Infusing Practical Industry Applications into Course Curriculum

Barbara Caldwell and Lucia Farriss

Saint Leo University

ACBSP 2016 International ConferenceNovember 4, 2016

#ACBSPCancunDONALD R. TAPIA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

Overview

• Objective: Provide “real world” experiences to students as early as possible while demonstrating to business leaders the innovative capacity of students

• Our role is a creative one: bringing these two sides together to see the value in a partnership• Today we will show you how we have incorporated this objective into our

curriculum

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School of Business Strategic Plan

• Connect students to industry professionals • Strengthens resumes

• Facilitates networking

• Leads to potential job placement

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Making the Connection

• University affiliations

• Alumni/parents of current students• Admissions/alumni affairs departmental

connections

• Industry council

• Local business leaders

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Role of Industry Professional

• Collaboration on objectives• Assignment details/rubric

• Classroom visit• Guest lecturer

• Project Judge

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Guest Lecturer

• Students prepare by completing assignment prior to visit

• Professional visits to discuss student analysis of the assignment

• Formally assessed

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• Reached out to local bank president

• Pre-visit conference to determine desired focus based on area of expertise• Course Objective: Evaluate the costs and benefits of various bank

management practices

• Joint development of assignment specifics

• Visit was organized around in-class analysis of bank balance sheet• Students made recommendations as to the bank’s management goals

• Course test questions reflective of analysis

Guest Lecturer: Money & Banking

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Project Judge

• Students work throughout term to prepare presentation• Industry professionals are brought in to judge project presentations

• Respond to questioning, tying project to relevant issues of the field

• Formally assessed

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Project Judge: Financial Analysis

• Invited various professionals (from industry council) to serve as “judge”• “Judges” given project criteria (rubric)

• Learning Outcome: Apply decision-making skills to assess risk, solve problems, and complete projects in an efficient and timely manner.

• Questioning done by industry professionals

• Portion of final grade

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Project Elements

States and identifies all required general information about the corporation.

Analyzes the primary financial statements using revenues, profits, and common-size analysis.

Evaluates and discusses the notes and supportive schedules in this section.

Discusses the report of the Independent Auditors.

Calculates and discusses the ratios in this section.

Compares the corporation to the industry and its primary competitor and responds to both questions in this section.

Responds to the 12 questions in the section titled “Making Decisions Based on the Annual Report.”

Length requirements

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Presentation Rubric Criteria

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Criteria

1) Introduction 2) Organization 3) Dress and Appearance

4) Subject Knowledge

5) Graphics 6) PP Slides and/or other Visual

7) Eye Contact

8) Voice Production and Grammar Usage

9) Conclusion 10) Overall Deliverance

Infused into Curriculum

• Experience is embedded in course syllabus• Mapped to a specific assignment

• Assessed for critical thinking

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Benefits of this Approach

• Preparing students for real business experiences

• Networking opportunities

• Internships/job placement

• Informal assessment• Student end-of-course evaluations

• Professionals’ feedback and willingness to return

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Your Turn

• What course(s) would you use to infuse an

experience into the curriculum?

• What learning outcome within the course can be

addressed by infusing this experience?

• Who are two businesses leaders that you could

reach out to?#ACBSPCancun

Questions?

Barbara CaldwellBarbara.Caldwell@saintleo.edu

Lucia FarrissLucia.Farriss@saintleo.edu

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