The Do Better, Be Better Project: Teaching Corporate Responsibility and Social Justice Through Experience

Business schools typically teach corporate responsibility through academic theory or case studies; yet, many business schools acknowledge the value of experiential learning and express a desire to move away from the traditional lecture and case study pedagogies. This article describes an innovative and ambitious project that teaches the lessons of corporate responsibility and social justice through experience. The Do Better, Be Better Project combines the pedagogical benefits of experiential learning, service learning, and self‐guided projects. Uniquely, the Do Better, Be Better Project brings alumni into the classroom by assigning every student (or team) an alumni advisor. While many pedagogies exist that yield one of these benefits, very few accomplish so many goals in one project. During the Do Better, Be Better Project, students to spend a semester creating positive change on an issue about which they care deeply, offering opportunities to create knowledge through experience and reflection. This article discusses the pedagogical benefits of using experiential and service learning to teach corporate responsibility and social justice, the value of self‐guided projects for business students, and the benefits created by engaging alumni in a substantive classroom project. Finally, this article provides detailed instructions on how to use the Do Better, Be Better Project in a business school classroom.