With 60 videos now online, Ball State University educator Deva Rangarajan is providing sales and marketing knowledge to people who want to boost their business skills.
With topics ranging from sales enablement to customer success, Rangarajan, who teaches marketing in the Miller College of Business (MCOB), believes the project will assist business-minded individuals ranging from recent college graduates to longtime members of the workforce.
“Employees in today’s workforce constantly need to upgrade their skills,” he said. “Recent studies have shown that after just two years of graduate college, people need refresher courses. Others will need to learn new skills as their jobs change or they want to focus on their career aspirations.”
The videos are meant to complement current college textbooks and other online learning materials.
Rangarajan began the project in 2017 after starting at Ball State. He has worked with University Media Services to produce the videos. They range from just a few minutes to more in-depth versions of about 40 minutes.
“This project started because from my experience, many entry-level jobs start in sales, but a great many college graduates never took a sales class,” Rangarajan said. “You may get a degree in English lit then get a job in sales. So, I decided to make videos about how to do sales to help these people.”
Rangarajan has also conducted webinars with various Ball State alumni from the Miller College of Business. In the webinars, alumni share information about success, leadership, and other business topics.
“It’s amazing how many our graduates are more than willing to come into the studio or do a Zoom interview,” he said. “I think it means a great deal to the Ball State community when one of their own is in front of them, talking about their field.”
Rangarajan’s project is part of a new emphasis by MCOB to utilize its faculty and alumni to assist and develop the business community, said Stephen Ferris, the Bryan Dean of the Miller College of Business.
“Our college is at the forefront of providing online education opportunities to individuals of all skill levels,” he said. “We want faculty throughout our college to develop lifelong learning programs because of the growing need of such programs.”
Ferris noted the college also has developed its new executive education program, which offers a wide range of programs to help individuals and organizations succeed. The fields include management and strategy, innovation and entrepreneurship, accounting, and professional selling.
Rangarajan believes providing additional learning opportunities will invigorate higher education and boost partnerships between higher education and the business community.
“As classroom professors, we are learning how to upgrade our skills by taking what we know and creating easily digestible videos,” Rangarajan said. “Corporate America is demanding this type of learning for its workforce. We are on the cutting edge of a transformation of education as well as strengthening ties with companies across the globe.”
The videos are posted by MCOB’s Center for Professional Selling at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWzoY5P7gIt74c-kpNODX9A/videos.