

This paper presents findings from a study investigating the knowledge students acquire from and apply to an online auction assignment. As part of an E-Business and E-Commerce module students were asked to buy and sell goods in an online marketspace and report on their experience for an assignment on the module. A content analysis of a sample of the students’ assignments was conducted. The main finding of the study is that, given a framework of professional knowledge and competence, there are considerable imbalances in the knowledge that students acquire from and apply to the online auction assignment. The paper concludes that learning and teaching strategies that recognize and work with such imbalances are appropriate, in order that students’ professional capacities in the domain of e-commerce are developed. Recommendations for future research and practice in e-commerce education are provided.