At Stukent, our mission is to help educators help students help the world. We build innovative courseware and simulations that help educators prepare their students for real-world industries. Our solutions save educators valuable time, are easy to implement in the classroom, and give students hands-on experience with the concepts they are learning.
Each month, Stukent highlights a standout higher education teacher who not only uses our products in the classroom but exemplifies our core values, too.
Cassie Ditt is Stukent’s Professor of the Month for February 2022!
Cassie Ditt
Professor of Marketing
School: McNeese State University
City: Lake Charles, Louisiana
CASSIE’S CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
I earned my Doctor of Business Administration in Marketing from Louisiana Tech University, where I had my initial experience in the collegiate classroom as an instructor. I taught basic business statistics, retailing, and digital & content marketing at LA Tech. I have held adjunct positions at Western Carolina University and Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. I was first an Assistant Professor at Coastal Carolina University.
I am now happy to be back in my home state of Louisiana — southern hospitality, Cajun cooking, crawfish, and Mardi Gras are just a few of the many attributes that set our culture apart from any other. As of August 2020, I am an Assistant Professor of Marketing at McNeese State University.
At McNeese, I teach marketing research, marketing principles, and sales (both undergraduate and graduate). I recently led the effort to add social media marketing and marketing analytics to our curriculum as part of a new Digital Marketing concentration to begin this fall. I hope to add personal branding and influencer marketing to our list of course offerings. I am also in the process of starting a student organization on campus—a student marketing group. We, the students and I, plan to conduct fundraising campaigns to enable us to become an official AMA student group.
My research interests include social media influencers, sponsored marketing communications, branding and brand management — human brands, brand authenticity, branding with animals, and product placement — consumption experiences and emotions (e.g., suspense, enjoyment), and marketing pedagogy and education.
WHAT STUKENT COURSEWARE HAVE YOU USED?
I use Stukent courseware bundles — texts and simulations — in all the classes I currently teach, which include sales, marketing principles, and marketing research. In the past, I have also used the “Social Media Marketing” courseware. The learning outcomes from Stukent Mimic simulations are unmatched, and the texts are updated at least once a year. For these reasons alone, Stukent is my first choice for courseware in any class past, present, and future!
WHAT TIPS WOULD YOU SHARE WITH OTHER TEACHERS?
1. When at all possible, include resume boosters (e.g., industry certification exams) within the course evaluation components of your class — this serves as a graded course component and also as a means to ensure students are career-ready.
2. Bring candy to class. I bring the candy bag to all classes — it includes a variety of Smarties, Dum Dums, and Nerds.
3. Teach your students to say thank you and, when applicable, to send handwritten thank you cards.
4. Utilize the power of professional networking. Practice this in your career and teach your students to do the same. I believe that faculty, staff, and students within any business program should be actively using LinkedIn as a professional networking platform — this platform is not only for job search purposes but also for professional networking!
And 5. Use Stukent Courseware!
The above tips are not necessarily ingenious as I’m still at the beginning of my career. That said, many were adopted from my mentors — I am lucky to have had the best mentors at LA Tech, CCU, and now McNeese — Dr. Julie Moulard and Dr. Barry Babin, Dr. Melissa Clark, and Dr. Lonnie Turpin. Many others could be added to that list as well. It would take many more words than can be included here to express all they’ve taught me.
WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES AND TALENTS?
I am an animal advocate. I have four beloved cats: Fitzgerald, Fancy, Palomino, and Penny. I’m one of three board members for a small, local effort — Kat’s Cats Feline Rescue. Additional hobbies and interests include graphic design (card making, invitations, branding, and promotional materials), gardening (flowers, fruits, and vegetables), fashion (personal style, seasonal trends, apparel, and accessories), home décor and DIY, and college athletics, in particular, college football. #GEAUXPOKES #spayandneuteryourpets