The Google Online Marketing Challenge: A multi‐disciplinary global teaching and learning initiative using sponsored search

Abstract Sponsored search is an innovative information searching paradigm. This panel will discuss a vehicle to explore this unique medium as an educational opportunity for students and professors. From February to May 2008, Google ran its first ever student competition in sponsored search, The Google Online Marketing Challenge ( http://www.google.com/onlinechallenge/ ). Similar to other Google initiatives, the extent seems huge. Based on registrations from 61 countries, 629 courses from 468 universities participated, fielding 4,317 student teams of approximately 21,585 total students. The Challenge may be the largest, worldwide educational course ever done. It is certainly on an extremely large scale.