A Business Class

What would you say the top ways are to learn something new?

In my opinion, there is one definitive and tested way: do it. How do you learn how to mow the lawn (in the most efficient way)? How do you learn how to widdle? How do you learn how to drive a car? (I am serious about this one)

YOU DO IT!

So, to the point and the meaning of the title, why don't more (or any) classes in business (and other) colleges actually do what they teach? I have put some thought in to it, while sitting in my classes listening to teachers hammer on the idea that I need to read my textbooks. I'm sorry. It doesn't have pictures or graphs. But I think I have a solution that would make everyone a better graduate.


How I would structure my university(or my classes):

Take students majoring in small business or entrepreneurial coursework to come up with a product that would fit in a local or regional market. Then, the students would create and run a business around the idea; after all, shouldn't these students be prepared for what they plan on doing anyways?

Marketing students: experience the aspect of researching the market for the product(s). COOL HUNT.

Engineers/management students: design and come up with how to get the product made and ordered. In class building and hands on work!

Artistic students: design packaging, labeling, .....ads (with the advertising students of course)

Finance students: figure out how in the heck it will be paid for, how much it will be sold for, how much the parts will cost...etc.

Time to get it out there!

Transportation students: coordinate the journey of whatever-it-is to the class room, the store, the venue, the whatever!

Advertising/Marketing students: Do what the title of your major is! Market and advertise!

Accounting students: run the books, set up a non-profit.

Law students: Create the LLC. I know this doesn't take much work, but look at the legal side of patents, trademarks, and infringements.

Internet savvy majors/computer engineers: Create a web site. Set up a blog. Tweet and Facebook the product.


Of course, this is not for everyone. You would have to apply for the classes; in addition, the interviews would be conducted by previous students, and these honors-like classes would be fairly small. Each major has a different class so, 10-15 students from each major or related major would meet together, but all the classes meet at the same time. Each year, expand.

I call them:

Real Life:Marketing
Real Life: Finance
Real Life: Entrepreneurs
Real Life: ________




Teach some, do some, learn a ton.

Turn a class in to an experience.