From the Classroom to the Boardroom: Corporate Engagement Programs That Integrate Theory and Practice Onsite With Business Executives

Building upon existing experiential learning processes, this paper presents an extended experimental learning framework for creating Corporate Engagement Programs (CEPs). The research answers the AACSB call for “engagement programs” which leverage passive and active pedagogies to connect in-class-lessons to engagement activities with corporate executives, helping bridge the gap between skills of marketing graduates and expectations of hiring managers. We present two CEPs using a seven-phase framework. Mixed-methods results suggest the programs successfully link in-class lessons to professional applications across five focal (SMART) objectives. Challenges, benefits, and suggestions for future research are discussed.