After several successful service-learning projects, Rachel Lundbohm, an instructor in the Business Department at the University of Minnesota, Crookston, engaged her classes in an
effort to further previous research and to engage students in new learning opportunities. The projects her marketing classes took on involved the development of marketing plans for the Northwest Minnesota Area Health Education Center (AHEC), a continuation of work begun in fall semester 2009, and a new project working with the Crookston Eagles Club.
The marketing service-learning project her online integrated marketing communications class worked on this spring built on the research conducted last fall in her marketing research class for AHEC. The 25 students taking the course online developed a marketing plan for AHEC to help address high school students' perceptions of career choices in general and healthcare related careers specifically. Service learning combines academic classroom curriculum with meaningful community service.
"To help students work on the project, we created a forum for the students to do an analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for the organization, known more commonly as a SWOT analysis," explains Lundbohm. "Essentially we had an online brainstorming session."
Since members of the class were located all over the country including Idaho, California, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota, the class will present their marketing plan in a formal document without a presentation. With that marketing plan in hand, AHEC will determine which parts of the plan they can implement now and in the future.
A marketing plan for the Crookston Eagles Club, a client-based project, was the goal for students taking Lundbohm's marketing strategies class, a capstone course for business students at the U of M, Crookston. Sue Brorson, Ph.D., head of the Business Department put Lundbohm in touch with Bruce Meyer from the Eagles Club to determine the suitability of the project for her class. Meyer presented background information to the students and they were divided into working groups to take responsibility for different aspects of the project.
"Our class conducted research and developed a series of recommendations that are all strategy based," Lundbohm said. "We looked at both the membership and customer aspects for the Eagles. Students engaged in both external and internal analysis and how to best leverage the strengths of the business."
The class of 18 students did reading and homework online and then met in the classroom to work together on the Eagles' project. Feedback from classmates provided important information for each of the working groups.
Today the University of Minnesota, Crookston delivers more than 25 bachelor's degree programs and 50 concentrations, including several online degrees, in agriculture and natural resources; arts, humanities and social sciences; business; and math, science and technology. With an enrollment of about 1,300 undergraduates, the Crookston campus offers a supportive, close-knit atmosphere that leads to a prestigious University of Minnesota degree. "Small Campus. Big Degree." To learn more, visit www.umcrookston.edu.
In the photo: Front Row (l to r): Treasure Clemons, Minneapolis, Minn.; Abbie Tosh, Climax, Minn.; Yiyun Zhu, Zhejiang, China; Stephani Onken, Round Lake, Minn.; and Cynthia Weber, Crookston, Minn. Middle Row: Krista Nelson, Cokato, Minn.; Rachel Lundbohm (instructor), Martin Husicka, Vsetin, Czech Republic; Jessica DeBoer, Crookston, Minn.; Sung Soo Lee, Gyeong-Gi Do, Korea; Kyu Tae Kim, Seoul, South Korea; and Jack Bone, representing the Eagles. Back Row: Mike Larsen, Bluffdale, Utah; Collin Perry, Grand Forks, N.D.; Adeboye Adeyeye, Bromley, Kent, England; Jared Hendricks, Owatonna, Minn.; Nicholas Nelson, Cold Spring, Minn.; Brett Wright, Cortland, N.Y.; and Jake Fee, Eagles manager.
effort to further previous research and to engage students in new learning opportunities. The projects her marketing classes took on involved the development of marketing plans for the Northwest Minnesota Area Health Education Center (AHEC), a continuation of work begun in fall semester 2009, and a new project working with the Crookston Eagles Club.The marketing service-learning project her online integrated marketing communications class worked on this spring built on the research conducted last fall in her marketing research class for AHEC. The 25 students taking the course online developed a marketing plan for AHEC to help address high school students' perceptions of career choices in general and healthcare related careers specifically. Service learning combines academic classroom curriculum with meaningful community service.
"To help students work on the project, we created a forum for the students to do an analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for the organization, known more commonly as a SWOT analysis," explains Lundbohm. "Essentially we had an online brainstorming session."
Since members of the class were located all over the country including Idaho, California, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota, the class will present their marketing plan in a formal document without a presentation. With that marketing plan in hand, AHEC will determine which parts of the plan they can implement now and in the future.
A marketing plan for the Crookston Eagles Club, a client-based project, was the goal for students taking Lundbohm's marketing strategies class, a capstone course for business students at the U of M, Crookston. Sue Brorson, Ph.D., head of the Business Department put Lundbohm in touch with Bruce Meyer from the Eagles Club to determine the suitability of the project for her class. Meyer presented background information to the students and they were divided into working groups to take responsibility for different aspects of the project.
"Our class conducted research and developed a series of recommendations that are all strategy based," Lundbohm said. "We looked at both the membership and customer aspects for the Eagles. Students engaged in both external and internal analysis and how to best leverage the strengths of the business."
The class of 18 students did reading and homework online and then met in the classroom to work together on the Eagles' project. Feedback from classmates provided important information for each of the working groups.
Today the University of Minnesota, Crookston delivers more than 25 bachelor's degree programs and 50 concentrations, including several online degrees, in agriculture and natural resources; arts, humanities and social sciences; business; and math, science and technology. With an enrollment of about 1,300 undergraduates, the Crookston campus offers a supportive, close-knit atmosphere that leads to a prestigious University of Minnesota degree. "Small Campus. Big Degree." To learn more, visit www.umcrookston.edu.
In the photo: Front Row (l to r): Treasure Clemons, Minneapolis, Minn.; Abbie Tosh, Climax, Minn.; Yiyun Zhu, Zhejiang, China; Stephani Onken, Round Lake, Minn.; and Cynthia Weber, Crookston, Minn. Middle Row: Krista Nelson, Cokato, Minn.; Rachel Lundbohm (instructor), Martin Husicka, Vsetin, Czech Republic; Jessica DeBoer, Crookston, Minn.; Sung Soo Lee, Gyeong-Gi Do, Korea; Kyu Tae Kim, Seoul, South Korea; and Jack Bone, representing the Eagles. Back Row: Mike Larsen, Bluffdale, Utah; Collin Perry, Grand Forks, N.D.; Adeboye Adeyeye, Bromley, Kent, England; Jared Hendricks, Owatonna, Minn.; Nicholas Nelson, Cold Spring, Minn.; Brett Wright, Cortland, N.Y.; and Jake Fee, Eagles manager.
Contact: Rachel Lundbohm, marketing instructor, 218-281-8190 (rlundboh@umn.edu); Elizabeth Tollefson, assistant director, communications, 218-281-8432 (ltollefs@umn.edu)
