In the waning months of winter, business executives willingly traded a few hours at the office—and some personal time in the evening—to talk with Fisher College students enrolled in entrepreneurship and e-commerce courses.

A series of courses was designed last fall to provide MBA students with the unique skill sets needed for today’s Internet-based economy. “Our goal in developing this new course cluster was to bring together technology and business principles that speak specifically to today’s entrepreneurial e-commerce environment,” said Michelle Jacobson, director of graduate programs.

Fifty-five MBA students and a select group of PhD students from industrial design, engineering, computer science and education enrolled in Professor Curt Haugtvedt’s e-commerce marketing course last winter. The mix of academic backgrounds and diverse practical experiences provided important perspectives, Haugtvedt said. “In e-commerce, you work with people in industrial design, computer science, marketing research, advertising—it’s truly interdisciplinary.”

Because e-commerce continues to develop at a very fast pace, textbooks and cases do not capture the full range of issues involved, so Haugtvedt also drew on expertise in the business community. The response was overwhelming, with volunteer speakers from companies such as CompuServe Commerce, DrugEmporium.com and fourthchannel.com. Although the class officially ended at 10 p.m., students and speakers often didn’t leave until almost midnight, continuing with energetic discussions launched by the classroom topics.

Students in the course examined existing business models, conducted extensive analyses of existing dot.coms and developed a proposal for new dot.coms. Their research was enhanced by the technology in Gerlach classrooms, which includes computer ports with Internet access at every classroom seat.