Teaching Information Economics to undergraduate Information Science students at the University of Pretoria

Abstract

Information economics forms part of the discipline of Economics. Often information science curricula also include Information Economics as a separate course or as a component of an Information Science course. Although Economics may be recommended as part of the degree programme, it is generally not a formal prerequisite for Information Science students in most educational institutions in South Africa. Therefore, many students do not have any formally acquired knowledge of Economics before studying Information Economics. Unless students receive instruction in the basics of Economics in order to understand the course material presented in Economics, the Economics course material needs to be adapted or course material must be developed specifically for Information Science students. In this article, content of an Information Economics course developed specifically for undergraduate students in the Department of Information Science at the University of Pretoria is described. This elective course introduces students to information as an economic good, the role of information in a national economy, the pricing and packaging of information goods, the economics of intellectual property and the exchange of information to facilitate relationships between organizations in an information economy.