Resources
EVERYTHING
Sample Syllabi
These labs are flexible and can be used in different ways depending on your preferences. We have two sample syllabi to give you an idea of how you can use them in your course.
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​The syllabus below splits the labs into in-class assignments as well as take-home assignments.​
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This other syllabus incorporates the labs into the course discussion and uses them as in-class assignments.
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1- Page Max Labs Intro for Students
This is a great tool for taking 10 minutes with your class upfront to introduce & orient your students to the labs. It's a 1-page Max Labs Intro for Students where we consolidated everything we had put together to get students motivated and set for success:
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What are the labs & why do them?
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What is Salesforce? (including a link to our Max Labs mini-website of cool, motivating vids & pics)
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Top 10 Reasons to Get Into the Labs
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Top 10 Tips for Success
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Top 4 Ways Things Go Wrong
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Get Started
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The Word version is also posted there in case you want to edit/tweak for your students.
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Lab Materials for Students (Google Drive)
The latest version of all the lab materials for students can always be found in our Google Drive archive in a folder named Business Systems Innovation Labs V2. Within that folder, you'll find the seven files.
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​Pre-lab Packet
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Lab 1a Packet
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Lab 1b Packet
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Lab 2a Packet
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Lab 2b Packet
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Lab 3a Packet
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Lab 3b Packet
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Each packet contains everything students need to complete that lab, including the cover sheet ("Pre-flight Checklist"), Max's blog posting/instructions, & Feedback Form).
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(Note: We do ask that you please download them to your own LMS, etc first and then link them from there for your students so we don't get excessive traffic on our Google Drive. Thanks!)
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NEW! Sample Grading Rubrics!
There are sample grading rubrics for every lab to make your grading process as simple as possible. It's broken down into a yes/no checklist for each screenshot that students are required to submit for credit.
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Student Orientation Slide Deck
Here are some slides you can use to help intro your students:
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We also have a Powerpoint version!
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Student Support Website
Here's a website to support students before, during and after the Max Labs:
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Before:
First, there's a How, What & Why section for introducing, orienting and motivating students upfront, before they start the labs. There are tons of YouTube vids to showing how Salesforce spans Business functional areas (Finance, Accounting, Manufacturing, HR, ...) and how it's used by tons of big-name brands they know (Coke, Mattel, GE, Sony, Toyota, etc.) across all industries.
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During:
We've incorporated all the original Troubleshooting Quickref material (and more) into a new Help FAQ with a nicer, more friendly/usable format. There's also a Help Forum for posting issues not found in the Help FAQ.
After:
Finally, there's a Go Beyond section to help them use what they learned in job interviews, etc. and tp consider going for Salesforce certifications if they want to "dig deeper".
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QuickStart for Instructors
The 1-Page Max Labs QuickStart for Instructors cuts to the chase with a brief overview of the concept, how the materials are organized, and how to login & start working on the labs yourself.
But the best way to really get to know them is to just work through them yourself, just like a student would. There are six exercises that take about an hour each so you can do them all in one afternoon. You don’t need to know anything about Salesforce. You don’t need to install anything. All you need is a Web browser & the Internet (and Max).
But first, read through the rest of this QuickStart so everything will make more sense sooner.
Test Question Bank
The labs themselves are designed especially to be fun and enticing for students to do, and the fun materials here in the "Essentials" category are great "carrots" for helping motivate them, but it's probably good to use a stick too since some people just don't find carrots appetizing.
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We've developed a bank of test questions you can easily drop into quizzes and/or exams. Just knowing that the labs will be covered on exams should ensure the students are all doing their own work. If not, they'll lose credit this way and will be easily identified.
Members click here to view/download the Test Question Bank
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Not a member yet? You can sign up on our Forum Page. This will also ensure that you receive critical updates via email.
Touchpoint Maps
These are annotated versions of those same PDFs that serve as "Cliff's Notes" for instructors to quickly/easily see the potential discussion points embedded throughout the labs (20-30/lab). They help integrate the content of the labs into class discussions, relating what students learn from Max to the material in whatever text & slides are being used:
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The annotations are assigned in categories and can be filtered that way. Here is the legend of categories:
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Data/Databases/Apps/Platforms ( Yellow )
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Business & Digital Business Models ( Blue )
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User Requirements/UX Design ( Pink )
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Tech Competence/Confidence/Initiative ( Orange )
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Strategic Value/Business Impact ( Purple )
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Process Support/Automation ( Rose )
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Tech Foundations/Coding Intro/Primer ( Gray )
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Other (Personal/Professional Development) ( Green )
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AMCIS Paper: Origin, Concept, Implementation & Impact
Tim Hill and his co-authors have been recognized twice with the AIS Award for Best Conference Paper in IS Education.
Data Modeling Exercise (Lab 2c)
This is a totally optional 30-min exercise designed to reinforce/build on the data modeling knowledge/skills that students develop in Labs 2a and 2b. The exercise, labeled 2c, is framed like the other labs, as another blog posting by Max, written after 2b, and it is ideal for teamwork though it can be assigned as an individual exercise too.
In this posting, Max explains how she used E/R diagram to visualize the model extensions needed to get Riley the answers she was looking for to support her funding strategy. Max describes what Riley was asking for and presents the new model with labels missing as a puzzle for students to solve for themselves. There is no Salesforce in this exercise–it is a "paper-based" modeling experience. Figuring out which labels go where challenges students to apply what they learned and internalize the experience so they "get" the value of visualizing a data model and internalize the logic of the underlying structures.
This exercise is designed to fit between Labs 2b and 3a but it can be skipped without impacting the subsequent labs at all.
Process Modeling Exercise (Lab 3c)
Coming soon!
Salesforce + Storification = Experiential IS Education
Check out our deck on teaching the iGeneration: Salesforce + Storification = Experiential IS Education Even an HR Student Could Love
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Brochure
Help us spread the word!​ We would appreciate it if you could let your colleagues know about us!
See our Brochure below.
TMLP Website
Check out our Promotional website to share with our colleagues
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Learning Effectiveness Assessment Report
Below is a graph from Fresno State University's Learning Effectiveness Assessment Report to display the large jumps in learning students experienced after going through the labs. Click on the image to view the full report.
Video: Student Feedback About The Max Labs
Check out these students reflecting on their experience with the Max Labs (2:14)
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STUDENTS SPEAK OUT ABOUT THE MAX LABS @ SJSU
This short video segment from the local ABC news channel in San Jose highlights 3 things your students will appreciate:
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1. Salesforce’s efforts to increase diversity in their own workforce, including executive ranks,
2. SJSU students’ reactions on a field trip to Salesforce’s massive user conference “Dreamforce”, and
3. pop star Luis Fonzi performing “Despacito” at the keynote address that I took the students to there.