Under the leadership of Dr. Oscar Holmes IV, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs, the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee at the Rutgers School of Business–Camden (RSBC) led the revision of our undergraduate curriculum, which started being phased in Fall 2023. The revisions were guided by feedback received from prospective students, current students, external stakeholders, faculty, and staff, Assurance of Learning (AoL) data, and key aspects of RSBC’s strategic plan, mission, and vision.
Through this revision, several courses have been revamped to better tool RSBC students to succeed in the workforce, including Business Communications, Introduction to Business, and Introduction to Information Technology. A summary of the changes can be found below.
Business Communications
~Dr. Rachel Tomlinson, Lecturer, Management and Director of Operations and Administration
According to an analysis of job postings by Hanover Research, communication is the top request skill for candidates. Written language and oral presentation skills comprise the communication learning goal across all undergraduate programs offered by RSBC. This year, under the guidance of Dean Monica Adya and from feedback from the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, Dr. Rachel Tomlinson, Lecturer and Director of Operations and Administration, undertook a revision to the writing-intensive Business Communications Course. This revision included the selection of a new coursebook to serve as an outline and resource for the students through the full process of business communications preparation, development, and editorial review. Throughout the semester, students select a topic relevant to their major, research the topic, and prepare various written assignments and oral presentations, including a memorandum, business report, and business presentation. Specific modules are also included in grammar, proofreading, editing, and brevity tools for presentations.
Introduction to Business
~Dr. Ranjan George, Instructor of Teaching, Management
The Introduction to Business course has been revamped with an Experiential Learning component from the previous title of “Business Essentials,” effective from Fall 2023. This course has been designated by the General Education Committee as an Experiential Learning (XPL) course and fulfills the “cross-cutting” course requirement for graduation. As an XPL course, students directly apply course concepts in real-world settings by doing reflective homework assignments, reading assignments, and a business simulation project during the semester. Students prepare to engage in these designated activities by applying the theories learned in the class into real world applications and reflect on their learning experiences. These activities are a required component of this course and count towards 75% of a student’s final grade. Further, the course includes assignments and projects that incorporate and integrate the experiential learning component. Some of these components include reflection papers, application projects, including a new venture proposal presentation, and a mini-writing paper assignment.
Introduction to Information Technology
~Dr. Emmanual Peters, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Management
Introduction to Business Computing was recently rebranded as Introduction to Information Technology to reflect more closely the topics in this course. The course covers concepts and application of information systems, tools, and technologies, while helping students visualize the day in the life of a business analyst. A significant part of the semester is spent on building competency by executing short projects using the Microsoft Office Suite of tools that most business analysts use for data preparation, analysis, and communication.
Business analytics and machine learning topics are introduced to prepare students for the marketplace. Students complete a prediction project using multiple linear regression analysis, as well as learn the rules for generating valid and efficient models. While working on regression, students also learn the industry standard CRSIP-DM approach to analytics projects. We also discuss the role of information systems in driving value from business operations. Our future goal in this area is to provide hands-on training on an enterprise resource planning and transaction processing system, such as Microsoft Dynamics 365. Developing analytics ability, along with a good understanding of information technology and its role in supporting and transforming organizations, sums up the goals for this course.