Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/55943
We hope this platform not only will enable student-generated content, but also will foster a sense of community in the business school. Like other social media, it will allow faculty and students to create profiles about themselves, and this will give them a better sense of who is in their classes, their clubs, and the school of business as a whole. Because we are just launching our digital portal, we can't yet deliver our entire program electronically. Howev- er, we've created a core curriculum that includes nine courses that span from the introductory freshman class to the senior year capstone course. Over the next three years, our goal is to reach 100 percent delivery of textbooks for 30 courses—the 17 in the core, as well as courses specific to certain majors. But our digital education plans don't stop with electronic delivery. For instance, our revamped curriculum includes a business communications course, where students learn how to sell themselves to potential employers. We will create a digital recording of students in practice interviews at the beginning of the class, before they've learned how to present themselves, and again at the end of the class, when they've mastered communication skills. These interviews become part of their ePortfolios, electronic records of their four years at Virginia State University. Students will be able to reference these recordings to benchmark their progress. In addition to the videos, the ePortfolios will include let- ters of recommendation and copies of papers and projects that have been graded and corrected. As part of the digital initiative, papers will be submitted digitally and feedback will be offered the same way. Some instructors may opt to deliver their comments in an audio file so that students will be able to hear their tone of voice and better gauge the nature of the critique. By accessing all this material, potential employers will be able to see a graduate as a three-dimensional individual. Not only will they know what's on a student's résumé, they'll also be familiar with that student's mannerisms, thought process- es, and analytical progress over four years. Challenges and Requirements While we're very excited about our digitally delivered cur- riculum, other schools that want to try something similar should be aware of the challenges. First, for schools with our budget, it's an expensive endeavor. We're looking at investing $250,000 in infrastructure, delivery, and mainte- nance costs. We expect to recoup that investment, but it's a significant outlay at the outset. Second, it must be a rigorous pro- gram even if it's delivered digitally. Put- ting the textbooks of our core courses online was only one part of our cur- riculum redesign. We also developed an integrated, team-taught core curriculum with the goal of breaking down disci- plinary silos. In addition, we partnered with local business sponsors and men- tors who are providing students with real-world experiences, as well as real- world business problems to solve. These changes were just as crucial as committing to digital delivery. Third, the program won't succeed without the support of key members of the administration. If they're lukewarm, the dean will have too many battles to fight. I've had the full buy-in of our administrators, because they see the future and want to move our students in that direction. Finally, it requires a supportive faculty, starting with a fac- ulty champion. At VSU, our leader has been Andrew Feld- stein, an assistant professor of marketing. He culled through potential vendors and helped articulate the digital curricu- lum to other faculty. Our department chairs immediately embraced the vision, and then the rest of the faculty did as well. Today, I see MIS professors talking to accounting pro- fessors who are talking to marketing or management pro- fessors as they discuss how to integrate the curriculum and engage our students. If deans don't have that interest from and interaction among faculty, they're sunk. At Virginia State University, we have had the perfect combination of factors—an incredibly supportive adminis- tration, an enthusiastic faculty, a persuasive champion, and a revamped curriculum we could all believe in. It has been a massive undertaking to make such dramatic changes in a year's time. The joke has been that I'm wear- ing the wheels off my roller skates. But the effort has been worth it, because our students are poised to graduate with the 21st-century skills they need to be successful throughout their careers. ■ z Mirta M. Martin is dean and professor of management at the Reginald F. Lewis School of Business at Virginia State University in Petersburg. BizEd NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 43 THOMAS BARWICK/GETTY IMAGES