{"id":8793,"date":"2017-05-07T19:44:28","date_gmt":"2017-05-08T00:44:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/mpress\/?p=8793"},"modified":"2018-08-07T19:53:28","modified_gmt":"2018-08-08T00:53:28","slug":"teaching-students-to-excel-in-a-digital-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/mpress\/teaching-students-to-excel-in-a-digital-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Teaching Students to Excel in a Digital World"},"content":{"rendered":"

Digital literacy is a twenty-first century workforce imperative. It\u2019s not enough to understand apps like Uber, Twitter, Yelp, Google Maps or Spotify. College students today need to know how to use business productivity apps \u2014 really use them \u2014 because nearly every industry relies on them.<\/p>\n

\u201cStudents come to college thinking they \u2018know\u2019 technology, but they have a lot to learn about critically thinking through technology in a business environment,\u201d says Stacy Hollins, PhD, associate professor of information systems and assistant dean for Maryville\u2019s Simon School of Business. <\/p>\n

\u201cStudents know how to use social networking tools. And they know how to bold and underline and italicize data. But when I ask them to create formulas in Excel or use other higher-level functions in business technologies, many of them don\u2019t haven\u2019t a clue,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Hollins, who joined the Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPPfaculty last summer, has overhauled ISYS 100, the introductory information systems course formerly known as Computer Literacy and now called Digital Foundations. <\/p>\n

The fundamentals of the course are the same as they\u2019ve always been, Hollins says. It\u2019s the study of systems used to move data around to improve profit and increase productivity. All first-year business students take the course, along with students in other disciplines that require it, such as physical therapy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe baseline skills are the same, even though we\u2019re learning and using apps on the iPad instead of being tethered to computers,\u201d says Hollins. \u201cIn addition to learning new digital technologies, students still need to know how to produce documents, create spreadsheets, design presentation and get into databases to query information.\u201d<\/p>\n

Digital World Applications<\/strong>
\nThroughout the course each student uses an iPad, not computers, Hollins says. The strategy is in keeping with Maryville\u2019s Digital World<\/a> program, which provides an iPad to all undergraduate students.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe course covers many of the apps Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPPprovides for students on the iPad, along with cloud computing and information literacy, which means knowing how to verify information using true data and primary sources,\u201d Hollins says.<\/p>\n

Freshman Mehak Lodhi, a business major who took Digital Foundations last fall, says Hollins makes the subject so interesting, she actually looked forward to going to class \u2014 despite the Monday morning schedule.<\/p>\n

\u201cDr. Hollins taught me so much, I would have to write a whole essay on it,\u201d Lodhi says. \u201cI came into my first class with her, ISYS 100, knowing nothing about computers and iPads. She literally changed my way of looking at technology. She inspired me to like technology.\u201d<\/p>\n

Building Confidence and Skills<\/strong>
\nStudents are often frustrated by the idea of technology before they even begin, says Hollins. \u201cThey come in thinking, \u2018I\u2019ll never get this, I\u2019ll always be behind someone who gets this.\u2019 I work on boosting their confidence in using technology, experimenting and not being afraid of breaking something or messing up a file.\u201d <\/p>\n

Among other skills, students learn file management systems, presentation software, collaboration tools and, of course, Excel, the software most in demand by faculty teaching advanced business classes as well as hiring managers, says Hollins.<\/p>\n

\u201cUsing apps effectively is required in this course,\u201d Hollins says. \u201cI ask students to complete assignments for other classes using apps we\u2019re learning. I\u2019m saying, \u2018What do you have due in your other class? Let\u2019s find a way to use technology to get it done.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Victoria Trammell, majoring in communication sciences and disorders, recalls the benefit of that learning strategy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had an Infographic due in another class, but I had never done one before,\u201d Trammell says. \u201cProfessor Hollins taught us how to make an infographic correctly, and then I could do my project.\u201d<\/p>\n

Breanna McJunkins, a cyber security major, appreciates that Hollins makes her classes relevant for the business world.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe absolutely loves group work because in our future jobs, we will have to do lots of group work with our companies,\u201d McJunkins says. \u201cShe makes us step out of our comfort zone and use abstract thinking all of the time. I’ve learned how important it is to think outside the box when it comes to ideas because nobody wants (to hire) someone who can’t think on their own.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hollins knows information systems can be a dry subject, but she\u2019s determined to bring it to life for students through personal examples from the business world and by emphasizing collaborative learning. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn this world, we\u2019re not going to be able to live without any of this. It\u2019s used in every industry; students won\u2019t leave Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPPwithout touching what I teach,\u201d Hollins says. \u201cFrom the president\u2019s office to any other area in an organization, you can\u2019t get around information systems \u2014 it\u2019s valued throughout any business. Students will be able use it for the rest of their lives and build on it; it\u2019s not a niche subject.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/i>Love<\/span>0<\/span><\/span><\/a> <\/i> <\/i>