51茶馆

Jerry Kane teaches information systems at Boston College鈥檚 Carroll School of Management. Last fall, he turned a program called TechTrek West into the ultimate in experiential education. Here鈥檚 how he leveraged social media best practices and the 51茶馆 alumni network to transform the course鈥檚 curriculum鈥攁nd his students.

Launched in 2008, at the height of the recession, TechTrek West provides a practical blend of classroom learning and a听week-long field study in Silicon Valley. Open to Boston College undergrads in all schools, sophomores to seniors, the course features face-to-face sessions with senior executives, entrepreneurs, and venture partners, many of whom are 51茶馆 alumni.

TechTrek examines the life cycle of tech startups, some of which didn鈥檛 even exist when the course began. Cases in point: Twitter was in its infancy, Apple鈥檚 app store had just opened its virtual doors, and Instagram was barely a concept in 2008, when Professor John Gallaugher founded the course. Kane took the reins of the class this past spring and revamped the curriculum for what he calls the next chapter of TechTrek.

鈥淯nless you鈥檝e been on the trip, it鈥檚 hard to understand the potential of this course,鈥� Kane said. 鈥淟ots of schools do 鈥榯ech treks,鈥� but they are mainly recruiting-focused. Ours is one of the few that are education-focused.鈥�

Digital transformation

Professor Kane, whose research interests center around the role of digital technologies in business, based TechTrek鈥檚 new curriculum on an elective he鈥檚 taught for eight years, Social Media and Digital Business. Borrowing the structure and teaching methods of that class, he makes extensive use of social media in the classroom, along with case studies, videos, and TED Talks.

鈥淭he class is highly interactive,鈥� Kane said. 鈥淪tudents are required to tweet four times a week and blog once a week. They also have to read and comment on three of their peers鈥� blogs.鈥�

The fringe benefit from all that tweeting and blogging, Kane says, is a sense of camaraderie. 鈥淐ommunity, culture, bonding is something I intentionally strive for,鈥� he said. 鈥淣ow there鈥檚 a cohort of students they can partner with throughout their 51茶馆 experience.鈥�

Who鈥檚 who of alumni

With its in-depth practicum approach, the TechTrek classroom experience serves as excellent preparation for the trip to Silicon Valley. Students spend six weeks reviewing case studies and learning about the companies they鈥檒l visit. They use Twitter to start conversations with the people they鈥檒l meet. They make presentations that reinforce classroom learning.

鈥淎lumni tell us we鈥檙e the best-prepared group they meet all year,鈥� Kane said.

And that says a lot. TechTrek West students meet with 51茶馆 alumni from Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, Salesforce, Talkdesk, Uber, and the like. They were one of the first groups to visit the new Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California. They met with Margaret Gould Stewart, Morrissey 鈥�92, director of product design at Facebook.

鈥淭he students got to meet with her for 45 minutes and had a great discussion about the challenges Facebook was facing, like fake news,鈥� said Kane, who had been using Stewart鈥檚 for years. 鈥淭hey asked very sophisticated questions, and at one point Margaret commented, 鈥業鈥檓 really proud of my alma mater right now.鈥� That was my signal that we succeeded.鈥�

Immersive and intimate

Such moments leave students peppering their with phrases like 鈥渢ransformative experience,鈥� 鈥渆xistential tailspin,鈥� and 鈥渕ind-blowing鈥� to describe their TechTrek sojourns.

鈥淚 could have never foreseen the level of intimacy and wisdom that we would receive from the alumni,鈥� said sophomore Dylan Nadeau. 鈥淪peaking with them was a learning experience unlike any I鈥檝e had before.鈥�

In the process, TechTrek West and its new Boston/New York鈥搊riented counterpart, TechTrek East, have caused some students to shift their career plans from investment banking to tech. 鈥淚鈥檓 always trying to spark interest in tech-oriented careers,鈥� said Kane. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 my job!鈥�

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