Integrating liberal education, business, and high-impact practices – the case of George Mason university’s school of business

Purpose In College Learning for the New Global Century, the National Leadership Council of Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP) argue for a liberal education for all students because “(i)n an economy fueled by innovation, the capabilities developed through a liberal education have become America’s most valuable economic asset.” (LEAP, 2007). The Business for a Better World Center and the School of Business at George Mason University endorse this view and have applied the liberal education approach to the study of business. This paper aims to explore the current environment of business education, the role of liberal education and the school’s programs and their benefits. Design/methodology/approach This paper relies on a case-study approach. Findings In this paper, the authors explore how George Mason University’s School of Business brings a liberal education approach to business education and draws on a combination of high impact practices, such as first-year seminars, common intellectual experiences, learning communities, collaborative assignments, undergraduate research, community-based learning, internships, capstone courses and projects and diversity and global learning (Kuh, 2008). Mason’s experience demonstrates the feasibility and benefits of this integration. Originality/value This case study provides unique insight into how business schools can integrate a liberal education approach into business education with successful results. As such, the paper contributes to the growing body of research on the benefits of liberal arts and business education models as a means of addressing global goals and provides a valuable case study to understand better the necessity of integrative, interdisciplinary learning.

Interviewing an Elder: Students’ Perceptions of Change in an Introduction to Gerontology Classroom

Within the gerontological classroom, high-impact practices and creative assignments have consistently shown to help engage students, optimize learning, and increase positive attitudes toward older adults and aging (e.g., Chonody, 2015; Yamashita, et al., 2018). One such creative assignment, interviewing an older adult, has been cited as both an influential and valuable experience to gerontology students (e.g., O’Hanlon & Brookover, 2002). Although this assignment has been popular in and out of gerontology courses, more data regarding this and student’s understanding is needed. As such, this presentation aims to 1) introduce and establish the value of using the written assignment, "Interview an Elder" in the gerontology classroom and 2) present preliminary qualitative data on how students’ perceptions of older adults changed after the assignment. Using thematic analysis, results suggest that students are not only surprised by what they learned, but have increased positive perceptions of older adults overall.

A Model to Promote University High-Impact Practices Through Community-Based Participatory Research

There has been a shift in higher education from traditional lecture-based learning to incorporating high-impact practices and experiential learning. These practices offer students an opportunity to engage in real-world settings that allow them to apply course content directly into practice. In order for high-impact practices to be effective, both program implementation and evaluation should be conducted collaboratively with community stakeholders, also known as community-based participatory research (CBPR). The Girls Empowering Movement (GEM) initiative, an out-of-school time physical activity program, is an example of CBPR in that it was developed by middle school girls, for middle school girls. The purpose of this article is to provide the framework used to recruit and train undergraduate students to collaboratively lead the GEM initiative in the southeastern United States. This article discusses how community partnerships were created, how specific content and curricular decisions were made to foster a unique learning experience, and how evaluation protocols were created to ensure undergraduate learning and community collaboration.