[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/malik_mandeep.jpg” caption=”Mandeep Malik, assistant professor of marketing at the DeGroote School of Business, is a strong proponent of experiential learning. “]To truly reap the benefits of a university education, students today need to do a lot more than attend lectures, take notes and write thought provoking assignments. Luckily, McMaster has a long tradition of providing opportunities for experiential education and learning, helping students to reinvent their education by applying their learning in real, industry situations.

“The question I always ask myself is 'do we give our students enough room and opportunities to experiment?'” says Mandeep Malik, an assistant professor of marketing at the DeGroote School of Business. “Students must be able to develop faith in what they are learning in the classroom by applying the concepts to solve real problems. It's very important to engage them so they become active learners.”

Malik, a strong proponent of experiential learning, has spearheaded a variety of programs at DeGroote, including Let's Do Business, MARS Apprentice and the upcoming Focus 2040. These programs allow students to apply in-course knowledge – creating effective marketing plans, developing business strategies, communicating ideas and decisions through formal presentations – to real-world situations. One of the DeGroote programs, Canada's Next Top Ad Exec, has become a significant national competition that challenges undergraduate business students from across the country to develop a marketing campaign for a major auto company.

For Malik, experiential learning works to bridge the gap between the classroom and industry, to create a business-like setting within the School that encourages students to test their ideas in a new environment.

“It is up to us to show students that learning can be rewarding and deliver results,” he says. “Some of these programs give students access to top industry professionals, and can lead to internships or career opportunities, so the payoff is huge.”

Like many faculty members, Malik leverages his industry experience and partnerships to enrich students' education. He hopes that students will remember the important role that their McMaster education played in their lives when they meet with success in the future.
“My goal is that when, ten or fifteen years from now, students reflect on their success, they are able to draw a line back to DeGroote and how its many facets came together to deliver an education. Institutional capital is critical to our future, and will be the key ingredient for a proud alumnus.”