Leaders in higher education have had to rise to the challenge of embracing new technologies and methodologies in recent years as a result of the pandemic. As the mode of education evolves, incorporating cutting-edge technologies and simulating real-world experiences into the classroom has become vital.
Studies show that many students graduating college do not feel ready to enter the job market and employers widely agree. Higher education institutions are constantly looking for ways to foster employability skills, but often run into logistical problems such as staffing and funding needed to implement new strategies and tech tools to better prepare their students
More often than not, educators encounter the problem of a lack of qualified support to help them teach students how to effectively communicate and find themselves amidst a paradox of investing more time outside the classroom. Instructors can take additional time out of their demanding schedules to provide detailed feedback but risk burnout. Moreover, few students get the opportunity to participate in specialized training due to limited funds.
So, how then can educators best prepare their students to enter the workforce with these limitations? With limited staff and financial resources, incorporating an AI teaching assistant can better prepare and train students in how to have sales conversations and provide constructive feedback to facilitate growth. During Fierce Education’s virtual event, Higher Education: Technology Profiles in Success, an innovative new tech tool called RNMKRS was highlighted. Co-founded by Dr. Stefanie Boyer, Professor of Marketing at Bryant University, this interactive student-facing platform has the potential to cultivate vital communication skills and better prepare students for their future careers.
Harnessing artificial intelligence technology and boasting free training, feedback, and competition for students to hone their skills, RNMKRS is a wide-reaching virtual platform for training and assessing sales talent that can be applied to countless fields of work and study. The tech tool features a diverse cast of roleplay bots that students interact with to encourage various sales and conversation skills, promoting student autonomy and providing instant feedback.
The roleplay bots give students unlimited practice to strengthen their strategic and persuasive conversation skills in three different functions:
- RNMKRS Speed Sell: Storytelling training and practice
- RNMKRS Roleplay: Unlimited selling practice with a product
- RNMKRS Roleplay Pro: Dynamic sales call practice with research
The program provides a space where students can practice class teachings in simulated situations and receive vital feedback on their techniques, promoting and reinforcing successful strategies. Kyle Dellosa, Spring 2022 winner of the RNMKRS sales competition and sales class captain representing Harvard University, shared that the program gave him the “ability to experiment and fail forward.” Students gain both competence and confidence in essential communication skills.
Instructors can bring this cutting-edge technology into their classroom and elevate their students’ experience. Interested parties can register to be coaches on the RNMKRS website and access training and support for the AI tech tool. Once students are invited to play, educators are encouraged to set deadlines and keep students accountable by reviewing game data.
RNMKRS gamifies the learning experience and has seen success since its conception. Student enrollment in the program has grown dramatically since its start in 2019, beginning with around 1,000 students and now with participant numbers exceeding 7,000 for 2022. Students are motivated to play and faculty can take advantage of this opportunity to elevate their classroom experience, using game data to inform their teaching practices and promote the development of employability skills.
For more articles from the virtual event, see: