As we are transitioning our courses online due to #COVID19, many professors are using social media to share best practices and get input on reformatting assignments or inventing new ones. At the same time, our students are presumably now at home and we hope they are safe and not struggling themselves with being infected, nor with losing a family member.
One thing we don’t want to do is to reduce the rigor in our courses. But, we have to recognize that a pandemic situation also creates significant anxiety and stress.
One idea for mitigating this situation is to utilize the vast array of streaming services that we now have available online, to formulate assignments that can be part entertainment and part instruction.
Here are some Netflix documentaries that may be well served to integrate into a business course assignment:
The Great Hack – I already use this one in my social media course to begin our discussion on data privacy. It is a good springboard to think about manipulation of information and the evolution of technology.
FYRE – the greatest party that never happened – This film could be used either in a social media course to discuss the pitfalls of marketing with influencers or in a marketing ethics course.
American Factory – This film could be used in a management, international business or intercultural communications course. It focuses on the culture clash of a Chinese company who reopens an Ohio factory with American workers.
Bombshell – The Hedy Lamaar story – This is the story not just of an actress, but of an inventor. There are important themes in this story about entrepreneurship and innovation, design thinking, intellectual property protection and, perhaps the most prevalent, the history of bias and discrimination faced by women in technology and business.
There are of course dozens of others on history, science, art, sports, etc. I would encourage you to be skeptical of some of the very blatant propaganda films and ensure you watch and validate the details of the documentary before assigning them.
Have any other documentaries or online media you recommend? Feel free to post in the comments.
