By Ben Hall
noteworthy
Starting in the fall of 2021, first-year students in the Sawyer Business School had a delicious assignment: Venture out into Boston’s North End with some friends and grab a free cannoli from Mike’s Pastry; along the way, watch a video and listen to an audio tour about the historic neighborhood.
It was all part of the Suffolk in the Hub app that Marketing Professor Kim Ring developed for SBS 101, the required business foundations course all first-year business students take. Part treasure hunt, part visitor tour, the app assigned students different tasks to do in four Boston locales: the North End, the Back Bay, the Seaport, and the Fenway Park neighborhood.
“The goal was to give students an experiential learning activity that introduced them to the campus, the city, and each other,” Ring says.
After two years in a pandemic, Ring says that finding an engaging way to help new students get to know Boston was more important than ever. Her thinking: “Let’s get students out there to learn about this incredible location they have at their disposal.”
Virtually all the app’s content—videos, podcast episodes, photo tours, augmented reality—was created by Suffolk alumni. Julia Donovan, BA ’19, recorded an audio introduction to the Boston Marathon finish line on Boylston Street. Jessica Poillucci, BSBA ’16, and Kristy Fitzpatrick, BSBA ’19, taped a video tour of North End restaurants. The app also taps the expertise of Suffolk faculty, including Professor Robert Allison, chair of the History Department, who explained the real significance of the Boston Tea Party on a “Spill the Tea” podcast.
For next year, the app is being expanded to become a resource not just for first-year students but all members of the Suffolk community. With maps, job boards, local deals, and more, Ring says the re-envisioned, expanded app will become an all-encompassing resource for the entire University.
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Photographs by Michael J. Clarke
