Strategies for LinkedIn-Based Guest Speaker Recruitment and Establishment of Engaging and Comfortable Classroom Discussions: A Case Study from an Operations Management Course

Gihan Edirisinghe () and Charles L. Munson ()
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Gihan Edirisinghe: Gordon Ford College of Business, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky 42101
Charles L. Munson: Carson College of Business, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164

INFORMS Transactions on Education, 2025, vol. 25, issue 3, 232-249

Abstract: This article describes workable strategies for instructors to introduce highly interactive question and answer (Q&A) sessions with accomplished guest speakers from industry. Two innovative strategies serve as the key factors behind the series’ success: (1) using LinkedIn to partner with guest speakers, especially university alumni, who possess expertise in specific operations management disciplines, and (2) implementing a novel structured Q&A approach that enables alignment with learning objectives while maximizing quality student engagement. Our approach accesses the resumes of tens of thousands of college alumni listed on LinkedIn and utilizes free cloud-based services such as Google Forms and Google Sheets for question submission (by students), review (by instructors), and selection (by the guests). These successfully implemented strategies (1) match qualified speakers to relevant course content, (2) boost student engagement by ensuring the participation of all students, (3) promote content alignment by first filtering out irrelevant student questions, and (4) increase speaker preparation and comfort level.

Keywords: guest speakers; videoconferencing; student engagement; distance learning; teaching production/operations management; teaching with technology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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