Exploring pedagogies, opportunities and challenges of teaching and learning programming in business school

Purpose This study aims to develops an interdisciplinary business and computer science pedagogy for teaching and learning computer programming in business schools at higher education institutions and explores its associated benefits, challenges and improvement. Design/methodology/approach Based on a body of theories, an interdisciplinary pedagogy is developed and tested for programming education in a business context. Meanwhile, based on the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology, the authors used observation study and thematic analysis to explore opportunities, challenges and future improvements associated with this interdisciplinary pedagogy. Findings The developed pedagogy includes integrating humanism and construction theory, problem-based learning, cognitive development, active instructional strategies, synergy of individual and group programming tasks and creating an encouraging and inclusive learning environment. This study shows that business students perceive this novel pedagogy as highly valuable because it enhances their logical thinking and problem-solving abilities while giving them a sense of accomplishment. Although students face challenges in data preprocessing, error handling and translating theoretical knowledge, they find it useful to review teaching materials, seek peer support and learn independently through online resources. Further improvements in pedagogy include incorporating collaborative code reviews, using shared documents for troubleshooting and grouping students based on their prior programming experience. Practical implications This interdisciplinary pedagogy can guide business schools to improve the quality of programming-related modules, enhance students’ performance and prepare them for future careers. Originality/value This is the first interdisciplinary study investigating teaching programming in a business context.