For years, WilmU adjunct Jacqueline Smith has taught students to navigate issues in the globalization of IT systems. Many of her students are from other countries, and Smith has noticed recurring challenges in communication and wants to help.
“Because they were from other countries, they were shy, low-spoken, and tended to interact with only those they knew in the class. I thought long and hard about how to get them engaged,” she recalls.
Smith called upon her talent for writing skits in which students succeed.
“During the first week, I go over class expectations and I lecture. In week two, I look at the class and say count off 1,2,3… and regroup by number. They are now separated from their friends. I then say: ‘Welcome to Seth Pharmaceuticals.’ I give them a brief history background about the business and tell them what I am looking for to improve business processes and revenues. Each week, I use information from the modules and have them research as a group their solution. The other groups become stakeholders along with me, the CEO, and give input and challenge certain recommendations,” she explains.
During week seven, there’s a pizza party where students discuss their learning. Students can earn extra points that can be applied at the end of the block if they are struggling with written assignments.
“One student told me, ‘I may not remember everything you said, but I will always remember how you made me feel,’” Smith says.