Business Education: Past, Present, and Future

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Business Education Past, Present, and Future

• Dr. Marty Yopp
• University of Idaho Boise Center
• 322 E. Front Street, Ste. 440
• Boise, ID 83702
• myopp_at_uidaho.edu

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The Past A Brief History

• In 1925 business courses were called Commercial
  courses and were considered part of the
  requirements for high school graduation.
• Typewriting, Business Math, Business Law, General
  Business, Accounting, and Marketing were
  considered essential to a well rounded high
  school curriculum.

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• Initially the Smith-Hughes Act included
  agriculture, home economics, industrial
  technology but not business.
• In the mid-1960s, federal legislation was passed
  to make business and marketing programs eligible
  for vocational dollars.
• The money was designed to
• Promote programs recruit students
• Purchase modern equipment
• Provide professional development for teachers.

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Pros Cons to Vocational Funds

• Some business educators supported eligibility for
  vocational funds while others did not.
• Schools and programs had to apply to their state
  divisions of Vocational Education to receive
  funds. Not automatic.
• Teachers were supposed to complete the course
  work required for vocational certification.

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• Many business educators wanted to retain their
  academic status.
• They viewed vocational education as attracting
  inferior students.
• This perception prevails today.
• The Big Shift began around 1970 when schools, in
  large numbers, wanted to replace their existing
  typewriters with IBM Selectric typewriters. They
  also wanted data processing equipment, and
  eventually microcomputers.

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Spinoffs from Vocational Status

• A group of business educators left FBLA programs
  and established the Office Education Association
  (now BPA) which was more supportive of vocational
  education and vocational funding.
• Business programs and classes were physically
  moved into vocational wings or buildings.
• Money for equipment was available.

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• Programs, faculty, and students were lumped
  together with other vocational programs which
  were largely blue collar work with your hands
  programs.
• Fewer academic students enrolled in business,
  marketing, and office oriented classes.
• Some programs flourished while others struggled.

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Business Ed The Present

• Microcomputers and Microcomputer Applications
  resulted in an elevation of the status of
  business teachers and their subject matter
  expertise.
• Business teachers had to retool in large numbers.
• Business teachers became viewed as the technology
  leaders in their schools.

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• Basic business and accounting courses were lost
  in favor of computer applications and technology
  courses.
• Office practices, procedures, and word processing
  (with skill development) were replaced by
  computer courses using Microsoft Office
  Applications.
• Keyboarding was offered at different times in
  different places. Skill development suffered.
  High quality keyboarding standards were not
  maintained.
• Students developed bad habits.

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Mixed Messages

• Primary responsibility is to somehow keep pace
  with technology, faster computers, the latest
  version of software, prepare students to pass
  certification tests.
• Primary responsibility is to align the business
  curriculum with academic standards and prepare
  students to transition into college.
• Primary responsibility is to prepare students to
  enter the workplace.

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• Primary responsibility is to help each student
  grow and develop in accordance with their
  background, experience, interests, abilities,
  aptitude, and culture.
• I must recognize and provide nurturing and
  support for at-risk students.
• I must provide challenging and relevant
  assignments and projects for all my students.
• I must recognize and respect diversity and
  individual differences.
• I must ensure that all students can pass the
  academic standards assessments.
• I must do all of this and more with larger
  classes, fewer resources, and more uncertainty
  about the future.

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Some Suggestions

• Develop lessons, projects, and activities which
  begin with fairly simple and basic assignments
  and then become more complex and sophisticated at
  level two or three.
• Level 1 Prepare a simple spreadsheet.
• Level 2 Add additional rows and columns and
  include some formulas.
• Level 3 Enhance the appearance of the
  spreadsheet and make projections for the future.

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Teach Students not Subjects

• Content is important but students are more
  important. Be student centered. Help all
  students find some level of success.
• Use plus points not minus points.
• Allow students to go back and correct their
  mistakes before moving on.
• Do not allow inferior work to count. Emphasize
  quality over quantity. Use mailability
  standards. Three mistakes and it is
  unsatisfactory and must be redone.

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Encourage students to work in pairs and to learn
together

• In society and the workplace people are expected
  to work well together. We need to make our
  classrooms more representative of what is taking
  place in the work environment. Fewer and fewer
  people work in isolation. They are part of a
  team who work together to solve problems and get
  things done.
• Have assignments turned in as units not just
  daily assignments.

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Keyboarding is a Computer Application

• If your computer application students have poor
  keyboarding skills, provide them with some
  keyboarding drills they must complete as part of
  their growth and development effort.
  First-finger, first reach drills work well to
  improve the use of the correct fingers.
  (www.educ.uidaho.edu/bustech) under keyboarding.
  Alphabetic sentences also work well to improve
  basic keyboarding skills.
• At 20 to 25 wpm students can keyboard more
  efficiently than they can hand write.

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Dont Ignore the Basics

• Teach basic business, accounting, and economics
  in your technology classes.
• Teach technology in your basic business,
  accounting, and economic classes.
• Give students a problem or simulation and have
  them determine how they are going to use
  technology to solve the problem.
• Dont rely too heavily on tutorials for computer
  applications. Give them real assignments for
  which there is no answer key.

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Teach accounting along with business plans

• Entrepreneurship and school based enterprise
  activities are popular.
• When developing a business plan teach students to
  develop a chart-of-accounts for their business
  and then to come up with sample transactions they
  might have the first month they are in operation.
• Journalize, post, prepare a worksheet and
  financial statements for the business.

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Powerpoint Web Sites

• When students prepare presentations and web sites
  require them to use a business topic which they
  research.
• That way they are learning about business as they
  are learning to use technology.
• Encourage them to explore local or regional
  business issues and/or contemporary economic
  conditions as the basis for their work. Use
  current events.

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The Future of Business Education

• Serving ALL Students
• National standards and guidelines for business
  educators emphasize the need to educate all
  studentsnot just those majoring in business.
• Business, economics, personal finance,
  accounting, marketing, law, careers, critical
  thinking, decision-making impact everyone.

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• Align standards for business education and
  academics Business courses help students meet
  the academic standards on which they are assessed
  (reading, writing, social studies, math).
• Connect with the Business Community as frequently
  as you possibly can.
• Move from assessment to proficiency.
  Demonstrated competencies over time are what
  matters most.
• Business economics drive this country and the
  world. We deal with REAL!

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National Business Education Standards Call For

• Economically literate citizens
• Interpersonal, teamwork, and leadership skills
• Career Awareness lifelong learning skills
• Use technology for personal and business
  decisions
• Effective communicate skills
• Use of accounting for decision-making

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• Understand the principles of law
• Value an entrepreneurial spirit in small business
  and the corporate environment.
• Apply critical-thinking skills to multiple roles
  as citizens, consumers, workers, managers,
  owners, and directors of our own economic future.
• Teach students the ARMA Filing Rules
• Teach some International Business Economics
• Infuse marketing into business and business into
  marketing

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• Operate your classroom more like a business than
  a school room
• Expect students to behave as they would in the
  workplace
• Require them to accept responsibility for the
  quality of their work. Dont reward junk.
  Demand quality which meets industry standards
• Utilize relevant problems or projects as much as
  possible
• Keep them busy the entire class period
• Rotate students on and off computers with
  specialized software or hardware

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The Final Word

• Business educators should facilitate learning in
  a student-centered environment. Learning is
  customized Students select projects and work
  independently or in teams to use technology to
  solve unstructured problems. Assignments support
  independence, creativity, and collaboration.
  Trust respect are essential for growth,
  development, and success.