Lynn Metcalf, a faculty member in the Industrial Technology and Packaging Area of the Orfalea College of Business, and Catherine Waitinas, an English faculty member, have earned Cal Poly’s 2017 Learn by Doing Scholar Awards.
The annual awards, administered by Kennedy Library, were established in 2014-15 to recognize outstanding scholarship examining Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing philosophy. Winning research projects study the effectiveness of interactive, hands-on teaching methods and make important contributions to scholarly literature. A faculty committee representing each of the university’s six colleges and the library selects the winners, who are formally recognized at Cal Poly’s Fall Conference.
Metcalf received $2,000 in recognition of her completed research, “The Impact of Peer Mentoring on Marketing Content Mastery.” She collaborated with Orfalea College of Business faculty members Stern Neill, Lisa Simon, Sharon Dobson and Brennan Davis to design and test a student-mentor program. Top-performing seniors majoring in marketing management helped students in BUS 460: Principles of Marketing to apply lecture concepts when developing comprehensive marketing projects. Results showed students’ increased content mastery and higher positive perceptions of the class. The research is a valuable contribution to peer mentoring program literature, and the team’s published methodology guide is helping others to develop and improve hands-on peer mentoring programs.
Waitinas received $1,000 for her in-progress research, “Flipping Whitman: Collaborative Learn by Doing in the (Digital) Humanities.” Her work explores how digital manuscripts give students unique historical insights into Walt Whitman’s writing and editing process, comparing Whitman’s drafted manuscripts with his published poems.
“This fresh application of digital humanities demonstrates how new technologies provide innovative opportunities,” said Brett Bodemer, Learn by Doing Award committee chair and College of Liberal Arts librarian. “Waitinas’ research has already received praise from the Modern Language Association and promises to expand applications for other new instruction methods.”
For more information on the awards, visit: http://lib.calpoly.edu/giving/lbd-scholar/. For more information about this year’s award and selection committee, visit: http://lib.calpoly.edu/faculty/learn-by-doing.
Cal Poly Marketing Mentor Program Featured in Marketing Education Review
Cal Poly faculty members Stern Neill, Lisa Simon, Sharon Dobson, Brennan Davis, and Lynn Metcalf have teamed up on research that will appear in the next issue of Marketing Education Review. The article, titled “The Impact of Peer Mentoring on Marketing Content and Mastery,” was based on research they conducted this fall regarding a newly established marketing mentor program in the Orfalea College of Business.
Neill had the initial idea to start a mentorship program at Cal Poly, which formally paired older marking students who had exemplified academic excellence with freshman who were interested in pursuing a concentration in marketing. Metcalf worked with Neil to develop the concept and bring it to fruition at Cal Poly. The mentors worked in collaboration with the faculty members Davis, Simon and Dobson to provide guidance and assistance to the younger marketing students and provided the opportunity for all involved to Learn by Doing.
Throughout the quarter, the professors assessed the course and the effect that the peer mentors had on mentee content mastery. Their research found that students who worked with mentors performed better on a standardized test, reinforcing that the mentors had a positive affect on their learning. Additionally, the study found that the mentors who had key leadership skills had students who preformed better on the tests. The research ultimately showed that, when working a collaborative learning environment, students learn best when mentors seek to involve and recognize their contributions.
The experience not only provided valuable insight about how students learn, but it also provided the mentors with a chance to grow and learn as well. The mentors were immersed in a demanding and engaging learning environment that gave them the tools they will need to succeed in their future careers.
“They say the best way to learn something is to teach it,” said Jenna Hoffman, a business senior who participated as a mentor in the program. “So now I feel like my degree in business and marketing is completely legitimate and qualified as I transition into my career.”
During the quarter the marketing mentors worked along side the professors and gained insight as to what exactly goes into the lesson planning process. They also spent a lot of time working hands on with the students, providing them guidance and assistance wherever they could.
Hoffman’s experience as a mentor not only showed her how classes are run, but also helped to improve her interpersonal skills as she learned to work with different personalities.
“Different leaders have different ways of going about their tasks,” Hoffman said. “As a mentor—and eventually as an employee — it’s important for me to be able to adapt to these variances and contribute my personal best regardless.”
For the full article in Marketing Education Review, visit ____.
Cal Poly Marketing Faculty Members Receive Professorship Awards
Cal Poly’s Orfalea College of Business recently named Professors Lynn Metcalf and Brennan Davis as recipients of the Hood Professorship in Marketing.
The award, founded by a family of Cal Poly alumni, is given each year to marketing faculty who push boundaries to evolve student learning opportunities and support the objectives of the college and university.
Metcalf, who began teaching at Cal Poly in 1986, has led the implementation of the university’s new integrated marketing communications minor and formed a student-centered partnership with consulting firm Trusted Peer. She also fostered dozens of Learn by Doing projects to students in her BUS 454: Marketing Projects class and provided career opportunities for students through the program’s annual Marketing Career Conference.
Davis chairs the Marketing Analytics Task Force comprised of industry leaders to develop courses central to the undergraduate concentration in marketing and Cal Poly’s new Master of Business Analytics program. He also collaborated with marketing faculty to redesign BUS 346: Principles of Marketing, which fosters a mentoring relationship between upperclassmen and new marketing students. Davis joined Cal Poly in 2014.
A committee from within the Orfalea College of Business, including members from its Marketing Area Task Force, the Executive Partners program, and the Dean’s Advisory Council, manage the selection process. The award’s endowment provides resources to further the faculty’s personal and professional development that wouldn’t otherwise be available.
The Hoods created the endowment in 2005 after their daughter Becky graduated with a degree in marketing. The Hoods established a similar endowment to support faculty in Cal Poly’s electrical engineering program, from which dad Richard and son Brian graduated.
“I definitely benefited from the education I received from Cal Poly, and now my children have also received an education that has prepared them for industry today. We donated because we understand the budget situation,” said Richard Hood upon establishing the award in 2005. “Cal Poly is a big part of our family. We respect the programs, value the education, and love the institution.”
Cal Poly Marketing Faculty Receive Professorship Awards
Cal Poly’s Orfalea College of Business announced that Lynn Metcalf, Marketing Area Chair, and Joan Lindsey-Mulkin, marketing professor, are the recipients of the 2014 Hood Professorships in Marketing.
The Richard and Julie Hood Professorship in Marketing recognizes and supports outstanding faculty members in the marketing area. The award, founded by a family of Cal Poly alumni, is given each year to Orfalea College of Business marketing faculty who make a significant impact on students, lead their peers, enhance learning initiatives, provide student project opportunities, and support the objectives of the college and university. A committee from within the college, including members from its Marketing Area Task Force, the Executive Partners program and the Dean’s Advisory Council, manage the selection process. The award’s endowment provides resources for faculty’s personal and professional development that wouldn’t otherwise be available to the instructors.
Metcalf was selected for her role in establishing a partnership with Marketo that would introduce its marketing automation software into the area’s curriculum. She has also been instrumental in developing new cross-disciplinary courses including Integrated Marketing Communications and Marketing Analaytics and Business Intelligence. Lindsey-Mulkin was awarded the distinction for her leadership in providing innovative class projects that epitomize the university’s Learn by Doing philosophy.
The Hood family created the endowment in 2005 after their daughter Becky graduated with a degree in marketing. The Hoods established a similar endowment to support faculty in Cal Poly’s electrical engineering program, where Richard and his son Brian are alumni.
“I definitely benefited from the education I received from Cal Poly, and now my children have also received an education that has prepared them for industry today. We donated because we understand the budget situation,” said Hood upon establishing the award in 2005. “Cal Poly is a big part of our family. We respect the programs, value the education, and love the institution.”
The Hood Professorship is an important example of alumni support in the Marketing area. Similar professorships support the college’s Accounting and Finance areas thanks to the generosity of alumni, industry partners and friends of the Orfalea College of Business.