Abstract
This paper shows the effectiveness of an experiential learning activity for teaching core Hadoop concepts to undergraduate business students across all majors (Finance, Marketing, etc.). The complexity of Hadoop, with its distributed computing model and deep technical requirements, presents significant challenges in educational settings. The simulation was developed for an introductory course in a Business Intelligence & Analytics (BI&A) curriculum and adapted for use in a Database Management (DB) course. Results show significantly higher performance on questions centered on the topic in an online test preparation game with a total of 236 students in 11 different offerings of the course. This simulation provides an engaging, technically accurate model for how different Hadoop core concepts provide data services in a large, distributed database environment. To determine effectiveness, we used an online game-based learning platform (Kahoot!) to conduct timed quizzes. Over 11 games with a total of 236 players, students answered three questions focused on the core Hadoop concepts with an average correct rate of 79.05%, which was substantially higher compared to 54.04% for other questions covering the full Big Data & Hadoop module. This suggests the simulation helps students absorb the concepts represented in the activity with greater ease.
Recommended Citation
Mendoza, Ruben A. Ph.D. and Liu, Liyuan Ph.D.
(2025)
"An Active Learning Simulation for Teaching Hadoop in an Undergraduate Business Curriculum,"
International Journal for Business Education: Vol. 167:
No.
1, Article 4.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.61403/2164-2885.1171
Available at:
https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/ijbe/vol167/iss1/4