When the Virtual Becomes Real: Student Learning in the Virtual Enterprises Program

Virtual Enterprises International (VE) is a high school program that teaches students about business through task-oriented and hands-on coursework. With the assistance of a coordinator and business mentors, VE students create and oversee a virtual firm, conducting business with other virtual firms nationally and internationally. The program enables students to learn about careers, develop interpersonal and organizational skills, and use technology. In some VE programs, students also study an applied economics curriculum. The VE Central Office invited the Institute on Education and the Economy (IEE—CCRC’s umbrella institute) at Teachers College to undertake a one-year, mixed method, multi-site study of the program with a focus on the influence that VE has on students’ career and college readiness. This report discusses findings from the study and offers recommendations to enhance the effectiveness of VE programs. An article based on this paper, “A Virtual World with Real Results,” was published in Techniques Magazine.