Students at Tennessee Technological University got semester-long immersive learning opportunity with local cafe

Sherrie Cannon, who teaches retail marketing management at Tennessee Technological University, gave her students, and a local business owner, an exciting semester-long opportunity. The students worked with the cafe’s owner, Jamie Lankford, to get to know the business, and at the end of the semester, students proposed social media and marketing strategies.

According to an article on Tennessee Technological University’s website, this type of immersive learning is exactly the kind of experience the school aims to provide for its students as often as possible. Cheryl Montgomery, who serves as the director of program development and engagement at the College of Business, said of the project, “Experiential learning is high on our priority list as a university right now and Sherrie took it to heart. She decided to focus on our own community and provide an opportunity for our students to engage in a real-world marketing scenario. These students are leaving the class with a body of work they can show a potential employer. It’s something very tangible that gives our Tennessee Tech students a leg up.”

The project was successful and proved to be beneficial for everyone involved. For the students, it was an exciting way to learn the concepts in their retail marketing management course that didn’t have them completely depending on lectures and textbooks. Shannon Sherman, a senior in the class, enjoyed the hands-on opportunity. She said, “We presented with Jamie and two of her investors in the room. That was super beneficial to us because we could see her reactions in real-time to know what’s working and what’s not. Seeing her excitement helped ease our nerves. She was so personable.”

The class divided into teams to provide Lankford with several ideas for ways she could make changes to or improve her business strategies. Sherman’s team, for example, proposed a new email marketing campaign and a selfie mirror to encourage customers to share the business on their social media pages. Many of the ideas presented to Lankford and her partners are ones she plans to actually implement.

“The students came up with so many great things. I can’t emphasize that enough. They were all so professional. We have one marketing concept we’ve already started implementing. It’s going really well for us so far. Another one of the groups went through and created an entire video reel with drone footage and everything. They had an idea for Valentine’s Day we’re probably going to use,” said Lankford.

For Cannon, the idea to partner her students up with a local business for the semester in this way was a natural fit. She used to own four businesses in the Upper Cumberland area before becoming Tennessee Tech’s associate director for professional development and an adjunct instructor. 

“I was absolutely thrilled with their final presentations. They put in a lot of time and effort. This was not something you could do in 24 hours. It takes the whole semester. In order to provide a great marketing concept, you really have to look at all the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to the business and the industry. You’re taking on a client and presenting just as you would if you were in a boardroom,” said Cannon.

Cannon will be teaching the class again in 2025, and is looking to find another small business her students can work with in this way. 

For more information about Tennessee Technological University, visit the school’s website.