2010 - Public Relations Society of America

Best Practices in Teaching Client-Based Courses
Donna Simmons, Ph.D.
California State University, Bakersfield
dsimmons2@csub.edu
Jean Jaymes West, Ph.D.
California State University, Bakersfield
jjaymes@csub.edu
Best Practice #1. Finding clients who recognize and accept their roles in educating
future professionals.
Clients who are willing to give student consultants the extra time needed to learn
as they go make a significant difference in the achievement of course learning objectives.
Instructors of client-based courses need to ensure that the client understands that the
students and professor are treating this client just as a professional consultant group
would treat the client. However, the instructor must also make sure the client understands
that students are doing the project to learn about public relations or marketing – that this
is a learning process for the students so they cannot be held to the same level as paid
consultants.
In our experience good clients meet two major criteria:
• Know the business and are enthusiastic and can spark interest and enthusiasm for the
business when talking to students. Clients should have sufficient knowledge about what
they want students to accomplish for their business so that they are able to clearly
verbalize what they want in several ways. They must have a sense of the “big picture”
and convey that to students. One client brought handouts for the students with detailed
explanations of the structure of the organization and the mission statement of the
organization to provide the big picture. Clients must be clear on the general, end goals
of what they want to clearly outline their expectations. Clients also must have some
sense of what they do NOT want and able to convey that to students as well—with an
explanation of why. The client and instructor must sell the project to the students. Even
if, on the surface, the business may seem like something students might not get excited
about, a “good” client can “sell” the project and no matter how mundane the tasks are
that students must undertake, the client can pitch the project in a way that makes
students eager to work on it when first coming to class. The instructor must sell the
client and the business to the students before the client comes to the class so the client
is well-received and students are receptive to the client. For example, the instructor
might describe the history of the company or explain what it contributes to the
community.
• Are willing to be available as necessary and as arranged prior to the implementation of
the project. . Clients must understand that students have deadlines to meet to complete
the work based on the length of the course. Clients must be willing to be available via
email or phone to address questions that might arise as the students develop the project.
The student contact can be limited to the student project manager only (one appointed
student per team), to reduce a flood of emails or phone calls to the client. The instructor
can explain to students that the clients are busy professionals with real-world work
responsibilities, and therefore direct contact must be limited. The client must
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