Tell us about your course.
I teach a sport marketing course at the MBA/MS level with a cohort of 21 students with varying levels of experience - from no prior exposure to marketing concepts or coursework to professional experience in the field. Students seek a curriculum that emphasizes practical applications and real-world relevance.
What specific practices do you use to ensure students are engaged and learning in your classes?
I have a clear structure for the class. The first slides will present five bullet points outlining the key knowledge points of the week. I then create a mini-lecture around each bullet point, followed by in-class activities or group discussions. After that, I design a workshop to help students integrate these five key knowledge points, allowing them to see how the concepts are connected. Each week, I ask students to reflect on what they have learned and identify any areas that need further clarification or any extended topics they would like to explore in upcoming lectures. This helps me tailor the content more effectively to their needs.
How do you know when your practices are working?
Reflection is a valuable way to assess the effectiveness of my teaching practices. I encourage students to reflect on what they have learned each week, which helps me gauge their understanding and identify areas that may need further clarification. Additionally, I make a conscious effort to engage with students before class, especially those who are less active in answering questions. These informal conversations allow me to build rapport, create a welcoming learning environment, and gain insights into their perspectives. To further reinforce connections between concepts, I sometimes ask students to draw concept maps that link the five key knowledge points while incorporating their own examples. This exercise not only helps them visualize the relationships between different ideas but also encourages critical thinking and personalized engagement with the material. By integrating reflection, discussion, and interactive activities, I can continuously refine my teaching approach to enhance student learning and participation.
What are you excited to try next in your teaching?
I’ve been engaging with a sport agency to bring more real-world applications into the classroom, and it’s been valuable to see how students interact with industry insights. I plan to gather feedback on the five bullet points I select for each week's lecture to ensure they reflect the latest developments and techniques in the field. I believe students will be more engaged when they see that the projects they develop in class are not only evaluated academically but also provide meaningful value to the industry. This real-world relevance helps them connect theoretical concepts with practical applications, making their learning experience more impactful.
