A college professor must operate on several levels simultaneously. The
levels probably cannot be prioritized because solid cases can be made,
in various circumstances, for each of them to be the most important.
The professor must present information and facilitate the students' learning
of it, encourage ethical behavior, and foster the students' capability
for analytical thought. I am assisted in these tasks by my knowledge and
capabilities, the texts, visual aids, and other support devices. I am constrained
by my knowledge and capabilities, class schedules, available support devices,
student resources, and organizational policies. I decide which support
devices are likely to be the most effective and how to work within the
constraints so that the students' achievement of my objective are maximized.
Presenting information and facilitating students' learning.
One way to estimate effectiveness in this are is to examine course
syllabi, tests, and student evaluations. (Samples of syllabi, tests, and
student evaluations are available in the offices of the Marketing Department
and the Dean.) The syllabus is used to outline the course requirements.
Further, it attempts to set the tone of the course. Each course is approached
as a series of business meetings; students in all of my courses, therefore,
are provided with my office and home phone numbers so that they can communicate
with me as needed. Every effort is made to emulate a business environment.
Great pains are taken during class to convince students that what is learned
in class has daily practical application. The "What's Happening"
sections of the syllabi attempt to complement the classroom examples. Further,
I have observed that many of our students do not write well. For that reason,
in addition to many others, all courses require written assignments.
All the multiple-choice tests have an unusual characteristic. Students are free to explain their thinking on multiple choice questions. It is vitally important that students perceive that tests are fair. For that reason, the student is given credit for a correct answer if he/she can point out a problem with the question and demonstrate knowledge of the question's subject matter even though an "incorrect" answer is marked on the answer sheet. As an additional benefit, this technique effectively eliminated complaints about poorly constructed questions. Another unusual characteristic of some of the tests is that each student is permitted to determine the relative weights of the essay questions. In business or any other endeavor it is important to know what one knows. "If you know you don't know, there is no problem--you'll find out what you need to know. If you think you know and you don't know--there is a problem. You are likely to make a bad decision because you are not aware you need to find something out." It is quite common for students giving the same answers to the same question to get different grades on their tests. This is a further attempt to emulate the business environment. The student (executive) who knows what he/she knows gets better results than a student (executive) who does not know what he/she knows.
Student evaluations are useful for many purposes. In the interest of
improving my techniques, I have found it useful to add to the usual student
evaluations. At approximately mid-term, students are asked to list the
three best and three most worst things about the course. These evaluations
are collected on the class day following the day the request is made. The
one-day delay permits the comments to be typed so that complete anonymity,
if desired, is assured.
Encouraging ethical behavior.
It is a disturbing fact that recent surveys have found that college
students tend to have significantly lower ethical standards than practicing
business executives. This phenomenon cannot be defended; students must
be made aware of ethical issues and be expected to deal with them properly.
I approach the subject from the aspect of "enlightened self interest."
That is, businesses ethically run tend to be more successful than those
which are not ethically run. The subject is often addressed in class, usually
by encouraging discussion couched in a "what would you do if..."
In this way it is hoped that students will become sensitized to ethical
issues so that they can recognize them when they arise.
Fostering analytical thought.
This facet is continually addressed. Classroom presentations and discussions
focus on analysis of situations and the need to consider a number of factors
bearing on any business situation. Many of the test questions continue
the emphasis. Mathematical questions are often couched in a case context
so that students will be tested on their ability to analyze. This effort
is supported by my policy of storing all of my prior tests at the Reserve
Desk in Odum Library. Students are encouraged to review them and to pay
particular attention to the test items which require analysis.
Click to go to the Home Pages of:
Dr.
Campbell
College
of Business Administration
Department
of Marketing and Economics
Valdosta
State University
Last Update May 10, 1997
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