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EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING WITHIN THE MARKETING CURRICULUM: AN INTEGRATED APPROACH Deborah F. DeLong, Department of Business and Entrepreneurship, Chatham University, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, 412.365.1192, [email protected] ABSTRACT Marketing education is increasingly focused on providing experiential learning opportunities to serve the needs of its key constituencies: students, sponsoring companies, faculty and the university overall. The benefits of applied learning are often outweighed by the challenges of effectively delivering a quality work product to the sponsor within the scope of the students’ capabilities, pedagogical needs and a reasonable faculty workload. An alternative approach to designing and managing experiential learning is proposed in which “functionally independent” projects are replaced with an integrated marketing experience system of sequenced projects. For students, the realism of the work is increased when projects live beyond the end of the semester. For the client, the value of the work is maximized as multiple phases of work are interconnected, enhancing the coherence and applicability of the overall product. Lastly (and most importantly!), instructors enjoy workload economies from enhanced longterm client relationships, a deeper understanding of clients’ business challenges, and greater opportunity to set an appropriate scope for each phase of the project sequence. INTRODUC TION Marketing education is increasingly focused on delivering both theoretical and applied marketing knowledge to students. Classroom-based learning is effective for introducing fundamental marketing principles, but in recent years experiential learning has been used to encourage students to take a more active and engaging role in their education [14] [17]. Experiential learning can take many forms such as projects, practica, internships, games, cases, computer simulations, service learning products, and role playing. The vast majority of students pursue a marketing degree with the intention of working in an applied setting that might be corporate, agency, supplier, non-profit, or consulting enterprise. The real world perspective within the marketing curriculum is of critical importance to these future practitioners as well as to their employers. “Learning and teaching would be enhanced for all stakeholders if students experienced the real-life complexities of actual organizations either before, or in the early part, of their degree program ... this would serve the dual purpose of allowing the students to better comprehend the taught content as it relates to real life, while continuing to enhance their eventual employability in the same way that many existing placement schemes aim to do" [7, p.45]. Despite the merits of experiential learning for business students, many instructors encounter insurmountable difficulties when attempting to design a workable and sustainable program [1]. The purpose of this research is to examine experiential learning in a marketing program context through the lens of a stakeholder analysis in order to (1) assess the diverse needs that exist within key constituencies, (2) identify the challenges inherent in developing and sustaining an applied learning program, and (3) propose an integrated program design that enhances the desired outcomes while minimizing the obstacles.

STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS OF EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING Stakeholder analysis provides a framework for identifying the key groups within an organizational setting who affect or are affected most by the achievement of the organization’s goals [5] [18]. In the context of establishing an experiential learning program, three key constituencies directly impact the program’s success: students, businesses, and faculty. The university represents a fourth constituency that reaps significant benefits with minimal investment as primary stakeholders interact and forge mutually beneficial relationships. The specific needs and interests within each of these key populations are outlined below, revealing diverse and often conflicting objectives. These conflicts reflect the difficulties of creating a workable experiential learning program, but also highlight the tremendous opportunity for a university to deliver value to its key stakeholders while it builds its own brand given that the right formula can be found. Student Stakeholders What benefits do students gain from applied learning? First, students obtain firsthand knowledge of marketing by putting abstract concepts into action; doing rather than simply thinking about each component part. Laurillard (2003) makes the case that a central problem in university learning is that students do not seem to be able to transfer their knowledge across different settings, which makes it difficult for students to relate theory to practice. The challenge for instructors is to find new methods for helping students to go beyond their immediate knowledge, to situate learning in “accurate contextualised, objective real-world settings, designed with features to afford learning and that encourage reflection” [2, p.185]. Second, students come to appreciate how marketing activities are completed within the context of an organizational environment. The straightforward step-by-step processes described in textbooks are rarely experienced as these activities do not take place in a vacuum. Contextual considerations such as managing the client relationship, effective communications throughout the project, and competition with other organizational priorities cannot be conveyed hypothetically, they must be experienced to be truly understood. “Anyone who has ever been employed in a real organization knows of the countless subtle ways in which everything is interconnected, and much of this complexity is overlooked in business courses” [7, p.41]. Third, applied work enhances the student's general project management skills as attention to detail becomes paramount for satisfying the client's as well as the instructor's expectations. An in-class project is not likely to command the same degree of urgency as a project completed on behalf of a client. As a result, students develop a heightened sense of proactive hands-on management when their individual reputations are at stake in the eyes of a potential employer [12] [16]. Lastly, applied projects build "soft skills," such as flexibility, resourcefulness, and professionalism. Inevitable delays and setbacks in the course of a project can be stressful and demand a certain level of maturity. Sometimes the blame for setbacks can be attributed to the team as a result of lapses in judgment, project management or attention to deadlines. At other times, setbacks are due to the client's failure to provide their promised allotment of time, resources, or other forms of support. Project issues that are not within the student's sphere of control are frustrating but provide enormously valuable opportunities to develop skills for effectively managing the task environment and effectively communicating with upper management. These skills are highly desirable in a new employee, yet

opportunities for such training are difficult to simulate in the classroom. Direct experience with a client is a far superior training ground for building skills, character and resilience in the face of the unexpected [1] [15]. Business Stakeholders What benefits do businesses gain from students' applied learning activities? Clients, both on campus and off campus, can receive terrific value from student engagements in a number of ways. First, students may not have the depth and breadth of business training to fully analyze all pertinent details of a business problem, but their limited exposure to the organization's politics and habits can facilitate new ideas and a fresh perspective to old business problems. Students' likely differences in age, culture, experiences and attitudes can provide an alternative viewpoint when considering entrenched beliefs and assumptions within an organization, if empowered to do so [3]. Second, students' alternative point of view can be especially valuable to an organization when it is obtained with a minimal investment of the company's time, resources, or special effort. In practical terms, the company gains something for next to nothing for work products that are even remotely useful. The value is especially pronounced for non-profit organizations and small businesses that do not have the luxury of extra budget or personnel to complete anything beyond the most immediate and urgent activities. To the extent that designated faculty provide guidance and timely input into the engagement, student contributions to the operation can be that much more valued and appreciated [10]. Third, a student who completes project work for a firm gains firsthand knowledge and skills relevant to that company's mission. This on-the-ground education serves to qualify the student as a future intern or job candidate. Company sponsors are able to assess the student's employment potential on the basis of actual work performance rather than in the inadequate context of the job interview, resume or references provided. According to Maslen (1996), "it has been claimed that employers find students who have participated in formal work placement schemes more acceptable because they reduce their recruiting and training costs while providing people who were more compatible with their organizations" (p. 3). Companies benefit as well from the students realistic preview of the work itself as well as the company environment, potentially reducing the likelihood of severe "entry shock," leading to dissatisfaction and untimely attrition [4]. Lastly, on-campus clients often have business-related needs that are particularly well-suited to studentled projects. These needs exist within many functional areas of the university such as in admissions, academic programs, centers, student organizations and event planning. On campus clients enjoy the same benefits from student engagements as their off campus counterparts, and possibly more given that students are often the project's targeted demographic and are likely to be invested in the success of the campus-based initiative. Faculty Stakeholders What benefits do faculty seek from providing students with experiential learning opportunities? First, faculty seek engaging course content that goes beyond the standard "chalk and talk" lecture format. At this time, the typical undergraduate student is a member of the “Gen Y” or “Millennial” demographic. Millenials are depicted as technologically-savvy, having grown up in an environment infused with computers, the Internet, cell phones, blogging, texting, podcasting, posting and more [6]. As a result,

these students are inclined toward multi-tasking and are motivated to participate hands-on in the learning process. Instructors are recognizing the need to capture and hold the attention of these highly interactive and expressive students in ways that extend beyond the traditional lecture and reading assignment format [8]. Applied projects are an excellent format for interactive hands-on learning for students with this learning style preference. Second, the business curriculum is in need of updated content. A high-level review of the top 50 business schools revealed a preponderance of "a cookie-cutter curricula based on the non-integrative teaching of traditional functional silos such as finance and strategy ... the ideal curriculum should focus on multidisciplinary and integrative problem solving rather than the isolated delivery of individual "functional silo" disciplines... Business schools need to prepare students for the complexities of the real world, which functions in a multidisciplinary way" [15, p.8]. Applied projects typically involve more than one dimension of a business, since a project will often touch multiple aspects of business operations and involve staff from multiple functional areas. Applied project provide a realistic integration of content areas and force student to think holistically rather than in terms of isolated topics as presented in a course-specific classroom setting. Third, it is likely that faculty would personally benefit from exposure to current organizational issues and problems as they are actually experienced in the real world. Faculty need to stay current as much as their students given the rate at which business evolves. These changes are not likely to be reflected in texts and scholarly journals in a timely fashion. The most realistic method for bringing organizational theory to life is for students to experience the issues first hand in an organizational setting, while the next best thing would be an instructor who provides up-to-date real world examples of current organizational practices. A holistic view of business from a multi-disciplinary perspective can also benefit faculty in their scholarship activities, to expand narrow areas of interest with broader consideration of business inputs and implications. The University Stakeholder The fourth stakeholder in the realm of experiential learning pedagogy is the university as a whole. When an experiential learning program is operating successfully, stakeholders gain the benefits that they desire for themselves personally and professionally. Students gain educational and career preparation, businesses are rewarded with high quality work products without undue investment of their time or budget and potentially gain access to newly qualified job candidates, and faculty are able to provide innovative learning opportunities to students to positively impact course evaluations as well as enhance the relevance of their scholarship. The cumulative effect of satisfaction within key constituencies is a positive reflection on the university that hosts this type of constructive and forward thinking business program. The university benefits from met needs within stakeholder groups, but also from the positive relationships fostered between groups, as illustrated in Figure 1 below. When students rise to the occasion and consistently deliver quality work products to their clients, a halo of good will toward the university is likely to build over time, delivering several significant benefits: (1) enhanced placements, as companies develop an opinion of the university as a source for talents interns and job candidates, (2) enhanced enrollments as students and their parents develop an opinion of the university as a source for relevant professional training and placement prospects, and (3) enhanced business program quality,

further strengthening faculty ties to the business community, sustaining the experiential learning program, and differentiating the university from other more traditional institutions. Figure 1. Stakeholder Analysis of Experiential Learning Students

Enrollments

Placements Experiential Learning

Faculty

Businesses

Quality Programs THE OBSTACLES OF MANAGING AN EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING PROGRAM As faculty can attest, there are a multitude of obstacles to overcome when attempting to establish and maintain an experiential learning program. There are as many problems as there are organizations, students and projects; however several broad categories of problematic issues exist. First, students do not have the necessary skills and knowledge that they need to understand and tackle the organizational problem at hand. They do not have the requisite experience that is needed to define the problem, plan their analytical approach, research the issue, interpret their findings and coherently present a meaningful solution to the client. Second, clients often do not know the type of project that is appropriate to delegate to an individual or group of students. Projects vary in terms of the amount of work involved, its complexity, and the length of time that it will take in relation to the amount of time that the student team has available. Client expectations for the quality and /or quantity of the student's work can be misaligned with student expectations as well as with the instructor's understanding of the project. Third, and in tandem to the first and second issues, faculty are typically not able to provide adequate input and supervision to students who are not equipped to handle the complexity of a real world organizational problem and the client's expectations for how they will handle it. Faculty have multiple areas of responsibility and cannot let the demands of one class among many overload the finite nature of their available time and energy. The workload varies widely between universities, but can include teaching up to 6 or 8 classes per year at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, academic advising, thesis/doctoral advising, committee work, administrative work, academic club advising, and last but not least, scholarship. The variety and volume of responsibilities managed by faculty on a daily basis requires careful attention to disproportionately time or energy consuming effort in any one area, such that other areas would be comprised. It is this balancing act that often prevents faculty from attempting to develop an experiential learning program at all, preempting the unique benefits of this experience.

A PROPOSED MODEL OF INTEGRATED EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING The Traditional Experiential Learning Process Many of the difficulties that are encountered with experiential learning may be due to the typical approach taken by its stakeholders to establish and manage the process. The process begins with the instructor designing course content with certain learning objectives in mind for which an applied project is deemed to be suitable. The match between students and projects may take the form of students being directed to find their own projects, or the instructor may obtain projects in advance to the best of their available time and networking capabilities. The instructor provides support and direction to students as they complete their projects, again to the best of his or her available time and abilities. A project typically concludes with a final report and presentation to the sponsor, whereby the project is graded and shelved indefinitely. The difficulties that arise are not surprising when this process is viewed from a marketing management perspective. According to Kotler [], successful marketing management depends upon four well-run stages of activity: analysis, planning, implementation, and control. The traditional experiential learning appears deficient to some degree in each area: analysis of appropriate sponsors and projects can be cursory, project planning may not be fully informed, instructors often find themselves overwhelmed and unable to provide sufficient guidance during project implementation, and follow-up evaluation of the work product quality and overall experience of participants may be limited. Classic marketing management theory suggests that improvements within each of these four phases of a business engagement are likely to improve its outcomes. An Alternative “Integrated” Experiential Learning Process The Chatham Integrated Marketing Experience, or CH.I.M.ES program, is proposed as an alternative model for resolving the deficiencies of the traditional experiential learning approach. The distinguishing feature of the CH.I.M.ES approach is an emphasis on project integration over time and across courses. The traditional experiential learning approach consists of functionally isolated projects embedded in distinct courses. In contrast, the CH.I.M.ES model creates synergy and connectedness between disciplines within any given project or sequence of projects. Note that the name “CH.I.M.ES” is both an acronym as well as a tool for expressing the model’s key benefit, that of carefully coordinated and synthesized projects that "resonate harmoniously" with students, faculty, business sponsors, and with the university overall. By way of example, consider the following cluster of applied projects: a marketing plan, a marketing research study, and a creative execution/advertising campaign. These projects are likely to be offered in a functionally isolated manner in separate courses and even in separate disciplines. These projects could offer greater value than the sum of their parts to all stakeholders with the use of CH.I.M.ES integration. The first two projects fit well within the marketing curriculum and have been used successfully for years by this author (see student and client feedback in the appendix). The creative execution project, however, falls within the communications or art curriculum in spite of its obvious relevance to marketing and strategic analysis. It is precisely this shortcoming -- the lack of connectivity between functionally distinct but highly interrelated disciplines that never cross paths in the traditional academic setting – that begs for an integrated experiential learning approach such as the CH.I.M.ES model.

The proposed CHIMES process is outlined below in Table 1. Steps 1 and 2 comprise the “Analysis” phase. In Step 1, the instructor designs course requirements to include an experiential learning project brief with clear specifications and timeline. In Step 2, the instructor shares the brief with a designated “business liaison” to identify appropriate potential business sponsors with whom to partner. The business liaison is a key role in the integrated experiential learning model; it is an individual or group with business outreach responsibilities such as the Career Services department, Centers, Internship Coordinators, or other entities on campus that pursue relationships between the university and the business community at large. At Chatham University, for example, the Center for Women’s Entrepreneurship is a grant-funded business resource for new and small women owned businesses in need of all types of assistance, student-led or otherwise. These clients represent an endless source of incremental projects that can be appropriately scoped to fit the time and abilities of small groups of students or individual students, in classes, as independent study projects, as practicum projects or community service activities. The business liaison is in the unique position to identify appropriate project sponsors as a result a relatively deeper appreciation for each of their contacts’ business needs, interests, and willingness to partner with the university. The business liaison is also able to refer to projects previously completed for sponsors given a feedback loop built into the CH.I.M.ES model (as described in Step 8). Steps 3 and 4 comprise the “Planning” phase. In Step 3, the instructor assigns projects to student teams. In Step 4, student teams and sponsors meet to discuss the project. Students are able to prepare for this meeting with input from the business liaison and from reviewing the work in the sponsor’s archive. Students’ familiarity going into this meeting helps to foster a deeper understanding of the sponsor’s business, the goals of their project and the necessary steps to build into a workable action plan. Steps 5 and 6 comprise the “Implementation” phase. In Step 5, the instructor provides supervision to students as needed, but can rely on a number of resources for additional support: previously completed projects, the supervising faculty for previously completed projects, and faculty with relevant expertise who could offer future projects with the sponsor. As the experiential learning program matures, greater collaboration among faculty is possible to support a multi-disciplinary approach for addressing project objectives. This cross-functional approach can eventually be incorporated into the student’s project plan to provide greater realism and value to the client. In Step 6, students present their project findings to the sponsor, ideally including the business liaison in order to facilitate this critical relationship. Steps 7 and 8 comprise the “Control” phase, the most critical stage in which the CH.I.M.ES model improves upon the weaknesses of the traditional approach to experiential learning. In Step 7, a number of evaluative measures are needed to assess critical aspects of the project and the program from the point of view of the sponsors, the students and the business liaisons. The measures provide an essential mechanism for making iterative improvements to the program over time. In Step 8, all work products are captured and stored in a searchable archive that is maintained by the business liaison. The archive provides the raw material for the initial phase of “Analysis” when potential sponsors are identified on the basis of previously completed work and ideas for future projects. The archive jump starts project teams in the “Planning” phase when student teams prepare for their engagement. Access to this body of work completed on behalf of their sponsor enables students to deliver greater value to sponsors as new work is informed by previous work. In turn, students obtain a deeper sense of the organizational context of the project, enhancing the realism of the experience and practical knowledge that is gained. The archive benefits faculty as long-term relationships with sponsors over multiple interrelated projects

promotes familiarity with the company, the industry, the sponsor’s work style and expectations, making the workload that much more manageable. Table 1. The CH.I.M.ES Process FACULTY

ANALYSIS 1. Design Course Requirements

PLANNING 3. Assign Student Teams

IMPLEMENTATION 5. Guide Process with Input from Colleagues in Relevant Disciplines

4. Initial Meeting to Set Project Scope

6. Complete Project & Present Results

CONTROL 7. Measure Results (grade project, sponsor feedback)

STUDENTS SPONSORS BUSINESS LIAISON

2. Recommend & Recruit Sponsors

8. Evaluate Outcomes, Add Work Products to Archive

CONCLUSION At this time, the CH.I.M.ES model of integrated experiential learning is a work in progress at Chatham University. Several critical steps have been accomplished to date. The Director for the Center of Women’s Entrepreneurship is fully engaged in the role of Business Liaison, with several sponsors and appropriately scoped projects readily available for faculty to disseminate to student teams. Faculty in diverse areas of study such as communications, arts management, entrepreneurship and strategy are becoming more informed and inspired by the potential synergy that experiential learning can provide for themselves as well as for their students. Students continue to show enthusiasm for professional development opportunities such as those available with real world projects. Their appreciation for the CH.I.M.ES approach for delivering a high value high impact learning experience is no exception. The finer points of the program will require ideas to be surfaced and vetted among stakeholders on and off campus to ensure sound program design, execution, and continuous improvement. In the end, the tremendous potential of interconnected experiential learning opportunities such as those proposed within the CH.I.M.ES framework is a compelling notion deserving of this effort. REFERENCES [1]

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Appendix Sample of Sponsor’s Comments about BUS767 Marketing Practicum “The program is very good for the students. It helped them learn practical applications of school studies and discussion. The program should be very beneficial for the students to help them make the jump from the academic world to become future business leaders. It also provides valuable research for the participating company which we truly appreciate. – Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. “Students provided a fresh perspective to an ongoing business challenge. They were able to utilize useful models and secondary information to develop ideas and recommendations. They developed an excellent (and thorough) final report. The course provides a good framework for students to think through business issues, from strategic aspects to implementation. – Oreck Corporation “I was very impressed. I thought all members were thorough and professional during the course of the project…. a lot of hard work went into gathering information, and they did a fine job using it to try to come up with a marketing plan." – Zapp’s Potato Chips, Inc. “This is an excellent program. I strongly support collaborations between industry and academia at the graduate level. It can provide added value for all involved parties.” – Lockheed Martin Corporation, Space Systems Group “It was a very valuable process, providing insights and different perspectives to a process that was confined to individuals only in the organization. I believe the program helped save the company money, money that probably would have been wasted without the students’ contribution.” – Acme Oyster House, Inc.

Sample of Student Comments about BUS767 Marketing Practicum “My experience with the Marketing Practicum course has been very valuable ... I feel that with your class I am justified with graduating with a marketing degree. Most importantly and consistent with the course objectives, I developed from start to finish a detailed marketing plan that utilized every imaginable type of analysis. Previously, I was exposed to many of these tools and techniques, but never put them together into a “real-life” actionable marketing plan. This class helps distinguish the marketing department and ... the AB Freeman School to stand out among other business schools.” “I really liked this course a lot ... this was a true marketing experience for me. In this class I have learned – and especially retained – more applicable knowledge than any other class that offers a classroom and test format.” “This course has been a tremendous success and is a great asset to the curriculum at the Freeman School. I believe that it is critical for the program to have courses that would allow students to apply their classroom learning to a company in the “real world.”