Most professors do not use Facebook, but Dr. Charles Wankel is not your average professor. Not only does he have a Facebook page (which is set to public), he has also had 15,000 hits on Google and textbooks published in multiple languages.
Wankel encourages his students to belong to social networks such as Facebook and Linkedln and applies the sites to the classroom.
“By using these devices in the classroom, I am working with students to help them leverage new media to advance them in their careers,” said Wankel. Students are given assignments using Linkedln.com, and are encouraged to join the Facebook group “Professor Charles Wankel’s Students for Past and Present Students.”
On his Facebook alone, Dr. Wankel has 646 friends, which is more than the average college student. On his Linkedln page, there are over 500 plus connections he has made.
Since joining the academic faculty of St. John’s in 1989-1990 school year, Dr. Wankel has brought his worldwide experience in management to the classroom. In addition, he is the associate professor of management, and teaches various management and business courses here. He also has had an extensive education from numerous colleges, such as NYU, Columbia University, Yale University, and Iona College.
Before comming to St. John’s, Wankel was a co-author of the best selling textbook Management 3rd edition, in 1986. However, becoming a professor at St. John’s did not stop him from writing books; in all he has published 30 books, and is in the process of writing more.
In fact, Wankel is now working on a new textbook co-authored with professors from all over the world called Management through Collaboration: Teaming in a Networked World.
The book is set to be released in January 2010, and is published through Routledge publishers. It is set to be five parts, and divided into 23 chapters, which will help students understand the principles of management in a global sense.
“All of the co-authors are management professors and doctorial qualified,” said Wankel who worked with hundreds of co-authors in 90 different countries.
“With so many authors writing in different countries, the book will be able to reach hundreds of universities and be globally distributed,” said Wankel.
Since it is impossible to meet with every author at the same exact time, Wankel relies on the technology of the Internet to connect to all of these authors. He uses social networks like Facebook and Linkedln not only to keep in touch with past students, but to keep in touch with business associates as well. The book also has its own web site and a Facebook group to keep all of the authors updated with each other’s work.
“This process is exciting, and definitely a learning experience,” said Wankel. Wankel also is working on putting lessons from the textbook online, so that students will be able to learn them in a new way.
“Learning in a digital way is more fun and exciting for students,” Wankel said.
For more information on Management through Collaboration: Teaming in a Networked World, go to their Web site.
