Applied Learning In Action

A hallmark of the St. Thomas education, experiential learning is the process of learning through experience. We're proud to incorporate this pedagogy into our newest online format. The Online MBA is taught by the same faculty who teaches our Part-time MBA students, which means you'll enjoy the same rigorous curriculum focused on leadership and analytics, anywhere you are.

Because we strive to offer this same kind of experience to our online format, you may see these types of experiential learning concepts pop up in your courses:

Activities for a hypothetical client:

“In one 'in-class' incident, students were informed about protests at their Minnesota plant because their new Latin American plant was taking jobs from American workers.

Teams were given 30 minutes to develop a plan of action. During that time, my corporate fellow burst into each team room as a 'reporter' asking hard questions about their response. We later showed them videos of their responses. We discussed what worked, what didn't work, and how to prepare for unexpected situations like this. Students said this was one of the most impactful experiences of the semester."

Lisa Abendroth, International Marketing, Elective Course

Case analysis or discussion:

“I’ve incorporated student-led case discussions into class. These cases are based on current event articles and financial reports. Students really enjoy applying the material, teaching it to the class and exploring the ethical dimensions of the issues raised in the cases.”

Stephanie Grimm, Financial Accounting, Core Course

Computer simulation:

“Students do a large project where they analyze the five-year performance of a publically traded company. They build a computer spreadsheet model that can forecast its financial statements for the next five years. The model allows students to run simulations of as many economic scenarios as they wish."

David Vang, Financial Management, Core Course