ABSTRACT
For 17 years, Anna Weston and Judy McCloud used a lecture/lab approach to teach the skills and knowledge for effective business communications to class after class of undergraduates. However, both were dissatisfied with the results of their teaching; and as McCloud said, “There has to be a better way, a more valuable way for students to learn to write than by listening to lectures on how to write.” Concurrently, within the School of Business, there was increased concern with the inability of undergraduate students to demonstrate effective problem-solving skills. Thus, Weston and McCloud were supported in their efforts to redesign their business communications course to foster problem-solving skills through the use of an integrated instructional simulation, collaborative learning, problem-based learning instructional strategies, and a learner-centered approach. Students taking business communications in this alternative format were required to demonstrate their ability to (a) recognize different business-writing situations and apply the heuristics followed by good writers, (b) work effectively in a collaborative team environment, and (c) use computers applications (word processing, spreadsheet, graphics and communication) to generate business communications.
