To accomplish my goal of application to the real-world, I use the Wall St. Journal extensively in class. Class concepts, terms, definitions, and theories are applied to the article to see if the classroom theory agrees with the real-world observation. Where real-world events differ with theory, discussion is prompted to explain the differences. Another area where I believe I differ with colleagues is the area of employment. Particularly in senior level courses, I try to discuss job related issues with the students.
Many students feel lost and alone when entering the job market.
We discuss possible employment, likely areas that will be available in the future, pros and cons of certain jobs, and expected salaries. Not only does this alleviate some stress for the students, it allows a careful examination of certain finance related industries and whether or not a student wants to work in that field. In summary, my teaching philosophy is to prepare students for success in the real-world. I feel that a student s greatest achievement at the University of Southern Mississippi is the ability to apply concepts learned in the classroom to real-world problems. If students are not able to succeed in the real-world with the skills learned in the classroom, I believe we have failed as educators.