Distance Learning in Communication: Blended or On-Line? Developing an On-Line Advanced Communication Course

To meet the needs of a growing national and international student body for a Regulatory Affairs program, we developed an on-line advanced communication course. An on-campus version of the course had been offered once or twice a year for at least six years, but many students from other locations were asking to substitute a local communication course, since most of the other courses in the program were now offered on-line. This presentation will discuss the rationale for course development, how we retained important internal controls, and how certain success factors were built into the new course

Giving Accounting Students Writing Experience as Job Preparation

"Most business majors are required to take a written communication course covering memos, letters, and long reports. The current level of student writing skills is low enough that the one semester course can usually do no more than give an overview of business writing style and forms, so advanced courses are frequently offered. One such advanced course is Report Writing for Accountants, which is now required by a number of AACSB accounting schools. Because writing competence is required on the job, schools training accountants have begun requiring extra training in writing skills. As the designer of a new accounting writing course, I will describe the ways in which the writing assignments prepare students for the actual writing experiences they will meet on the job. Because the class writing assignments are actual accounting firm cases and formats, they exemplify a new area of experiential learning.

Experiential Learning on the Job--A Business Internship Program

"San Diego State University has run a business internship program since the early 70’s, placing between 40 and 70 interns with local business for a semester of work experience. Our program is somewhat unusual in that it is entirely student-run and self-financed. These features offer tremendous advantages in allowing an independent program, but as the number of interns and participating businesses grows, we are revising the program somewhat to allow for more orderly and efficient expansion. Since our business internship program has gone through several phases, our experience should offer useful information to other schools having internship programs or wishing to start them.

Simulating Professional Writing Experiences in the Classroom

"A positive new trend has come to academic writing classes - - many schools are emphasizing professional writing skills in an advanced course. A growing number of schools, recognizing that students need thorough training to compete in the job market, are requiring such a course. While merely requiring more writing of any kind would probably help many students, adding writing experiences that correspond to the type of writing that will be done on the job is most helpful. My experience in teaching in professional writing programs in California and Maryland offers some useful ideas on how to design such writing assignments. A positive new trend has come to academic writing classes - - many schools are emphasizing professional writing skills in an advanced course. A growing number of schools, recognizing that students need thorough training to compete in the job market, are requiring such a course. While merely requiring more writing of any kind would probably help many students, adding writing experiences that correspond to the type of writing that will be done on the job is most helpful. My experience in teaching in professional writing programs in California and Maryland offers some useful ideas on how to design such writing assignments. A positive new trend has come to academic writing classes - - many schools are emphasizing professional writing skills in an advanced course. A growing number of schools, recognizing that students need thorough training to compete in the job market, are requiring such a course. While merely requiring more writing of any kind would probably help many students, adding writing experiences that correspond to the type of writing that will be done on the job is most helpful. My experience in teaching in professional writing programs in California and Maryland offers some useful ideas on how to design such writing assignments.

Using Cases in Business Communication Classes

" The modified case study method promulgated through the Exxon Educational Foundations Guided Design grants under their IMPACT program is a practical way to give business communication students problem-solving experience. The underlying premise of Guided Design, originated by Charles E. Wales, Director of Freshmen Engineering at West Virginia University, and Robert A. Stager, University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada, is that students learn more by tackling problems in small groups or individually and by writing subsequent reports than they do by listening to lectures or reading even the best texts and being tested on them.

Developing a Computer Game/Job Simulation to Teach Functional Literacy Skills

"An army project under contract to the University of Maryland’s University College Center for Instructional Development and Evaluation has developed integrated videodisc/microcomputer instruction in functional literacy skills (math and reading). Over several years, numerous lessons were built into story lines (scenarios) based on required job skills. These scenarios included tests and evaluation and some computer games. Other games were part of the lessons. The project used state-of-the-art hardware and the best available information on instructional design for an adult audience. The team approach combined instructional designers, writers, subject matter experts, computer programmers, and systems designers.

Using Critical Incident Skills Questions to Help Students Become More Successful at Job Interviewing

Job candidates are invited to a company interview based on paper qualifications, so interviewers evaluate candidates’ fit with the company through questions evaluating their knowledge and skills. Currently used Critical Incident Skills questions force candidates to show their knowledge and skills through answers illustrating their experience (Harris (1989), Maurer (1988), Robertson (1990), Solomon (1988), Thibadoux (1991), Wright (1989)). This paper discusses how to teach students to answer currently asked interview questions, using both in-class role-playing and out-of-class exercises for interview preparation

A Hardware Based CIM Simulation Laboratory Model Test

A hardware based simulation laboratory of a computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) environment for business students studying production and operations management (POM) is described. A method for evaluating the educational effectiveness is also considered

Collaborative Learning through Real-Life Assignments in Accounting Classes

"Adding a unit to an existing Reporting for Accountants course increases student opportunity for oral communication and presentation practice. We have also been able to integrate technical material from real-world exercises into this class, now team-taught by faculty from the Departments of Information and Decision Systems (IDS) and Accounting. Through team teaching and collaborative classroom assignments, we incorporate the move by the Big Six accounting firms to specialize in industry groups (our company/industry reports) and have students produce payroll workpapers, an area not covered in detail in the auditing/systems course. We have also added more material on teamwork and on critical thinking. This presentation will discuss how the new course integrates technology, collaborative learning, teamwork, and team teaching into a formerly more traditional course. Students are experiencing how to communicate in a professional way by using techniques proven to be useful in actual accounting practice.

Experiential Learning for Accountants: The Not For Profit Project

Although the teaching of accounting is becoming more case oriented and involves active learning, critical thinking, and other non-lecture modes of learning, accounting students do not have much chance in class to apply the material they are learning. Some may take part in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program; others find internships with major and local firms. To give other students a taste of what accounting is like in the “real world,” our not for profit project has students work with budgets and other parts of a proposal for funds from a corporation. Students simulate the experience of working for a local not for profit, designing a fund raiser, writing a realistic budget, and persuading a corporation to donate some seed money to get the event going