Jes INNOVATION ABSTRACTS 3's" IES | AGUS Published by the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development With support from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation and Sid W. Richardson Foundation TEACHING SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT: USING MULTIPLE TEACHING STRATEGIES Small businesses are starting and failing by the thousands every year. Are we also failing as educators and educational institutions by not providing that segment of our society with management skills and attitudes that could help them be successful? The three-year, non-credit Small Business Management (SBM) program at Lane Community College (LCC) offers the benefits of instruction in business management to small business owners. The Small Business Management Program The SBM program is characterized by: (1) limited enrollment, (2) topics of instruction formulated with stu- dent input and aimed at the accomplishment of business and personal goals, (3) monthly visits by the instructor to each student/owner’s business, (4) classroom instruction once each month, and (5) analysis of each student's business operation and application of that information to improve its management and organization. Program instructors recognize the entrepreneurial traits of small business owners and implement teaching approaches that are consistently results-oriented. Course information and materials are disseminated through: (1) class lectures, case studies, small group discussions, and demonstrations; (2) one-on-one instruction at the student's business; (3) the business library's books, periodicals, journals, and videotapes; (4) individual and group instruction on computers in the small busi- ness computer center; (5) hands-on experience with a portable computer, taken by the instructor to each student's business at the time of the on-site visit; (6) monthly, quarterly, and/or year-end business computer ana- lyses; and (7) interaction among, business owners in SBM classes. Classroom Instruction The instruction in SBM classes must be innovative and flexible to meet the changing business environment and structured to give immediate feedback. This unique business and education partnership relies heavily on successfully combining traditional instructional strategies with contemporary technology. A number of traditional methods of instruction are used to convey management material to small business owners—for example, lecture, case study, small group discussion, and demonstration. A typical class session might include a lecture on employer-employee relations, followed by student/business owners working in small groups on a related case study and then demonstrating the skills and/or attitudes necessary for a response to the case study material. Using a lively combination of instructional methods builds in activity and student motiva- tion which, in turn, helps stimulate a business owner who must work all day and then attend a three-hour class session, On-Site Instruction The one-on-one instruction at the business site is the key to the program’s focus on individualized learn- ing. Each business owner has special problems that may pertain only to his/her specific business interests. Therefore, the instructor's visit to the business site is the best opportunity for discussion of individual questions specific to that student. As well, classroom instruction is amplified and personalized in site visit discussions. For example, if employer- employee relations is taught in class, the subject is one topic of discussion at the next site visit. The instructor’s role is one of asking questions, listening, guiding, and reinforcing. The instructor might ask a ques- tion about employee morale, listen to the answer, and then guide the business owner toward the development of a solution—all the while reinforcing the appropriate behaviors, helping evaluate and praising the plan for fu- ture improvements. Instruction at the business site is an opportunity to develop or reinforce new skills and attitudes. When in- terest in course content has been stimulated, the student is referred to other available instructional resources and encouraged to continue the inquiry and solution development process. (o) , Community College Leadership Program, The University of Texas at Austin, EDB 348, Austin, Texas 78712