Among the world-class professors teaching in Cal State Fullerton’s Online B.A. in Business Administration degree completion program is a management researcher who has extensively studied best practices for online education. For decades, making learning more effective has been a research focus for Management Professor Gerard Beenen, and teaching MGMT 340 – Organizational Behavior in the fully-online program enables him to make a tangible impact while exploring these topics firsthand.
Beenen earned his Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Theory from the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University. He also holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and an MA from Fuller Seminary. Previously, he served as associate dean of the College of Business and Economics and chair of the Department of Management.
Integrating Research on Online Learning into a Trendsetting Program
“I try to integrate what I’ve learned from my research into my course design, including breaking key topics into multi-part online lectures, making extensive use of real-world examples to apply and solidify course concepts, and making the courses as interactive as possible,” says Beenen. “I encourage students to take a deep dive into the course material by applying it to their first-hand experience.”
Beenen teaches both traditional in-person courses and online sections. He recognizes the differences in both the modality and the unique backgrounds of online bachelor’s students.
“Students in the Online B.A. have a wealth of life experience, most are already pursuing their careers or working full time. This means they have a lot of initiative to grow, develop and advance their education. The fast pace of the course also is both fun and challenging. In about half the time it takes to complete a regular semester, we cover an entire semester’s worth of course material,” he explains.
The Online B.A. in Business Administration is required to meet or exceed the same high standards as Cal State Fullerton’s in-person programs and thus enjoys the same accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the platinum standard for business schools. For Beenen, this means the same content, participation requirements, team project assignment and exam specifications as his in-person MGMT 340 sections.
Making the Most of Your Online B.A. in Business Administration Experience
Beenen encourages current students to keep up with the fast pace of the program by developing a routine that matches class deadlines. “Make use of any unscheduled time during the week to tackle your school workload in chunks,” he advises. “Don’t cram for exams, but stretch out your study time. And if you use AI tools, leverage them to expand your skills, not to replace them. For instance, create your own practice quizzes to reinforce concepts. Using AI as a cognitive crutch will make you less employable in the future. Using AI as a personal assistant to sharpen your skills will keep you competitive.”
Who is the Online B.A. in Business Administration best for? Beenen believes students who work full-time or who have an inflexible schedule, those who are juggling work and family responsibilities, those who may be stay-at-home parents, self-motivated students who are seeking faster-paced classes, and students living remotely from campus can all benefit.
For More Information
For more on how to get started on your fully remote B.A. in Business Administration journey, apply today or learn more through our articles about online learning.
