GIFTS: Great Ideas For Teaching Students

Project Based Learning by Thierry Brusselle

Project Based Learning

• Global Business– Country Analysis

• Economic• Social

• Management– Strategic Analysis

• Advertising– Advertising consultation project with a real

entity• Marketing

– Marketing consultation project with a real entity

Each project is unique

• 2001 Chaffey College Website• 2001 Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce• 2002 Junior Blind Foundation• 2003 Hillview Acres Home for Abused

Children• 2004 GM H2 Hummer & Cadillac CTS

– (Martin L. Walsh, GM Executive Director of Marketing)

Each project is unique• 2005 Chaffey College AMT• 2008 City of Rancho Cucamonga

– Healthy RC

• 2011 City of Rancho Cucamonga– Freedom Courtyard and Playful City

EOPS Advertising, Fall 2013

City of Rancho Cucamonga

Advertising, Fall 2011

GhAMA Advertising, Fall 2012

Why Project Based Learning?

• Very positive personal experience• Cal Poly Pomona’s Seal

– Motto is “learn by doing”• College of Business aligned to motto

– Advanced Finance Course plan created for SCE (non-disclosure agreement!)

– Advertising class project for ViewSonic– Market Analysis & Control class project

lead to Market Research internship with Microsoft

Benefits student• Business application optimizes business

theory. • Exposes students to real challenges,

timelines, applications, and ethical dilemmas. – Ex: Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce Market

Research

• Builds strong foundation for higher level classes and graduate classes

• Makes students more marketable

How to implement?• Advertising implementation• NGO’s, NPO’s, or MNC’s• Plan ahead with “client”

– Identify multiple needs– Plot needs with course curriculum– Schedule meetings with class

• Incorporate case study analyses with groups

• Guide groups with analyses and recommendations

• Present to client

Benefits student• Veritable marketing/advertising

analysis and recommendation• Work with class “consultants”

Benefits student

• Attendance is very good• Students take ownership and have a lot

of initiative• Empowerment of skills leads to very

creative solutions and mediums• Student feedback is positive• Numerous students have secured jobs

in advertising/marketing because they brought their Portfolio to the interview and spoke of their experience.

Is it for everyone?

• Instructor has to decide fit.– Lots of additional work (organizing,

coordinating, follow up, etc. with both groups and “clients.”)

• Learning can be “messy”• Students who initially voiced frustration

with project left the class excited about the project’s outcome.

• Some students get frustrated without clear/explicit structure– Ex: Accounting Students...

Is it for everyone?

“In my audit class we had to do a simulated audit on a Fortune 500 company. It was horrific! However, when I attended new hire training at Arthur Andersen, out of the 1,000 + new hires I was the only person who had actually completed an audit. Students from UCLA & USC had never completed an actual audit.

At Cal Poly, the primary purpose of every business class was to train students to be professionals. The training included experiential knowledge based on projects & working in teams.

Although I absolutely hated working with teams, it truly prepared me for the business world. I continue to use both team based learning & projects in all of my classes.”

--Carol Dickerson, PhD

Project Based Learning?

Thank you.