Age and Gender Study – My Own Business Institute

On February 20, 2025, Technology, Knowledge and Learning published findings of the newest study conducted by the My Own Business Institute (MOBI) at the Leavey School of Business (Leavey), Santa Clara University. Led by Drew Starbird, Ph.D., MOBI Executive Director and Leavey Professor, Information Systems and Analytics, the study examines the influence of age and gender on curriculum preferences and engagement of online entrepreneurship students.

The findings suggest that while curriculum preferences are influenced by age and gender, there is no evidence of notable variation in engagement based on these factors once curriculum topics have been chosen. This research builds upon MOBI’s previous study examining the impact of language and location on curriculum preferences of online entrepreneurship learners.

“By learning more about different factors that influence the educational experiences and outcomes of online entrepreneurship students, MOBI aims to continually improve its own programming and contribute to the body of research to promote inclusive, accessible education,” said Drew Starbird, Ph.D., MOBI Executive Director and Santa Clara University Leavey School of Business Professor, Information Systems and Analytics, of the study.  

An excerpt from the paper’s abstract summarizes the importance of understanding student preferences and engagement to create an effective and inclusive learning experience:

“It is important for instructors and institutions to create learning experiences that are engaging, effective, and meaningful for students. To achieve these goals, instructors must understand the preferences and interests of their students, build engaging lessons based on those interests, and mitigate content that might make students feel excluded. In this paper, we assess the interests, engagement, and disengagement of learners accessing online content focused on entrepreneurship. We focus on the influence of the demographic variables of age and gender and utilize data from Google Analytics to test hypotheses about the relationship between these variables and how the students interact with elements of the curriculum.”

To conduct the study, MOBI examined the behavior of visitors accessing its free online entrepreneurship curriculum from October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2022 using Universal Analytics, a version of Google Analytics. During this time 435,273 users visited MOBI’s website, and engaged in 664,216 pageviews.

By testing four separate hypotheses, the study revealed significant variation in the preferences for different elements of the curriculum based on gender and age and no evidence of a significant difference in curriculum engagement based on these demographic factors. 

“Online education has created new learning opportunities for students in previously inaccessible and underserved communities. Creating effective learning experiences for these students is an ongoing challenge for educators,” Starbird writes in the conclusion. “This information can be used by educators to design curriculum that meets the needs of the students and fosters engagement and understanding.” 

Technology, Knowledge and Learning, is a peer-reviewed journal that emphasizes the increased interest in context aware, adaptive and personalized digital learning environments. Technology, Knowledge and Learning is provided in a hybrid online and printed format by Springer Nature, a global publishing company.

“Curriculum Preferences and Engagement of Online Entrepreneurship Students: The Influence of Age and Gender” can be viewed online at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-025-09828-8. 

About the My Own Business Institute

The My Own Business Institute (MOBI) at Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business is the world’s leading provider of free online entrepreneurship education. MOBI students and alumni represent all 249 countries and territories recognized by the International Standardization Organization (ISO). MOBI partners with over 100 organizations and institutions around the world to bring free online entrepreneurship education to those who need and want it most. The MOBI curriculum and website are based on the work of Phil Holland, a successful entrepreneur and author of The Entrepreneur’s Guide. MOBI was generously gifted to Santa Clara University in 2014 by Phil and his wife Peggy, an accomplished school teacher and administrator, along with an endowment, valued at $22 million at the time of transfer, to ensure that the organization and its accompanying websites would flourish into the future and continue to support the vital social and economic contributions of small businesses worldwide.