The Internet Business Applications (IBA) course is designed to guide students from all disciplines to design, build, publish, and analyze an online business. Regardless of prior knowledge and experiences, creating and managing an online presence is a common thread that runs through all businesses, organizations, and much of one’s life. This course uses learning-by-doing approach.
Key concepts we will cover in this course include:
- Basics of the internet & building websites on various platforms (e.g., WordPress, Shopify)
- Building online business presence:
- Ideation and conceptualization of business opportunities and target audience
- Design-thinking approach to empathize with users and user experience research through observation, interviews, focus groups, A/B testing, survey, analogous research, and others
- Building multiple webpages with dynamic functionalities (e.g., online payments)
- Digital marketing through social media campaign, email campaigns, online ads, and search engine optimization (SEO)
- Data analytics, including analyses of web traffic and user engagement
- Monetization methods including affiliate marketing and crowdfunding
- Other relevant topics including legal, public policy, data security, and ethical issues
Course Description:
Session 1: Course overview & introduction to online business
Session 2: Online presence as a student & development of e-Portfolios
Session 3: Online business design I
Session 4: Online business design II
Session 5: Usability & user experience (UX)
Session 6: Exploring website platforms
Session 7: Content management basics, appearance, and functionality
Session 8: Web analytics including conversion goals & testing
Session 9: Social media marketing & email campaigning
Session 10: Search & search engine optimization (SEO)
Session 11: Online advertisement using Adwords & Facebook business
Session 12: Monetization & building revenue streams
Session 13: Entrepreneurial strategy
Session 14: Scaling up & public policy issues
Session 15: Final presentation & wrap-up
Invited guest speakers & alumni include:
