Cross Functional Experiential Learning In The Iowa State University Business Analysis Laboratory

The Iowa State University (ISU) Business Analysis Laboratory is a cooperative endeavor consisting of partners from industry and ISU’s Colleges of Business, Engineering, and Education. The lab is designed to provide a setting within which students may apply their education to real world business situations. Students work part-time in the Laboratory in multidisciplinary teams, progressing to leadership positions with superior performance over the course of a semester. Faculty members—one each from the Colleges of Business, Education, and Engineering—provide support to students during their work in the Laboratory. The faculty also team-teach an undergraduate Business Administration course (BusAd 392) associated with the Business Lab experience. The course is offered in seminar format and is comprised of instructional components (see Table 1) designed to provide students with some of the skills they require for technological problem solving, innovation, and integration.