COME ON DOWN Developments In Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 22, 1995 264 COME ON DOWN T. J. Halatin, Southwest Texas State University ABSTRACT COME ON DOWN is a quiz-game format for introducing early contributors and presenting their contributions in the basic management course. INTRODUCTION A variety of activities can be used to energize the principles of management course. One activity that has been used for several years with success and a positive reception by students is COME ON DOWN. Foundations of Management Several of the current popular principles of management textbooks devote one of the first few chapters to the historical development of management thought The contributions of Taylor, Fayol, and other early and important contributors are identified and described as a foundation for the material that will follow. The names and contributions of these contributors are important in the course as a foundation for understanding the environment in which management evolved. Also, throughout the course, reference will be made to the theories, models and research of these early contributors. Students gain when they are familiar with the early contributors and contributions. The Challenge The chapter and classroom presentation on early contributors and contributions can be a challenge for the instructor. As it is early in the semester, students may still be adding the course and some may be attending for a first time even though it is beyond the first class session. Students who have been attending classes may be neglecting early assignments as they are preoccupied appraising their various courses and classroom cultures in order to prioritize and establish study habits. Even those who are studying the assigned chapters and preparing for the principles of management course may be unfamiliar with what and how to study for the class. Serious students, off to an early start on the course, may be uncertain as to the importance of the various contributors and how to best prepare for this important part of the course. The challenge for the instructor is to devise a method of instruction that recognizes the importance of the material, the realities of the students as described in the preceding paragraph, and the time of this chapter/unit in the course and semester calendar. A response to this challenge is an opportunity for the students to COME ON DOWN. THE ACTIVITY COME ON DOWN is an in-class activity in which students are invited to come to the front of the room and identify the person best associated with a statement taken directly from the textbook. It is a combination of a quiz-game format where teams compete for points and a discussion/lecture. This activity has been used for several years with success and positive reactions from the students. Objectives This activity has been designed and modified to meet specific objectives. These objectives are: 1. Cover the material in the textbook with additional comments, lecture and chalkboard explanations. 2. Have the students involved and participating in the activity. 3. Offer a different and fast-paced method of presentation. 4. Encourage preparation for future class sessions. 5. Build rapport with the students and an enthusiasm for class participation. 6. Prepare students for exam questions related to early contributors and contributions. 7. Encourage students to develop presentation skills. Preparation Several items are prepared before the class session begins. The six items are described below. 1. Name/team identifier. Pieces of paper (approximately 3x5) which will be used to assign Developments In Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 22, 1995 265 students to their respective teams. If there will be seven teams, the pieces of paper are numbered consecutively from one to seven and the series repeated to have a name/team identifier for each student. 2. Answer key. A consecutive list of numbers (1 to 50) is used to develop the answer key. When a statement from the textbook is prepared and selected for the activity, it is assigned an available number on the answer key. The name of the individual contributor associated with the statement and the textbook page reference is entered next to the number on the answer key. 3. Statements. The chapter from the textbook is photocopied. Specific statements about a contributor are cut from the photocopied pages and mounted to a sheet (8 1/2 by II) of paper. Direct references to the person are removed, and the statement is assigned a number from the answer key. The number from the answer key should be written in bold numbers next to the statement so that the instructor can see the number from a distance while the statement is being read by a student. After all of the statements are prepared, they can be photocopied. This is advantageous if the exercise will be used in several sections of the course. The photocopied statements can be cut into strips. The individual strips are folded several times and placed in a container that will be brought into the classroom. 4. Bonus statements. Two or three bonus statements can be prepared on the same paper that is used for the activity. These statements give the team one or more game points just because the student came down and was willing to participate in the activity. These statements will be folded after the exercise is described in class. When folded and mixed with the other statements, all of the pieces of paper should be similar in appearance. 5. Container. A container (a box or box lid) that can be used for mixing the statements and reused for mixing the name/team identifier. 6. Name card. An alphabetical listing of the names of the contributors who are discussed in the chapter. Other names can be included as distractors. Instructions to the Students At the start of the class period each student receives a name/team identifier. Each student is asked to print his/her name on the form next to the number. The forms are collected and placed in a container. The instructor writes the team numbers at the top of the chalkboard and explains how game point totals for each team will be kept under the team’s number. All students on the team with the highest number of game points will receive grade points in the gradebook. The instructor describes how a student’s name will selected and that person will be invited to COME ON DOWN. The student who comes to the front of the room will be asked to select one of the statements and identify the person in the chapter who is associated with that particular statement. The student, trying to earn game points for the team, is to select one name from the name list and indicate the number of game points (0, 1 or 2) being attempted. If the student is correct, the points earned are added to the teams’s total. If the student is incorrect, the points attempted are deducted from the team’s total. Each statement and person is discussed in relation to management and the chapter. REACTIONS OF STUDENTS The reactions and responses by students have been very favorable. Informal surveys and written statements support this activity as an interesting and effective technique for presenting the chapter. Probably the most meaningful comments come from students at the beginning of class sessions when they tell how they studied the assigned chapter and are ready to COME ON DOWN. Table of Contents Volume 22, 1995 Simulation Performance, Learning and Struggle Are Good Simulation Performers Consistently Good? Cognitive and Behavioral Consistency in a Computer-Based Marketing-Simulation-Game Environment: An Empirical Investigation of the Decision-Making Process Chalk & Cheese: Executive Short-Course vs. Academic Simulations Revisiting Personality Bias in Total Enterprise Simulations Are Good Strategies Consistently Good? Investigating the Use of a Computer Simulation as an Effective Pedagogical Tool for the Application of a Strategic Model The Problem of determining an Individualized Simulation's Validity as an Assessment Tool A Simulation Based Analysis of the Value of Information in the Hrebiniak Joyce Typology of Adaptation Relative to Porter's Generic Strategies The Impact of Sales and Income Growth on Profitability and Market Measures in Actual and Simulated Industries A Comparison of a Stand Alone Version of a Simulation with the Traditional Competitive Version Computer-Assisted Gaming of International Business Analyzing Simulations with Computer-Based Programs and Applying the Experience to a Real-World Business A Preliminary Investigation of the Use of a Bankruptcy Indicator in a Simulation Environment Graduates' Views on the Use of Computer Simulation Games Versus Cases as Pedagogical Tools An Analytical Advertising Model Approach to the Determination of Market Demand Dealing with the Complexity Paradox in Business Simulation Games A Prototyping Approach for Incorporating Large Data Bases into Media Planning Simulations: An Example Using Magazine Media Through the Looking Glass, Inc: Superior-Subordinate Personality Type and the Leniency effect Evaluating the Effectiveness of Role Playing Simulation and Other Methods in Teaching Managerial Skills Student and Teacher Perceptions of a Management Simulation Course Performance Evaluation: The Effect on the Propensity to Create Budgetary Slack Management Team Formation for Large Scale Simulations Comparative Static Analysis with the Complete PPA Package: A Strategic Market Planning Tool Consistency in Intent: Learning Objectives at the 1994 Intercollegiate Business Policy Competition A New Twist on an Old Game: The Business Strategy Game: A Global Industry Simulation 3ed Evaluation of Performance in Management Simulation: A Management Coefficients Model Building SimuWorlds: Strategic Management Games of the Future Bulls and Bears: A Stock Market Simulation A Systems Thinking Paradigm and Think Computer Simulation Model of Broadcast and Cable Television Industry Competition Jacket Factory The Sales Management Simulation The Marketing Management Simulation A Demonstration of Promodel Demonstrating A New, Cross-Functional Business Simulation: Vision+ A Cost Chain For The Business Strategy Game Simulation Special Session On Experiential Teaching Compensation Dilemmas: An Exercise In Ethical Decision-Making Organizational Storytelling: Telling Tales In The Business Classroom Evaluating Experiential Training: Case Study And Recommendations The Internship Portfolio: An Innovative Tool For Experiential Learning, Critical Thinking, And Communication An Ethnographic Analysis Of The Pedagogical Impact Of Cooperative Communicating Consumer Behavior: A Long-Term Integrated Exercise Using Personal Consumption Journals And Consumer Analysis Papers An Experiential Paradigm For Teaching Business Problem Solving Developing Leadership Skills The Spss® Student Assistant: The Integration of A Statistical Analysis Program Into A Marketing Research Textbook Negotiating With Your Students Using TQM Principles To Transform Accounting Systems Into An Experiential Exercise Enhancing The Effectiveness Of Outdoor-Based Experiential Training Using Virtual Reality Concepts Case Writing In A Developing Country: An Indonesian Example Experiential Learning Using Focus Groups How Real Should Experiential Pedagogy Be? A Viewpoint From Our Students Reengineering The Internship: A New Approach To Experiential Learning Utilizing The Cosmopolitan/Local And Marginal Man Constructs To Measure Students' Propensity For Creativity Developing Experiential Processes For Teaching Quantitative Techniques For Business Team Learning Roles: A Cooperative Learning Technique Creating the Ultimate Small Business Student Experience: Melding Score/Ace with SBI The Development of Trust in Work Teams: The Impact of Touch Some Outcomes of Experiential Learning: How the Cultural Dynamics of Different Countries are reflected in Workplace Norms & Values Incorporation of Job Analysis Results in Various Forms of Selection Interviews Chudesno, Inc.: An Evaluation of an Experiential Training and Development Simulation An Exercise for Exploring the Relationship between Jungian Psychological Types and Organizational Dynamics Partnership: A Radical Approach to Experiential Learning Partnership: A Nice Idea, But How Do I Get Started? Recognizing Discrimination at Work Using Critical Incident Skills Questions to Help Students Become More Successful at Job Interviewing The Video Project Introduction to Psychological Type Theory Come On Down Understanding Facilitation for Development and Continuous Learning: A Micro-Workshop Leadership and Empowerment: An Experiential Exercise in Decision Making Experiential Exercises and Pedagogy Track Workshop: Selecting a Manager for Maquiladora, Inc. Experiential Training In Multi-Cultural Corporate Settings The Role of Facilitation as an Aid to Complete Learning An Experiential Exercise to Illustrate Difference in Information Processing Behaviors and Styles How to Deliver Accessible Survey Results Age Diversity in the Workplace- Family Feud Style Nafta Standoff: A Cross-Cultural negotiating Role-Play Three Strikes and You're Out!: A Downsizing Experiential Exercise