Faculty Spotlight
December 2002 - January 2003
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Preparing Students for Professional SuccessLaura JollyProfessorCollege of Education, Health, and Human Sciences |
Technology advances permeate all industries today. Keeping a curriculum relevant so that it prepares students effectively for careers in retail, restaurant/hotel management, and recreation/tourism poses a challenge. Laura Jolly, professor in the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, has been meeting that challenge since the early 1980s.
Laura's dissertation advisor was interested in computer-based instruction (CBI) and to that end, had some computer equipment, underpowered by today's standards, stored in the basement. In that basement, reading on a tiny black and white monitor, Laura designed and created retail math problems that would offer students drill and practice toward proficiency in the skills needed to succeed in a rapidly changing industry that had always been driven by bottom line goals.
At that time, large retailers were shifting from paper-based merchandising and buying systems to computer-based systems. Decision-makers with buying responsibilities had worksheets to gather data for analysis. But without the additional processing power and sophisticated spreadsheet software, a manager had limited interactivity with the data. While the worksheets made decision-making more data-driven, it wasn't easy to calculate other scenarios based on "if-then" information.
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