Asking the Right Questions
Professor Miriam Burgos teaches BUAD 307 Marketing Principles and is very active in creating award-winning, real-life learning experiences for her Students. With a career that also included executive positions at Proctor & Gamble, Miriam, working with Gita Govahi, was anxious to bring some of that practical knowledge to her class in a more dynamic fashion.
Enlisting the help of the Marshall Online Learning group, Miriam found herself recreating an online competitive exercise modeled after a scenario used by P&G to train U.S. employees on the concept of "Category Management". In order to gather the necessary data to make recommendations, the students "interview" four key "executives" - virtually.
A timer creates the pressure students would feel in a real-life interview setup. Differing choices of questions and ways of asking them create even more complexity. With scripted on-camera performances from a group of professional actors, the learners are challenged in ways that can be done efficiently and dramatically online.
In-person demonstrations of this interactive experience can be arranged by contacting the Marshall Online Learning office.
Online Learning Enlists KUSC On-Air Talent
KUSC (91.5 FM), the classical music station in Los Angeles (sponsored in part by the Marshall School of Business), has a roster of veteran on-air personalities who provide this much needed music service from studios in the ATT building in downtown Los Angeles. One of the youngest hosts is Brian Lauritzen, whose "Inside the Music with Brian Lauritzen" is about to be launched by KUSC, in addition to his afternoon show, as a "concert series with a tour guide".
The Marshall Online Learning team felt that Brian's voice might also be a very effective, professional voice tool to anchor the "Preparing for Online" video that would be included in the Opening Marshall Online Learning screen.
The audio recording took place at the KUSC studios and the plan is to include this voice-over resource in other videos as well.
First MBT Online Course Recognized
Marshall 2013 Evan C. Thompson Teaching and Learning Innovation Award to Professor Patricia Mills, J.D., LL.M.
Leventhal Professor Patti Mills, whose online course, Advanced Partnership Taxation, is the first offering available in the MBT Online degree program, was presented the Marshall 2013 Evan C. Thompson Teaching and Learning Innovation Award. In a special May 3rd. ceremony at the Davidson Conference Center, Professor Mills was honored for her innovative use of technology in the development and launch of her online course.
Working closely with the eLearning at Marshall team that effort included mini-lectures, scripted case-study scenarios, mastery checks of different designs, two unique analysis tools, a web camera-enhanced discussion forum, and a group of varied Guest Speakers.
In later interviews with Professor Mills, she confided that in the beginning she reserved judgment on the conversion of her in-class approach to that of an online experience. After conducting a cohort of the class, she commented:
“Overall, I felt that the students performed as well as, if not better than, similar students in the classroom, and the grades and submissions in this course certainly reflected that."
With the online class, the students each had to spend time reading the material and working on the exercises, before they would be able to complete the weekly graded assignments. I believe that the students were clearly more involved in their learning, and this self-learning enabled us to have more sophisticated discussions when we were online together."
Her observations continued when the topic of exercises and discussion forums was discussed.
“I also received a lot of informal feedback from students as we were going through the course. One student told me he was having a "blast" which was a new comment for me in an accounting class!"
Overall, the students seemed extremely pleased. I believe that it exceeded the expectations of most students. They seemed to particularly enjoy the exercises and the guest interviews. Clearly the students liked the flexibility of working on their own time schedule and not having to make the commute to campus. "Attendance" at the weekly WebEx meetings far exceeded typical on-campus attendance. Those working professionals who had to be away at training or at a client engagement were generally still able to call into our MarshallTALK web meetings.”
Professor Mills has since completed her subsequent online courses: ACCT 551T Taxation of Partnerships and S-Corps, and ACCT 550T, Tax Research and Professional Responsibilities.
Marshall Online Course Makes Long Distance Connection
Expert testimonials are considered valuable additions to any USC Marshall online course.
When Professor Patti Mills wanted to interview leading Tax Reform expert, Jeff Kummer of Deloitte - Washington, D.C. for her ACCT 550T online course, it was at the height of tax season. Unable to appear live on the USC campus, the Marshall Online Learning team decided to establish with Professor Mills a special communication link between her and Kummer.
The direct, cross-country link, made with the cooperation of the Deloitte Los Angeles office and technical staff, allowed the hour long, face-to-face interview to take place. Recorded in real-time, Professor Mills was later able to edit specific clips for use in individual modules throughout the online course.
Professor Jack Barcal and New Technology
As witnessed by completion of his initial online course, Acct 560T, Leventhal Professor Jack Barcal is fascinated by new technology. Whether it's his ability to call up his favorite YouTube video of Nina Simone, spreading the gospel on all-electric vehicles like the sparkling new Tesla automobile he drives, or building an online course that takes every advantage to display his own unique teaching method, Professor Barcal is more than willing to embrace forward-thinking technology.
In his ACCT 560T class, his varied array of thematic ties form a mnemonic device for memorizing complex tax case law in both his in-class and now online course. There's a Mickey Mouse tie that symbolizes the rulings of a particular legal case. There's a Corvette tie that relates to a particular NFL player's court ruling about the fiscal signifigance of his Most Valuable Player Award. There's a train whistle tie, a cow tie, and even a much-cherished Fenwick High School letter sweater to symbolize his grade for another court ruling.
Professor Joe Keller Has a Story to Tell
Joe Keller draws from 30 years of partnership experience with Arthur Andersen, LLP and leadership positions with Bank of America/Security Pacific Bank. His course content includes practical tools and lessons used by accountants in their everyday practice.
In additional to technical information, Joe also provides an ethical perspective through a series of vignettes, stories, and quotes. Students have acknowledged gaining valuable insights from these nuggets of wisdom and experience.
Coupled with numerous real-life scenarios, Keller, with the Marshall online team, has created an online course with learner engagement in mind.
"My Dad used to say that 'there is nothing quite as good as being good tired'." Keller relates. "I hope you're good tired from taking this course and it will be of value to you throughout your career."