Learning by Doing: Design and Delivery of Research-Led Experiential Learning with Commercial Corporations

Gibb, A. and Anker, T. (2018) Learning by Doing: Design and Delivery of Research-Led Experiential Learning with Commercial Corporations. Applied Learning Conference, Singapore, 25-26 Jan 2018.

Abstract

Businesses often complain that university graduates require more soft skills and professional experience when they enter the workplace (Mitchell, Skinner & White, 2010). Likewise, students and professional accreditation bodies ask for more experiential and problem-based learning to be embedded in the curriculum to enhance relevance and employability (Green and Farazmand, 2012). These observations resonate with academic research, demonstrating that effective teaching often requires instructors that are experienced practitioners (Pratt & Collins, 2000). With this in mind, the authors developed a new course at the Adam Smith Business School, University of Glasgow, which challenges students to apply theory and concepts on a business case for an external client. This presentation focusses on how the course, International Marketing Consultancy, was designed and delivered in cooperation with Accenture financial services, New York, and an ex-industry practitioner with over 20 years’ experience of marketing. Drawing on the teaching team’s own research into value creation and consumer behaviour, this is a paradigm example of a research-led course with a strong experiential and practical dimension, demonstrating how scholarly research can enhance employability through teaching-partnerships with industry. The course challenges students to work in small teams as consultants on a strategic marketing case for Accenture. The summative assessment combines a group presentation of solutions to a panel of experts and individual annotated Power-Point reports, offering the opportunity to critically reflect on all key decisions developed throughout the team work.

• Item Type: Conference or Workshop Item
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Gibb, Alison and Anker, Dr Thomas
• Authors: Gibb, A., and Anker, T.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > Adam Smith Business School > Management

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