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ABSTRACT
This exercise borrows from the in-basket and survival game pedagogies to create a list of activities faced by a store manager at the beginning of a hypothetical day. The article describes how the use of input from industry experts facilitates an active-learning environment that challenges students to make decisions based on real-world circumstances. The results of two separate administrations of the assignment demonstrate that instantaneous and random changes to the hypothetical day increase student interest and satisfaction with the assignment when compared to students that only considered one set of hypothetical situations. The article concludes with a discussion of the overall positive impact of the assignment and its ability for adaptability to other courses.
Keywords: randomization, active learning, survival games, in-baskets, student satisfaction.
INTRODUCTION
A focal point of this assignment is to promote active learning that allows students to reach a strong conclusion through higher order thinking. As Weldy and Turnipseed (2010) point out, many educators are revitalizing their coursework to incorporate more active learning techniques so that assessment challenges can be met for the accreditation standards set forth by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Additionally, it continues to be demonstrated that students benefit greatly from real-world knowledge (e.g., Sweeney et al 2009). Finally, it has been documented that creative applications of random outcomes, such as using a random number generator to choose students for class participation, engage students in the classroom (Keeling 2007). Therefore, the challenge was to create an assignment that had elements of active learning, real-world application, and randomized job-related situations that impact a retail store managers typical or not so typical day.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Active Learning
Bonwell and Eison (1991) define active learning as an instructional method that engages students in the learning process. Additionally, active learning has been praised as an effective means to reach the Millennial generation who have grown up in an interactive world including the internet and video games (Howe and Strauss 2000). In a classic educational work, Bloom (1956) defined and categorized six levels of cognitively related teaching objectives. Blooms learning hierarchy is as follows:
1. Knowledge: lowest-level category, involves the remembering or recall of specifics.
2. Comprehension: a low level of understanding, including acts of translating, interpreting, and exploration.