Experiential Learning in Marketing: Student Consultants

Abstract

" As college students learn about the functions of business in various courses, they often concentrate on the text. The theoretical perspectives tend to stay in the theory realm without any method of evaluating the application of the skills learned in the course. This lack of understanding can even occur in undergraduate research oriented courses if practical experiences are not afforded to the students. The research methodology may be applied to cases supplied by authors of the textbooks, but the students are still not demonstrating their knowledge of the entire research process. Consequently, students at Western Illinois University have been exposed to a different teaching style in the study of research methodology. This approach has also been used in courses other than the marketing research course. The four experiential exercises described below indicate the application of a research oriented experiential approach in undergraduate research, retailing, consumer behavior and advertising courses. "