Graduate Student Project: Employer Operations Management Analysis

Part-time graduate students at an Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business-accredited college complete a unique project by applying operations management concepts to their current employer. More than 92% of 368 graduates indicated that this experiential project was a positive learning experience, and results show a positive impact on content learning. Among 16 course offerings, the project was modified and included periodic feedback and project-weight modification. Periodic project feedback did not improve project performance, but it did enhance exam learning and highlight the critical balance between instructor feedback and student performance. Course-weighting schemes do not always affect student task performance—as instructors may expect—and such schemes may negatively affect other course tasks.