After Dr. Meg Elkins developed the Business Design Project for the Economics and Finance Students at RMIT’s College of Business, she was very excited to see how quickly both students and industry took to it. When detailing their classroom experience in job interviews, students had great success in securing careers in top companies like KPMG. Conversely, industry professionals interacting with RMIT were also “blown away” with what the students were learning.

This Ed Talk looks at Dr Meg Elkins’ approach to creating an environment for the validation of ideas, authentic assessment and the structuring of learning experiences that encourage experimentation – all within a culture that accepts feedback from peers and mentors alike!

The students who have taken this course have now been in industry for a year and had the opportunity to enter an environment where they can create, develop, test and launch a commercially-viable business solution. Meg goes on to talk about how those that excel in a course like this are the ones that truly “test the boundaries”. And while acknowledging students are actually ‘playing’ in a safe environment, that this has not stopped them from making key decisions and taking full advantage of the range of resources they have at their disposal.

Meg also gives students an opportunity to interact with industry professionals in the classroom. The speakers take a pragmatic and useful approach as they expand upon the working styles and scenarios students may encounter when they return to industry. The value can be as simple as hearing the current language and terminology a Product Manager uses, as this sector undergoes consistent change and requires a student to have a contemporary understanding in order to participate in a business conversation. One of many once they have launched themselves on their career pathway.