Great new vids for introducing students to Max & her labs!

We're super-excited to let you know we've been developing a vlog/video version of the labs that will be equivalent to and interchangeable with the written blog version!

We found a terrific "Max" who will surely raise student engagement to a whole new level when we release the new version, planned for Spring 2024. (We will continue to keep the written blog version updated and available too so students and instructors can choose either or use both as desired.)

In the meantime, we recommend using one of the two short videos below when you introduce your students to the labs, even while continuing with the written blog version for now, because they give Max a face and a voice that will boost students' engagement and their motivation to read and work through the exercises. (You'll just need to explain to students that the rest will be written for now.)

This first one is a "teaser" we showed at the AMCIS meeting in Panama last summer as a preview of the new version. It's just 60 seconds and only meant to play up the live Max concept, ending with "Stay tuned...", but it makes Max "real."

This 2nd one is longer (4:15). It's Max's "farewell," the conclusion to her vlog series:

But we think this one can serve well as an intro because she is reflecting on all the things we want students to know up front:

• that she's been showing her followers how to build apps in Salesforce, step-by-step

• that anyone can do it - it's easy if you follow the steps, even for non-techies

• that the parts in between the steps are where you learn the most

• that Salesforce exposure helps you get interviews and in some cases, jobs, even great jobs

• that understanding how tech can be used to get things done better/faster/smarter is the big idea

• that that understanding is valuable not just in MIS but across all functional areas, HR, Marketing, etc

• that, as a professional with that understanding, you will be able to recognize/articulate what tech solutions could help you

• that then, you can get IT to build them for you or maybe even build them yourself if you have a no-coding platform like SF available

So Max's story finally has an ending, a happy one, and now we can let her tell students what's great about the labs and get them excited to try them out!

If you do try out either of these with your students, please share your observations here at MaxProfs in the forum on Integrating the Labs. Thanks!