At a Glance
Institution:
Conestoga College
Instructor:
Margaret Strawbridge
Course Name:
Sales
Course Material in Use:
Futrell, ABC's Of Relationship Selling Through Service, 8ce
Resource in Use:
Connect
Course Type:
In Person, Online Synchronous and Asynchronous
Integration:
Sakai
Course Enrollment:
2,500+
The Challenge: Preparing Students for Class
Before adopting Connect into her Sales course, Professor Margaret Strawbridge found that students rarely read the assigned course material, missing out on many key concepts and terminology that were important to the sales process. Students came to class unprepared, and the majority of class time was required for covering basic topics, rather than more engaging discussions of how to apply concepts and practicing skills.
Professor Strawbridge implemented Connect in 2022. This was the first time she had used this type of learning technology in her course. She worked closely with her dedicated McGraw Hill representative each semester to ensure that the course shell and instructor setup for 15 instructors would be hassle free. Students are expected to complete SmartBook readings each week, worth 10% of their total grade.
“I think that McGraw’s service for set-up is top notch.”
After adopting Connect, Professor Strawbridge found that students were more familiar with key concepts before coming to class because of the work they had done in SmartBook. By assigning grades to these readings, students were more motivated and likely to complete their readings. Since students began coming to class with prior knowledge of course concepts through their reading, Professor Strawbridge needed to spend less time covering the basics and could have more interesting and engaging discussions about content. This led to deeper understanding for students and allowed them to practice important skills through role-playing in class.
She also found that Connect lightened the load for grading, allowing her to have more time to do application work in class and drill down into concepts. Even her students have shared their positive feedback to Professor Strawbridge!
“I like the service component, along with the quality of the resources in Connect.”
Margaret Strawbridge is a Professor at Conestoga College teaching sales, negotiation, and marketing to undergraduate students in the Marketing Diploma. Margaret holds a Master of Business Administration with a specialization in Leadership and Innovation from the University of Canberra and is currently pursuing her Doctor of Education with a specialization in Organizational Leadership from Aspen University. Her current work reflects the research-backed impact of mindfulness and emotional intelligence in teaching and learning, including fostering student's focus on social-emotional learning, self-regulation, compassion, critical thinking, reflection and stress reduction.
Margaret is a coach for Conestoga's Ontario Colleges Marketing Competition (OCMC) team and loves when students are inspired by the course content and realize that sales is a great career and something they would excel in. Speaking of making connections, the use of McGraw Hill's Connect in the classroom has been a gamechanger for engaging students and creating a positive experience for students.
Recommendations from Professor Strawbridge
"If an instructor is nervous about incorporating a new technology, they can always pilot it for a semester and see if it fits. I would also recommend speaking to another faculty member who is using the technology, they will be able to tell you exactly what is working for them and how to incorporate it the best.”