The
innovation immersion course outlined below has been described as the
following: “a phenomenal learning experience,” “lifetime experience,”
and a “great networking opportunity.” Through this course, students have
made contacts and gained information that has significantly facilitated
their job development.
The
course will visit Portland, Seattle, and the Bay Area (San Jose, San
Francisco, etc.). As a background, the study tour/course provides
insights into how real-life companies have turned management strategies
into sustained competitive advantages, as well as, an unprecedented
opportunity to visit the innovation hotbeds of Silicon Valley and the
Pacific Northwest.
Planned company visits include:
1) Nike: the world's largest supplier and manufacturer of athletic shoes and apparel;
2) Facebook: biggest social network on the planet;
3)
Amazon: leading e-retailer in the United States. Earth's most
customer-centric company, allowing people to find and discover virtually
anything they want to buy online.
4) Netflix: world’s leading Internet television network with over 81 million members in over 190 countries
5) Google: world's most popular search engine and the most valuable brand;
6) Boeing: world's largest aerospace company and the leading manufacturer of both commercial jetliners and military aircrafts;
7) Electronic Arts: global leader in digital interactive entertainment;
8) Microsoft: largest provider of computer software and related services around the world;
9) Adidas: largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe and the second largest in the world;
10) Tesla: designer and manufacturer of the most advanced electric vehicles in the world;
11)
Flextronics: one of the world’s leading Electronics Manufacturing
Services (EMS) providers with a network of facilities in 33 countries
and over 230,000 employees.
12) Starbucks: world’s best-known coffee company.
Additional potential company visits include LinkedIn, Salesforce.com, Intel, and Alaska Airlines. Additionally, venture capital firms such as Greylock Partners are also possible.
The
study tour will expose you to the infectious entrepreneurial spirit of
Silicon Valley and the Pacific Northwest area, as well as, provide you
with better insights into the thinking, strategies, and perspectives of
some of the world’s top players. You will come away with newfound
energy, inspiration, important business contacts and ideas to enhance
your future career.
The
course takes students behind the scenes to reveal the factors
underlying the remarkable success of companies recognized for their
innovation. Regardless of whether you plan to go work for a large
company or start your business, you can learn a great deal by looking at
the characteristics that make these companies successful. These include
the abilities to innovate, adapt and grow, which are all crucial to
keeping your career progressing.
By
immersing yourself in the world of forward-looking companies and
influential imaginative thinkers, you are able to tap into their unique
perspectives and experiences, internalize the principles that drive
innovation success, and immediately apply these insights to your own
career development.
Students
hear from employees who are developing and executing innovative
management strategies and tour their company's’ facilities. During these
visits, students interact extensively with company representatives.
Participants
are able to network with industry experts and are provided a valuable
opportunity for direct exposure to companies that use innovation as a
competitive advantage. The study tour provides you with unique insights,
views into trends and developments, and multiple networking
opportunities. Past participants have achieved significant
entrepreneurial success and some participants have also gone on to
receive internships or job offers from a number of the host firms.
Study
trips are very different from trips that you would take as a tourist.
During the trip, students participate in activities closely integrated
with course content. This includes visits to multinational and local
companies, meetings with government officials and senior executives,
meeting with UMD graduates, and excursions to important landmarks. These
experiences provide differentiating traits that can be extremely useful
when applying for internships or jobs throughout your college tenure.
Upon
your return to campus, students are required to complete a range of
class assignments including a final presentation, take home exam, and a
course reflection. Once the students are selected for the course, we
will identify a common set of meeting times.
Below are past comments from students completing the experience:
--
Choosing to participate on this trip was one of the best decisions I
have made this year. Looking back on this great experience, I was given
the opportunity to expand my understanding of innovation and the culture
of entrepreneurship
-- I learned more in 10 days, than I have in most semesters.
--
I absolutely loved the trip. I gained so much knowledge that I have
been trying to take back and apply to my life here. I have been reading
and learning more about the Silicon Valley and its root.
-- The trip associated with this class was amazing. I'm so thankful Computer Science students were invited to take it.
--
What I learned on this trip could not have been replicated in a
classroom setting. Visiting all the companies was a one-of-a-kind
immersive learning experience. I have recommended this study trip to all
my friends.
--
This course was a phenomenal experience. It allowed me to leave my
comfort zone and see first hand what has allowed businesses to be so
successful on the West Coast. We learn about companies competitive
advantages, and through this course, I firmly believe these competitive
advantages are formed because of the corporate culture that I was able
to witness first- hand.
-- I learned more in one week
than I do in some of my semester-long classes. Being exposed to
companies first-hand like we were was a once in a lifetime opportunity
that gave me extreme insight into why these companies are successful. It
also gave me an opportunity to look more in depth to one of my favorite
companies, which was fun and rewarding. This has been my favorite
experience as a UMD student.
--
The study trip was a great opportunity for networking and seeing where
UMD graduates have ended up in the business world. We got to visit great
companies and it was great to have alumni give us tours and teach us
about their roles in the company.
--
This course offered me a once in a lifetime experience to visit and
meet with experienced employees in some of the top companies in the
world. The combination of traditional assignments and real world
experiences were well worth the extremely affordable cost of the trip
--
Really enjoyed this class and I think I learned more on the trip than I
could have learned in any classroom. Hearing from the alumni was a
great opportunity because I was able to see what Maryland students had
accomplished with their degrees. Overall I would recommend any student I
met to take this trip and experience this course.
The tentative start date is August 15th in Portland. The course will end August 23rd in the Bay Area. Students that have commitments starting August 24th (QUEST,
orientation, etc.) will be able to take part in the trip. The program
charge is estimated at $1,300-1,400 and includes hotel accommodations
(3-4 per room), fees for all academic site visits, field trips, and
other program-sponsored excursions, transportation to all visits, one or
two meals per day (lunches or dinner), and course reading materials.
This would be listed as a Fall 2017 course. Airfare is not included and
the estimated airfare is $350-500.
Suggested flights will be provided
later.
If you are interested in this course offering please send Dr. Mark Wellman an email (mwellman@rhsmith.umd.edu) expressing your interest. Provide a brief explanation outlining why you are interested.
