Business Communication, Experiential Learning, and University Entrepreneurship Ecosystems: A Collaborative Model

Through this three-part program, the Carey Business School has developed a new approach to how business schools introduce graduate students to project-based learning while addressing real-world communication skills. The project work and academic content are aligned to create a meaningful collaboration with businesses during the first semester of the full-time MBA program, setting students up to engage well with other businesses during their project-based learning courses. The program’s dynamic partnership approach supports the school, university, and regional business community.

Call to Action

According to the Graduate Management Admissions Council™ 2024 Corporate Recruiters Survey, “problem-solving, communication, and strategic thinking” are the most in-demand skills employers expect from business students.

To meet industry needs, the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) Carey Business School has developed three sequential project-based experiential-learning courses. Students take them during their first year in the full-time MBA program to deepen their understanding and experience in these three important areas.

In 2020, Carey designed the first two initial experiential-learning courses, the Big Data Consulting Project and the Innovation Field Project, to address problem-solving and strategic-thinking skills, respectively.

The Big Data Consulting Project, which runs during the first spring term, partners with a corporation to address a real-world challenge through a data-driven problem-solving approach that leverages the company’s data. Building on this problem-solving skill set, the Innovation Field Project connects student teams with corporate partners on high-impact strategy challenges during the second spring term. A key part of this project is on-site engagement at company locations.

To initiate the full sequence of project-based courses and add communication skills to this model, Carey created a dynamic, experiential business communication course during the first fall term of 2023. The Office of Experiential Learning (OEL) partnered with faculty to design a course with collaboration from appropriately developed startups through the JHU Pava Marie LaPere Center for Entrepreneurship.

In this course, new business school entrants apply communication theory to growing real-world businesses. In its second half, students use their communication knowledge to develop inspirational presentations that require them to communicate as leaders and think strategically about hard-to-solve problems.

Innovation Description

Innovation in the Business Communication course is evident in four areas of its planning and implementation: its partnership strategy, its engagement structure, its initial presentation to students, and its incorporation of key elements of business communication.

OEL collaborated with the Pava Center to source appropriate project partners. Carey has teamed with four startups with existing operations that also need communication support for three groups of stakeholders: customers, partners, and funders.

Each project sponsor has one student team responsible for developing an executive summary, rocket pitch, and infographic for each of the company’s key stakeholders. This structure ensures that each student team has the opportunity to provide value for the company.

During the full-time MBA orientation, OEL introduces the learning objectives of the program’s three-part sequence of project-based courses, including an explanation of the learning community and learning space. As part of this introduction, OEL provides storytelling frameworks to help students discuss business models with entrepreneurs.

During the second session of the OEL orientation, student teams engage directly with business partners to discuss their objectives and business models, enabling them to apply communication theory to their projects during the first week of the course.

Student teams complete their deliverables for the businesses by the end of week five of the eight-week course. During the remaining three weeks, student teams develop presentations to inspire others to create meaningful change in the world with their business education—all while building cohort cohesion and fostering leadership communication skills.

Innovation Impact

This collaborative experiential-learning program impacts several groups, including students, the university’s entrepreneurship ecosystem, and university-affiliated businesses.

Students apply business communication theory to real-world projects during their first term in the program. As first-year student Chika Nzekwe noted, “We presented our work to classmates, faculty members, and our project sponsor, and the experience was nothing short of exhilarating. Collaborating on a project that bridges business innovation and social impact was deeply fulfilling.”

Additionally, by structuring the business communication program as an experiential learning program to engage students with businesses at the beginning of the program, Carey better prepares students for future learning collaborations in a sequence of project-based courses.

To source businesses involved in the university ecosystem, Carey partners with the JHU Technology Ventures office and the Pava Center. Through these partnerships, the school can support the university’s mission to commercialize and develop ideas as well as intellectual property emerging from the university entrepreneurship ecosystem and broader regional business network.

Carey leverages faculty expertise and student engagement to directly support emerging businesses. This collaboration provides entrepreneurs with high-quality materials and new perspectives on key communication challenges.