Somerset Schools partners with CESA and Northern Lights to provide additional course offerings to students in northwestern Wisconsin using distance learning tools. Courses are offered based on the needs of our consortium schools. However, the increase in demand for alternate education delivery, such as E-Learning, has illuminated the possibilities to reach even more students without drawing on scarce classroom space.

Alternate education students are looking for vocation-based learning, i.e. give me skills that will qualify me for a job. And in the recession climate we are in, it is often the Marketing positions that become available during the initial stages of recovery. Wisconsin Department of Instruction promotes vocational learning with emphasis and has provided a commanding source for learning standards WI DPI Standards for Marketing (http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/standards/pdf/marketed.pdf)

While much of business education provides training to start-up, manage, record and report business transactions, Marketing courses provide training geared to generate demand for products and services that will meet consumer needs. Marketing is the fuel of our economy—it seeks an effective means to match supply with demand.

Marketing education students will explore attributes of those successful in marketing careers and the power of influence as they learn about Marketing foundations (including leadership & people skills, economic concepts, and professional development) and functions (including information & supply-chain-management, financing, product & service management, promotion, and selling). For illustration, click here or on the link at the bottom of this page.

Course Title: Marketing
For the purpose of moving this plan of instruction to an E-Learning format, this project focuses on the Economic foundation to demonstrate how lesson plans formerly delivered in the classroom can be revised with a variety of E-Learning tools to provide a virtual learning environment. A visual version of the concept map for course objectives and assessment is attached for illustration, click on the link at the bottom of this page to view.

Student Population:

Students seeking vocational and career skills in Marketing are targeted enrollees for this course. Traditional secondary students are welcome to participate; however, the e-learning course would be most appropriate for students without access to classroom offerings in their own school environment, such as 6-12 students in alternative education environments, home-schooled students, or students in schools without a marketing certified instructor.

Curriculum Content:

Foundations of Marketing: The framework of marketing and business education stands on multi-layered foundations:

• Human Resource foundations
  • Basic skills and understandings in mathematics, communications, self-understanding, interpersonal skills, career development and human resources management.
• Economic foundations
  • Basic principles of economics, systems, and trends.
• Marketing and business foundations
  • Studies of the marketing concept, business environment and management systems including business ownership, operation, and the role of the U.S. economy within the global context.

Functions of Marketing: Equally important to the multi-layered foundation, the 9 functions of marketing require similar emphasis.

• Distribution
• Financing
• Marketing-information management
• Pricing
• Product/Service planning
• Promotion
• Buying
• Risk Management
• Selling

The learning objectives for economics include the following:

• Objective 1: Given new vocabulary in Economics, students will recognize and associate new terms as they relate them to new concepts by linking the appropriate new term to the corresponding concept given a matching tool (online quiz/test using Google.doc)
• Objective 2: Given a basic overview of Economics concepts using new vocabulary and time to practice using this terminology in context using an online activity, students will incorporate new language within their written and oral assignments and complete at least two rounds of the assigned online activity to demonstrate proficiency in using new vocabulary in their written reflection (using a Muddiest Point format)
• Objective 3: Given new Microsoft Office Version 10.0, students will transfer skills previously mastered and apply learning of upgraded software by practicing use of new features using practice sets or activities and sharing Ah-Ha technology learning with classmates (wiki discussion)
• Objective 4: Given a basic understanding of Economics and improved understanding of technology changes (objective 1-2) and their affect on productivity (objective 3), students will summarize their new perspectives through reflection (written response and course summary using e-portfolio)