| Course | BUS 496 Adv. Experiential Learning for Business |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 1 |
| Paper type | undergraduate discussion post on setting learning goals for experiential business work |
| Length | About 380 words, 3 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Southern New Hampshire University |
| Program | BS Business Administration |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for BUS 496 Module 1
Module One Discussion
Three Goals I Can Check in December
My BUS 496 project is with a family-owned charter bus company in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It runs twenty-two motorcoaches, carrying school groups, wedding parties, sports teams and corporate travelers, and earns about $6.1 million a year. The owner, whose father founded the company in 1979, noticed that about one in seven requests submitted through the website's quote form becomes a booking, and he does not know why. My job this term is to find out and recommend what to change. I will meet him and his office manager weekly.
I have set three learning goals, each tied to something I will actually do. First, by week six I want to lead the weekly client meeting without a prepared script, keeping it to thirty minutes and ending with agreed next steps. I am comfortable presenting, but I freeze when a conversation goes off plan. Second, I want to turn the company's raw quote records, which the office manager says are messy, into at least one finding the owner accepts as true and acts on. Third, I want to keep the project inside the scope we agree in week two and handle at least one request to widen it without either refusing bluntly or saying yes to everything.
Decades of studies reviewed by Locke and Latham (2002) show people perform better when a goal is concrete and stretching than when they are told simply to try hard, which is why I have made each goal something I can observe by December. Kolb (1984) describes learning as a cycle of experience, reflection, general lessons and testing them again, and I will use the weekly journal to reflect after each client meeting. Reflection while acting and afterward is how professionals learn on the job (Schön, 1983), which fits the third goal especially, since scope pressure tends to arrive in the middle of a conversation.
I will track the goals in the journal: after each meeting, I will note whether I used a script, what the owner said about my findings and any request to change the scope.
For classmates: how will you know at the end of this term whether you met your goals, and who besides you will be able to tell?
References
Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Prentice-Hall.
Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey. American Psychologist, 57(9), 705-717. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.57.9.705
Schön, D. A. (1983). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. Basic Books.
What the BUS 496 Module 1 instructions ask for
The first BUS 496 discussion usually asks you to introduce your applied project and set learning goals for the term. A strong post describes the organization and the project briefly, then sets two to four goals that are specific to the work and can be checked at the end, rather than broad aims such as gaining experience. It explains why each goal matters for the student's career and how progress will be tracked. Research on experiential learning and goal setting gives the post a foundation. Replies can help a classmate make a vague goal more specific. Some versions ask you to connect the goals to your intended career, which is worth a sentence for each.
How this BUS 496 Module 1 discussion example is built
The post introduces a charter bus company with twenty-two motorcoaches whose owner noticed that only about one in seven online quote requests becomes a booking. The student's project is to find out why and recommend changes. Three goals follow: to lead the weekly client meeting without a prepared script by week six, to turn the company's raw quote records into one finding the owner accepts as true, and to keep the project inside its agreed scope while handling at least one request to widen it. The post connects specific, challenging goals to performance research and the cycle of experience and reflection to the weekly journal, and asks classmates how they will know they met their goals.
Where the BUS 496 Module 1 rubric puts the points
Grading for this discussion usually considers the clarity of the project description, the quality and specificity of the learning goals, the plan for tracking progress, the use of research and engagement with classmates. Strong posts set goals tied to particular moments in the project, explain why they matter and say how they will be checked. Posts that list general hopes such as improving communication, or that describe the project without goals, earn less. Replies that help a classmate turn a broad goal into a specific one show the most care. Instructors also look for goals that would stretch the student, not ones already within easy reach.
BUS 496 Module 1 help: the mistakes that cost points
Learning goals in experiential courses are often too broad to check. Ask what you would see yourself doing at the end of the term if the goal were met, and write that down, with a time frame. Tie each goal to the actual project, such as a meeting, an analysis or a deliverable. Plan how you will track it, for example in your weekly journal. Keep the research short and connected. Close by asking classmates how they will measure their own goals. If you can, share your goals with your client contact as well, since they can tell you whether you met them.
Get BUS 496 Module 1 written to your instructions
Send the BUS 496 Module 1 prompt and a word about your project. The post will set specific learning goals tied to the work, ground them in research and explain how you will check them. About two days; a first post is free. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Southern New Hampshire University document.
More BUS 496 papers and related BS Business Administration samples
- BUS 496 Module 2 Project Proposal Assignment: Scope, Deliverables and a Timeline Agreed With the Client
- BUS 496 Module 3 Reflective Journal: Week Four: The First Data and the First Surprise
- BUS 496 Module 4 Status Report Assignment: A Midpoint Memo to the Client
- BUS 496 Module 5 Data Analysis Assignment: What Eleven Months of Quote Requests Show
- BUS 496 Module 6 Discussion: When the Client Asks for More
- BUS 496 Module 7 Final Client Report: Recommendations to Win More Quotes
- BUS 496 Module 8 Final Reflection: What a Semester of Client Work Taught
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BUS 496 Module 1 questions, answered
Where can I find a free BUS 496 Module 1 Discussion sample?
This page includes the full BUS 496 Module 1 post setting learning goals for a project with a charter bus company.
What makes a good learning goal for an applied project?
It is specific to the project, describes something you will be able to do or show, has a time frame and can be checked at the end of the term.
Why set specific goals rather than general ones?
Research on goal setting finds that specific, challenging goals lead to higher performance than vague goals such as doing one's best.
What is experiential learning?
Learning through a cycle of concrete experience, reflection, forming general lessons and testing them in new situations.
How should students track progress on learning goals?
Through regular reflection, such as weekly journal entries noting evidence of progress, and feedback from the client or instructor.