Using Microsoft teams in economic education: Challenges and best-practice recommendations

Using technology and internet applications within learning environments for economic education is challenging and there is no guarantee that the integration and application of educational technology will lead to increased learner satisfaction, motivation or achievement. The current project reports on attempts to use the internet application entitled Microsoft Teams within an international and intercultural economic education project in a blended learning environment. Students from the countries of Germany and China participated in a university project involving students from both countries in cooperative learning teams and dyads including online learning and onsite phases of learning in both countries. The process integrated both the extensive use of Microsoft Teams as a formal group working area and the mobile App WeChat as an informal communication channel between student dyads. The project, which included 12 German and 12 Chinese students, half of which were undergraduate students, included additional elements, such as student study journals to document learning processes and phenomenon-based learning. It also required all students to develop creative, multi-media based learning tools.

This current report presents initial results of a work in progress The project uses the framework of challenges presented by Boelens, De Wever & Voet (2017) for blended learning designs, namely: (1) incorporating flexibility, (2) stimulating interaction, (3) facilitating students’ learning processes, and (4) fostering an affective learning climate. Specific challenges and best-practice strategies for using Microsoft Teams in blended learning environments for economic education with university students are presented and discussed within the context of relevant literature and current research findings.