Teaching Business Through Mass Media: A “Vicarious Learning” Experiential Approach

Abstract

The purpose of this extended abstract is to provide an integrative approach for teaching multiple domains of business, such as management and marketing, through the use of mass media (film and television). Mass media is a form of pedagogy rooted in vicarious learning theory that has frequently been utilized in higher education to enrich students’ ability to meet learning outcomes (Mayes, 2015; Reyes-Santias et al., 2022). Vicarious learning was first introduced by Bandura et al. (1960) to demonstrate that learning can occur through the observation of others’ behaviors and recognition of the consequences of that behavior (Mayes, 2015). Mass media platforms, such as film and television, engage students in the learning process by allowing students to observe and analyze a variety of real or fictitious business scenarios while in a classroom setting.