Experiential Learning in Business Communication: Starting a Peer-Reviewed Student Journal and Podcast

By Marianna Richardson, Ryan Stenquist & Jennifer Stenquist | November 12, 2019
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Abstract:Ancient Greeks such as Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle realized the need for combining intellectual, theoretical learning with practical, real-world experiences. Modern educational theorists continue to make similar pleas for the need of a more holistic and experiential view of education. To promote experiential learning in business communication, Brigham Young University – Provo (BYU) started a peer-reviewed student journal and podcast for business students. The students’ experiences mirror Kolb’s experiential learning theory cycle (1984) and Mezirow’s theories on critical reflection and transformative learning, (1990, 1998, 2000). Students’ reflective comments were reviewed using Morris’ (2019) five characteristics of concrete learning experiences. Additionally, student ratings for this course are compared to other business management courses at BYU. These comparisons illustrate the high rating students give experiential learning courses. As the journal and podcast continue to grow in popularity, the opportunities for students have also grown because the students are gaining practical experience for future careers.
Keywords: Experiential learning, business communication, university instruction

摘要(Marianna Richardson, Ryan Stenquist, & Jennifer Stenquist: 商务交流中的体验式学习：撰写经过同行评审的学生期刊和播客):

关于各年龄段和学习阶段的体验式学习的讨论始于古希腊哲学家（Crosby，1995年； Stonehouse，Allison和Carr，2011年），并持续到今天（Dewey，1938年； Kolb，1984年； Mezirow，2000年；Morris，2019年）。为了促进商务交流中的体验式学习，Marriott 商学院开设了由商学院学生为本专业的同学撰写的并经过同行评审的期刊，名为《商学院学生点评》（MSR），以及名为“衡量成功权”（MSR）的商业播客。他们的经验反映了Kolb的体验式学习理论周期（1984）和Mezirow的批判性反思与变革性学习（1990，1998，2000），二者皆是传授MSR课程的标准。运用Morris（2019）的具体学习经验的五个特征对学生的反思性评论进行了审查。此外，将MSR课程的学生等级与其他经济管理课程进行了比较。

这些比较说明了较之主要运用传统的教学技术的课程，学生对体验式学习课程的评价更高。

随着期刊和播客的日益普及，学生有机会提高他们的写作，编辑以及广告技巧并对他们的未来职业有助于实践性的学习。
关键词：体验式学习，商务沟通，大学教学

摘要 (Marianna Richardson, Ryan Stenquist, & Jennifer Stenquist: 商務交流中的體驗式學習：撰寫經過同行評審的學生期刊和播客):

關於各年齡段和學習階段的體驗式學習的討論始於古希臘哲學家（Crosby，1995年； Stonehouse，Allison和Carr，2011年），並持續到今天（Dewey，1938年； Kolb，1984年； Mezirow，2000年；Morris，2019年）。為了促進商務交流中的體驗式學習，Marriott 商學院開設了由商學院學生為本專業的同學撰寫的並經過同行評審的期刊，名為《商學院學生點評》（MSR），以及名為“衡量成功權”（MSR）的商業播客。他們的經驗反映了Kolb的體驗式學習理論周期（1984）和Mezirow的批判性反思與變革性學習（1990，1998，2000），二者皆是傳授MSR課程的標準。運用Morris（2019）的具體學習經驗的五個特徵對學生的反思性評論進行了審查。此外，將MSR課程的學生等級與其他經濟管理課程進行了比較。

這些比較說明了較之主要運用傳統的教學技術的課程，學生對體驗式學習課程的評價更高。

隨著期刊和播客的日益普及，學生有機會提高他們的寫作，編輯以及廣告技巧並對他們的未來職業有助於實踐性的學習。
關鍵詞：體驗式學習，商務溝通，大學教學

Zusammenfassung (Marianna Richardson, Ryan Stenquist, & Jennifer Stenquist: Erfahrungsbasiertes Lernen in der Business Kommunikation: Start eines peer-reviewed studentischen Journals und Podcast): Die Diskussionen über das Erfahrungslernen für alle Altersgruppen und Lernstufen begannen mit klassischen griechischen Philosophen (Crosby, 1995; Stonehouse, Allison, & Carr, 2011) und dauern heute noch an (Dewey, 1938; Kolb, 1984; Mezirow, 2000; Morris, 2019). Um das erfahrungsorientierte Lernen in der Geschäftskommunikation zu fördern, hat die Marriott School of Business eine von Wirtschaftsstudenten für Wirtschaftsstudenten geführte Zeitschrift mit dem Titel Marriott Student Review (MSR) sowie einen Business-Podcast mit dem Titel Measuring Success Right (MSR) gestartet. Ihre Erfahrungen spiegeln Kolbs Theoriezyklus des Erfahrungslernens (1984) und Mezirow’s kritische Reflexion und transformatives Lernen (1990, 1998, 2000) wider, die die Standards für die Lehre des MSR-Kurses sind. Die reflektierenden Kommentare der Schüler wurden anhand von Morris’ (2019) fünf Merkmalen konkreter Lernerfahrungen überprüft. Zusätzlich werden die Bewertungen der Studierenden des MSR-Studiengangs mit anderen betriebswirtschaftlichen Studiengängen verglichen. Diese Vergleiche veranschaulichen, wie Studierende Erfahrungslernkurse höher bewerten als Kurse, die überwiegend mit traditionellen Unterrichtstechniken durchgeführt werden. Da die Zeitschrift und der Podcast an Popularität gewonnen haben, haben die Studenten auch die Möglichkeit, ihre Schreib-, Redaktions- und Werbefähigkeiten zu verbessern und so das praktische Lernen für ihre zukünftige Karriere zu fördern.
Schlüsselwörter: Erfahrungslernen, Wirtschaftskommunikation, Hochschulbildung

Аннотация (Марианна Ричардсон, Райан Стенквист, Дженифер Стенквист: Обучение «опытным» путем в бизнес-коммуникации: запуск рецензируемого студенческого журнала и подкаста): Дискуссии по поводу эффективности метода приобретения новых знаний на основе опыта для всех возрастных групп и ступеней обучения берут свое начало в классической греческой философии (см. Crosby, 1995; Stonehouse, Allison, & Carr, 2011) и не ослабевают до сих пор (Dewey, 1938; Kolb, 1984; Mezirow, 2000; Morris, 2019). Для того, чтобы данный метод обучения стал более активно использоваться в сфере деловой коммуникации, школа менеджмента Marriotинициировала создание журнала, который издается студентами-экономистами для своих коллег по учебе. Журнал называется «Marriott Student Review» (MSR). Одновременно был создан подкаст «Measuring Success Right» (MSR). Опыт студентов-издателей «привязан» к известным научным теориям – циклу Колба (1984) и концепции критической рефлексии и преобразующего обучения Д. Мезирова (1990, 1998, 2000). Эти научные идеи являются стандартами в преподавании соответствующих курсов. Отрефлексированные комментарии студентов были проверены научным путем – с помощью пяти критериев Морриса (2019), которые репрезентируют конкретный учебный опыт участников данного дискурса. В дополнение к этому было проведено сопоставление оценочных показателей, сформулированных студентами данного направления подготовки, с оценками, данными студентами других профилей обучения в области производственной экономики. Сравнительный анализ показал, что что студенты отдают предпочтение тем занятиям, на которых активно внедряется метод трансфера знания «опытным путем».Журнал и подкаст пользуются популярностью, они востребованы; работая над их выпуском, студенты получают возможность улучшить навыки академического письма, редакционной работы, компетенции, вотсребованные с сфере рекламного дискурса. Таким образом они формируют свой портфолио для будущей профессиональной карьеры.
Ключевые слова: обучение на основе опыта, экономическая коммуникация, высшее образование.

Introduction

Ancient Greeks such as Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle realized the need for combining intellectual and theoretical learning with practical and real-world experiences (Stonehouse, Allison, & Carr, 2011; Warren, Sakofs, & Hunt, 1995). For example, in Plato’s work The Republic (1987), he describes the need to combine man’s philosophical pursuits with their physical counterparts. Plato’s theory focuses on the fact that the true knowledge of absolutes, even things as simple as tables and chairs, is not achievable by most people because of the mind’s limited capacity to learn from critical investigation (Crosby, 1995, 7). Plato’s prized student, Socrates, encouraged the discovery of knowledge through questions and dialogue with other knowledge-seekers. Rather than focusing on the abstract concepts of forms and absolutes, Aristotle taught an organic approach to learning, stating that a life of pure theory and academics was not possible (Crosby, 1995, p. 9). He had his students learn through interactions with the world around them. Modern educational theorists continue to make similar pleas for the need of a more holistic and experiential view of education (McCord, Houseworth, & Michaelson, 2015).

In the early twentieth century, John Dewey (1938) wanted educators to allow the learners’ impulse and interests to drive learning. More recently, Kolb’s experiential learning cycle (1984) gave an experiential framework for educators to follow. Following up on Kolb’s research, Morris (2019) conducted a literary review analyzing specific qualities needed for concrete learning experiences to be effective. Mezirow’s (1995, 2000) concepts of critical reflection and transformative learning theory continued the charge for educators to strive for a better balance between student-led experiences and teacher-driven curricula. These experiential learning theories have been the framework for a university business management course based on concrete, real-world end products, specifically made for a national and international audience.

John Dewey on Experience and Education

In the twentieth century, John Dewey (1938) wrote Experience and Education, which is arguably the most important document describing experiential learning. Dewey wrote this after his experience with the “laboratory school” of The University of Chicago where teachers observed rather than directed children’s learning. Education in the 1930s gave “exalted labels to conflicting loyalties” (Dewey, 1938, p. 9) and educators became focused on the contentious labels of progressive and traditional education. Traditionalists or the traditional school used specific subjects and the cultural heritage of the past as the main subject matter of its content. “New” or progressive schools exalted the learner’s impulse and interests and addressed the problems of a changing society. Dewey felt that neither side sufficiently educates an individual, but that both kinds of education are necessary; thus, the educational labels of traditional and progressive do not need to be viewed as exclusive. Instead, a true learning situation has longitudinal dimensions, which lead to and enlarge experiences, as well as lateral dimensions, which modify or modulate the learner’s outlook. The contentious labels of traditional and progressive should be erased (Dewey, 1938, p. 21).

Dewey pointed out that progressives of his day preached education “of, by, and for experience” (Dewey, 1936, p. 29). Yet experience is not the end-all for educational purposes. Dewey charged educators to discover a theory of experience and put it into practice. A coherent theory of education will aid in the selection and organization of appropriate educational methods and materials. This is required for true experiential learning to occur. Dewey wrote: “Failure to develop a conception of organization upon the empirical and experimental basis gives reactionaries too easy a victory” (Dewey, 1938, p. 31). In other words, educators must envision a concrete way to realize these concepts in the classroom.

David Kolb – Experiential Learning Cycle

To answer Dewey’s requirement of a concrete vision for experiential learning, David Kolb (1984) put forth a curriculum model for educators to use. The four parts of the model were conceptualized as a cycle which would be repeated over and over again to reinforce learning. The parts include (1) a concrete experience, (2) reflective observations, (3) abstract conceptualization, and (4) active experimentation.

Concrete Experience. Kolb’s description of concrete experience is a team-driven task that involves active participation, a more hands-on approach than just watching, reading, or listening in a classroom. This concrete experience is usually new to students, which requires unfamiliar skills and knowledge.

Reflective observation. Given a task that they have never done before, students will often have lots of questions. At this point in the experiential learning cycle, there needs to be open communication within the team and with the teacher.

Abstract Conceptualization. In abstract conceptualization, the learner makes comparisons with what they have done before and reflects on how things are different or the same given this new activity. Reflection plays a major role in the learning process – during and after the task – in both Kolb’s cycle (1984) and in Mezirow’s transformative learning theory (2000). Reflection encourages metacognition, which means thinking about what you are thinking (Ellis, 2000), and critical reflection (Mezirow, 1998), which takes reflection a step further by forcing the learner to readjust what they thought they knew into a refreshed and new context.

Active Experimentation. Active experimentation is putting into practice what has been learned, often in a real-world context. As a student receives new understanding, he or she needs to translate this knowledge into other experiences (Roessger, 2014).

Thus, the experiential learning cycle continues. The knowledge acquired causes the learner to actively experiment with another concrete experience. This then brings about reflective observation to understand the task; abstract conceptualization to reflect upon learning in the past, present, and future; and finally, acute desire to actively experiment again.

Morris and Concrete Learning Experience

Genuine education comes through experience, but all experiences are not genuine or equally educative. Some experiences are mis-educative—arresting or distorting the growth of future experience (Dewey, 1938, p. 25). My daughter Deborah’s first swimming lesson presents a prime example. As soon as her coach forced my daughter’s face under the water, she wanted out. She left the pool, put on her clothes, and refused to return. It took me a long time to get her into a swimming pool after that experience because she wasn’t given the chance to choose for herself to take that first, independent dunk of her head under the water. Turning to the classroom for a more common example, if a student feels that the learning process is boring, then the student associates learning with boredom.

Dewey (1938) explained that the quality of an experience has two aspects: (1) an immediate agreeable or disagreeable effect, and (2) an influence on later experience (p. 27). To understand experience, there must be an organic connection between education, personal experience, empirical thought, and experimentation. The definition of a concrete learning experience is not self-explanatory but should be more deeply explored by educators to determine what activities in the classroom fit this criterion.

Morris (2019) agrees with the elements of Kolb’s experiential learning cycle but is concerned with the lack of specificity about what constitutes a concrete learning experience. He conducted a literature review of 60 journal articles to explore the nature and treatment of concrete experiences. Morris (2019) defined five characteristics of concrete experiences that best fit the experiential learning construct:

  1. Learners are active participants.
  2. Knowledge of students is placed in time and place.
  3. Learners experience new encounters with their learning.
  4. Inquiry to real world problems becomes a part of the learning process.
  5. Critical reflection is a critical part of learning.

Morris (2019) proposes a rewrite to Kolb’s experiential learning cycle: “Experiential learning consists of contextually rich concrete experience, critical reflective observation, contextual-specific abstract conceptualization, and pragmatic active experimentation.”

Jack Mezirow – Transformative Learning Theory

Experience must also be evaluated on continuity, or the experiential continuum. Democratic and humane educational arrangements are better than those that are autocratic and harsh. This stems from Mezirow’s belief that conferencing during the educational experience encourages a better quality of experience. Going deeper into the learning cycle means transforming ideas, actions, and traditions; it covers the formation of attitudes (emotional and intellectual) and basic sensitivities. Every experience both takes from experiences before and modifies the quality of experiences after and is a moving force in some direction.

Growth in and of itself is not enough because a person can grow physically, intellectually, and morally in the wrong direction. For example, a burglar can learn how to be a better burglar with every successful burglary. Dewey felt that experience should arouse curiosity and strengthen positive growth, which would then strengthen the fabric of a democratic society (Dewey, 1938, p. 50).

Transformative learning theory is for adult learning and utilizes disorienting dilemmas to challenge students’ thinking, providing positive-growth experiences (Mezirow, 1998, 2000, 2009; Kreber, 2010). Students are then encouraged to use critical thinking and questioning to consider if their underlying assumptions and beliefs about the world are accurate (Clancy & Vince, 2019). Disorienting dilemmas often occur in the context of academic learning environments, as teachers provide space to critically engage with new ideas. As students collectively dialogue and engage with each other about their new perspectives, transformation can take place, especially if students act on their new skills and beliefs (McCord, Houseworth, & Michaelsen, 2015).

Inspiring Learning

“Inspiring learning” has become the mantra for professors and administrators at Brigham Young University. In a speech to faculty and staff at the beginning of the 2016 academic year, President Kevin J. Worthen made a plea for faculty to start incorporating deeper and more experiential learning into their programs, pointing out that students cannot learn all they need to know by simply memorizing facts and discussing principles. He stressed: “Experience connects theory with application and deepens our understanding of the principles and truths we learn” (Worthen, 2016). This initiative seeks to transform the BYU educational experience by providing students with life-changing learning opportunities beyond the classroom.

Throughout the campus, Inspiring Learning has become a brand for the university. Educators are encouraged to analyze what direction the scholastic experience in their classroom is headed for the student. At the university level, mature learners can exercise greater judgment and wisdom in broader learning situations rather than face the limits of firm external controls. Educational experiences should rest more on social contact and communication, which may mean a complete restructuring of courses and curricula. Worthen’s challenge to start programs beyond the classroom experience has brought about changes in the way traditional courses have been taught, encouraged more professor-led research, and increased student involvement in gathering data, going out into the field, writing, and presenting at conferences.

Inspiring Learning in Business Communication

To promote Inspiring Learning in business communication, the Marriott School of Business started a peer-reviewed journal run by business students for business students entitled Marriott Student Review (MSR). The purpose of this publication, as defined by the student editorial board, is to connect the leaders of tomorrow with the issues of today. MSR is published through BePress, an academic publisher, and hosted through the Harold B. Lee Library website as part of ScholarsArchive, which includes a variety of professional and student academic journals published by BYU.

The MSR publication process starts with students submitting their articles through the online submission tab on the ScholarsArchive website. An editorial board of student reviewers evaluates the papers and sends remarks back to the authors. Submissions go through two peer reviews. At the end of the process, if all problems have been fixed by the writer, the paper is put in the queue for publication. MSR publishes issues three times a year, at the end of each semester (e.g., April, August, December), so the wait time for accepted articles to be published is usually three to four months.

Soon after the publication’s inception, the MSR editorial board realized that students want not only a well-written business journal, but also a well-designed publication. To accomplish this, business students recruited graphic design students to become a part of the editorial board. This inter-departmental collaboration enabled students to understand that business does not happen in a vacuum. Instead, people from a variety of disciplines need to work together for businesses to succeed. Now, the design team is part of the MSR editorial board. For each issue, this dynamic and diverse team determines the inclusion and order of articles, as well as the theme for the issue. For each article, designers try to incorporate the vision of the author, interviewing the author to understand their ideas on visuals and font type. These designs are similarly peer reviewed before publication.

As the journal has grown in popularity, the opportunities for students to increase their communication skills have grown, too. MSR now has a team of students advertising the journal through Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Advertising and marketing students improve our SEO and boost posts, which has increased our readership remarkably. Currently, the editorial board is recruiting design, marketing, website, editing, videography, and photography students to help establish our brand personality.

Exploring Other Communication Channels

The MSR board researched other business communication channels that students would be interested in following. The marketing team conducted an informal survey to determine where students prefer to consume business news and information. The study results indicated that most students turn to websites and podcasts, rather than published material (other than “forced” readings given by their university professors). Because of these survey results, our marketing students decided to explore other business communication platforms for the MSR brand. To start, our student-led web design team decided to develop a professional, visually interesting website to establish and increase online readership.

Additionally, MSR students launched a podcast series entitled Measuring Success Right, a continuation of the MSR brand. The podcast allows students the opportunity to conduct live interviews with well-established business professionals and well-known communicators, such as Hal Gregersen, Liz Wiseman, and Whitney Johnson. Our podcast is a weekly show, which offers students a platform to contact, invite, follow-up, and thank guests on a regular basis.

As a team, we also determined the importance of maintaining a consistent brand. Incorporating the ideas of our designers, editors, podcasters, and writers, we created a logo and style guide for Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Measuring Success Right, and our website. This MSR brand consistency will encourage consumer awareness across all communication platforms. Every semester, students re-evaluate how the MSR brand is faring for both the journal and podcast, making any necessary changes to stay current with our business student and young executive audience.

Implementing Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle

The accompanying course for Marriott Student Review is entitled “Writing for the Business Press” and includes undergraduate and graduate students. Each of the four parts of Kolb’s experiential learning cycle has been incorporated into the MSR curriculum.

Concrete Experience. Every semester, the main objective of the MSR class is to complete and publish an issue of Marriott Student Review and to post a weekly Measuring Success Right podcast. The marketing team bears responsibility for creative advertising on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn to promote more listeners and readers. Writing articles, producing podcasts, and marketing the publication all offer new and concrete learning experiences that students accomplish during the course.

Reflective observation. Students select their teams based on their interests, rather than assignment. Communication is generally very open within each team as they work to accomplish the team goals they set for the semester. Even though we have a classroom time and place, most of the work and learning takes place outside the classroom at the discretion of each individual and team. At this point in the experiential learning cycle, students often have many questions about how they are to accomplish these tasks. Typically, students need more than one semester to hone their respective writing, editing, marketing, and design skills, which is encouraged since this is a repeatable course.

Abstract Conceptualization. Reflection on the goals made at the beginning of the semester plays a major role in the learning process (Kolb, 1984; Lowe & Kerr, 1998; Mezirow, 1998; Morris, 2019). Each student submits a reflective paper within the first month of the course expressing their aims and ambitions. These will frequently change over time, since students often hope to accomplish more than they possibly can in the semester time frame.

Active Experimentation. At the end of the semester, each student writes a final reflective paper on their individual and team efforts to accomplish their goals, what they learned, and how they could do better. The students also reflect on ways MSR can run more efficiently and increase readership and podcast following. Students take these new-found talents and bring them to new experiences after the course and into their business careers.

The Power of Concrete Experience: From the Students’ Perspective

The five characteristics of concrete experiences determined by Morris’ (2019) study have also been included in the MSR curriculum. Student comments from the MSR team have been used below to illustrate the use of these characteristics in the course. Student permission was asked for before these comments were published. Also, names of the students have been omitted for student privacy. All student comments used in this paper were from the 2018-2019 school year.

During the semester, students are encouraged to express their thoughts and feelings about the MSR experience through reflective assignments. In their reflections, students have expressed their satisfaction with these experiential traits.

Active Participants.
I was able to learn a lot as I worked on the website. I built a new site, measuringsuccessright.com, and updated it with the new podcasts that came out each week. It was a great experience and I’m happy that I was able to be a part of it!

Real Time Use of Knowledge.
As a podcast host for the Marriott Student Review, I have continued to meet incredible businessmen and women who inspire me every day. From taking risks, to finding the endeavors I can be brave for, this experience has felt like a crash course in human optimism, resilience, and compassion.

New Encounters with Learning.
MSR extends my talents and gives me a chance to be artistic in what is otherwise an objective curriculum.

Inquiry to Real World Problems.
This term I wish I had more time to dedicate to MSR. I was able to record two podcasts and do some editing as well as contribute some ideas for the future of MSR, but I wasn’t able to do as much as I had hoped. I am grateful for my team who put in hard work and edited and uploaded the recordings.

Critical Reflection.
Being a part of MSR has helped me discover what I am passionate about and where I want to go with my future career.

Through this journey of Inspiring Learning in business communication, students learn not only to write, edit, and publish articles, but also to collaborate with a variety of peers in other disciplines.

Mezirow’s Transformative Learning

A student’s experience with the MSR class consequently often results in a transformative learning experience. After joining the team, students face the unfamiliarity of hosting a podcast or writing in a peer-reviewed journal. This opportunity causes the student to critically reflect on their abilities to accomplish this new task. Often, the student realizes that he or she cannot accomplish this alone but must rely on the help and cooperation of others. At the end of the process, students can act on their newly acquired perspectives and abilities to help them become successful in the course and future similar experiences.

In one instance, an MSR student recently became the manager of the marketing team. She had never been a team leader and did not have experience with social media marketing. She wrote:

I feel that there is a lot of room for growth and development, and I look forward to contributing to the progress of the journal. This term, I am planning to work on the newly rebranded ‘marketing’ team, as the Marketing Team Coordinator. My role will be to organize the team, plan meetings, delegate assignments, follow-up on projects, and coordinate with other teams and the MSR leadership to keep our marketing on track. Within these team goals, individually, I hope to develop leadership skills, improve my communication skills, develop skills for planning and organizing team meetings, and learn how to keep a project fun and engaging for those involved while also helping them stay on task and reach their individual goals. I also hope to continue developing my understanding of the power of social media and how it can be a positive tool for spreading uplifting and meaningful content.

At the end of the semester, she had transformed in her abilities as a leader and social media marketer. Her comments reflect this change:

We had a lot of new members of the team, and it was a good learning experience working with them, helping them find roles on the team, and showing them the many great facets of being a part of MSR. Sometimes, it was tricky to get everyone together to coordinate our marketing plans, due to very different schedules and internships, but everyone on the team was willing to be flexible and help out when they could…. Overall, I feel that I learned a lot as a leader of the marketing team, especially about organization, communication, delegation, and knowing when and how to take the lead. It was a great opportunity and I am grateful for the team I was able to work with and the difference I feel we made as we promoted the powerful and uplifting content of MSR.

Student Evaluations

Every semester, students rate their courses on a 1 – 5 scale, with 5 as the highest score. These course evaluations are made available to the course professor and university administration and are used to assess courses, curriculum, and professors’ teaching performance.

The table above is a comparison of the student ratings for the MSR course (Series 1) compared to the management department average for all student rating scores (Series 2). The department average scores range from 3.9 – 4.5 with a mean score of 4.3, while the MSR average scores range from 4.6 – 5.0 with a mean score of 4.84. A t-test comparing these two sets of scores results in a p-value of 0.00015 illustrating a statistically significant difference between the department average student scores and the MSR student scores. One might suppose that the professor teaching the MSR course is simply a better teacher. I wish that were true, but alas, it is not. I teach other management courses in the department as well. In my traditional courses, my average student ratings are consistent with department averages in the 3.7 to 4.6 range with a mean score of 4.3, which is the same mean score as the department average. These comparisons illustrate how students rate experiential learning courses higher than traditional classes.

On the class rating web page, students may include anonymous comments. In these comments, students have observed that they like the real-world aspect of the experience and the permanence of contributing to a work that will not fade away at the end of the semester (Bradberry & De Maio, 2019). One student remarked: “Overall it has been a joy to work with so many people on the team…. The work we have done this semester will last for years.”

Conclusion

At the university level, professors should encourage more cross-disciplinary and cross-curriculum activities for students, enabling them to experience a genuine experience that is not siloed into a single course or program (Gundala, Singh, & Cochron, 2018). Student satisfaction is also increased as they experience courses which practically prepare them for their future careers (Borredon, Deffayet, Baker, & Dolv, 2011). A senior business student remarked:

My first semester at the Marriott Student Review has been the highlight of my experience in the Marriott School of Business…. I consider working for MSR a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I am deeply grateful to have.

There is a palpable creative energy in the room as the editorial board organizes an MSR issue. Students are engaged and excited to work together. The teacher becomes a part of the team. Learning has gone beyond the classroom, causing a deeper impact in students’ lives. However, experiential learning will not completely replace the need for classroom instruction. Formal learning is usually needed before experiential learning can take place. Only by combining formal learning with experiential learning will we help students create something original that requires unfamiliar skills and brings to the student a truly transformative learning experience.

References

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About the Authors

Dr. Marianna Richardson: Adjunct Professor, Brigham Young University-Provo (USA), Editor-in-chief, Marriott Student Review and Measuring Success Right; email: mariannari@byu.edu

Ryan Stenquist: Managing Student Editor of Marriott Student Review; email: rallen695@gmail.com

Jenny Stenquist: Managing Student Editor of Marriott Student Review; email: jbmay1998@gmail.com

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