Reacting to a Business Environment in an Intensive Course

Abstract

Offer business communications in a four-week period? It may sound like a nightmare, but with some adjustment it can turn into one of the most enjoyable teaching experiences possible.Why would anyone want to condense communications theory, letter writing, report writing, and oral communication skills into such a short period? Necessity. Enrollment in the regular section at the small liberal arts college where I teach had grown to 36 students and showed signs of continued expansion. In a college that advertises close working relationships with students, I felt it increasingly difficult to meet those high standards of quality interactions. With low enrollment in the course I regularly teach during the May term, it seemed the perfect opportunity to offer a four-week experience in business communication and attempt to siphon off students from the next yearly offering.Obviously, not all students would benefit from such a condensed experience. Even the normal prerequisite of a composition class doesn't weed out all the writing problems that students sometimes bring to the class. The opportunity for a thorough review of mechanics and grammar helps students, but a four-week period isn't t enough time to review and apply the improved skills to extensive writing assignments. Thus registration for the May term course required an ACT score in English of 25 or higher, plus written approval of the instructor. This allowed me to describe to students the extensive writing requirements of the class and screen any of those unwilling to take on the workload. The 9 a. m. to 12 p. m.schedule gave students a sizeable afternoon or evening block of time to work on assignments. I had also negotiated a course limit of 15 students to keep my workload down.Students normally take only one course during their May terms, thus making it easy to schedule field trips and special activities. Sessions at Association for Business Communication regional conferences had described projects built around speakers invited to college campuses to discuss communication problems, but a fourweek period wasn't enough time to complete the planning process for such a project. Besides, our rural Iowa location wasn't conducive to easy access to large numbers of business leaders with specific responsibilities in corporate communications.But we could transport students to the business environment where communication responsibilities are carried out. Student response to the possibility was unanimously positive, even when confronted with the extra costs for transportation. Although they had the option to travel to the Des Moines area, the chance to go to the MinneapoIis/St. Paul metro area was much more appealing. After I introduced the possibility, I was confronted with the problem of delivering an itinerary that would make the 200-mile drive worthwhile.Networking was the answer. A call to the college alumni office uncovered several names of individuals in key corporate positions. Although Wartburg College is known for its friendliness, even I was astounded with the re...