Marketing Student are Satisfied With Their Education But Schools Could Do Better

A review of 400,000 marketing students from 600 different colleges and universities within the U.S. found that most students saw the skills they learned favorably but not as much as other students from different fields (Hartley, Routon, & Torres, 2018). They authors argue that greater emphasis on experiential learning and ability to apply their knowledge is important. The ability to practice their skills is important in the curriculum. More analysis, hands on experience and actual application is helpful in this regard.

What is experiential learning? It is the type of learning we gain by doing things. It often involves more active engagement in our minds where boring school curriculum is geared more towards passive learning. As we work with our hands and do things we have more ways to remember the information and commit them to our knowledge banks.

There is a big difference between reading something in a book and actually working on it. This is one of the reasons why schools have field trips, work-study programs, internships, and actual laboratories. They want the students to touch and work with the materials they will be using when they are employed.

In online education the process works a little differently. Internships, labs that offer the materials, case studies and application of knowledge are used. Sometimes videos, virtual reality, and interactive programs help create better knowledge retention.

In either case, it states that improving curriculum will be helpful for making college ready graduates. Employers are pressing universities to do more with limited resources. Expanding the learning time is not a possibility and wouldn't be well received. Therefore, it becomes necessary to remove some less helpful curriculum and replace it with higher quality curriculum.

Hartley, P., Routon, W. & Torres, L. (2018). The Skills Marketing Majors Believe They Acquire: Evidence From a National Survey. Journal of Marketing Education. Retrieved https://doi-org.contentproxy.phoenix.edu/10.1177%2F0273475318757282