Abstract
High-Impact Practices (HIPs) are crucial in higher education for boosting student engagement and retention rates, while fostering deep learning through the development of practical, real-world skills. For advertising students, these practices are especially valuable, bridging the gap between theoretical understanding and practical application. Undergraduate research and collaboration, as core HIPs, can be effectively integrated into advertising courses, such as media planning, which require students to conduct data-driven consumer and market research in teams to craft effective messages that reach defined target audiences. However, the complexity of these tasks can sometimes lead to disengagement. Therefore, the effective implementation of HIPs is crucial for making coursework more engaging and accessible. This paper proposes incorporating extracurricular opportunities, such as the Washington Media Scholars Foundation’s (WMSF) Media Plan Case Competition, into the curriculum. These structured, competition-based assignments not only facilitate HIP integration but also improve instructional efficiency and equip students with critical industry-relevant skills.
Keywords
High-Impact Practices in Advertising Education
High-Impact Practices (HIPs), as defined by the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U, n.d.), are instructional strategies designed to significantly enhance student engagement and learning, thereby improving retention and graduation rates (Kuh, 2008). The AAC&U identifies 11 various HIPs, including capstone courses and projects, collaborative assignments and projects, common intellectual experiences, diversity/global learning, ePortfolios, first-year seminars and experiences, internships, learning communities, service or community-based learning, undergraduate research, and writing-intensive courses. More information is available at https://www.aacu.org/trending-topics/high-impact.
In advertising and public relations curricula, similar practices have been employed, including collaborative projects (Robbs & Gronstedt, 1997), capstone courses (Hendricks, 2019), diverse perspectives (Frazier, 2003), and service-learning initiatives (Maresh-Fuehrer & Baum, 2023). While these approaches aim to equip students with essential skills for success in dynamic industries, they have not yet been formally defined as HIPs.
Despite their benefits, implementing HIPs can be resource-intensive, demanding substantial time and effort from both instructors and students, especially in large classes or resource-limited institutions. Inclusivity is another concern, as students from diverse backgrounds may encounter different barriers that limit their participation, potentially widening achievement gaps. Moreover, the intensive nature of HIPs may easily overwhelm students, leading to disengagement especially when they are not carefully managed.
To address these challenges, providing instructional support through faculty training, workshops, and internal grants can be highly beneficial (e.g., Agarwal et al., 2023). This paper explores how structured extracurricular competitions can enhance classroom learning, making HIPs more accessible and sustainable for both instructors and students.
High-Impact Undergraduate Research and Collaboration
Undergraduate research and collaboration are two key HIPs especially relevant for advertising education. These practices are integral to teamwork-based extracurricular competitions, enriching students’ hands-on learning experiences and strengthening their real-world application skills.
Undergraduate research is one of the most transformative HIPs (Kuh, 2008). In advertising, research activities such as consumer and market analysis, data collection, and the development of data-driven insights are essential for understanding consumer needs and crafting effective advertising strategies. Additionally, presenting their research outside the classroom heightens students’ confidence and refines their communication and persuasion skills, all of which are essential for professional success.
Collaboration, another key HIP, mirrors the teamwork required in professional advertising environments (Robbs & Gronstedt, 1997). Beyond completing group assignments, students can learn to build shared visions, negotiate ideas, and resolve conflicts, and appreciate diverse perspectives. These experiences prepare them to excel in advertising agencies or marketing teams, where creativity and strategic thinking are strengthened through collaborative efforts.
Integrating Extracurricular Competitions into Advertising Courses
Incorporating extracurricular competitions into advertising courses can facilitate high-impact learning through undergraduate research and collaboration. The Washington Media Scholars Foundation (WMSF) Media Plan Case Competition is an excellent example due to its structured format, which aligns seamlessly with both the media planning course’s objectives and industry practices.
Overview of the WMSF Competition
The WMSF, established in 2009, has supported over 800 students from more than 200 colleges and universities, awarding more than $3 million in scholarships. Each year, it hosts the Media Plan Case Competition, where participants create effective and competitive media plans based on realistic scenarios and fictional data. The competition involves multiple rounds: the Qualifying, Semifinal, and Final.
In the Qualifying round (November–January), teams of one or two students, mentored by a faculty advisor, submit a two-page response to four or five questions based on a fictional scenario. About 20–30 teams advance to the Semifinal round (February–March), where semifinalists develop more detailed plans requiring a 10-page Word document and data inputs in Excel.
In the Final round (June), six finalist teams (with two alternates) present their final media plans to professional judges representing leading media companies in Washington, D.C. All the finalist teams receive an all-expenses-paid trip, with scholarships of $5,000 per member for the first-place team and $3,000 per member for the second-place team. They also gain invaluable networking opportunities with professionals from leading media companies. Additionally, the competition recognizes one outstanding participant by awarding the Mia Guion Memorial Scholarship of $2,500.
Past articles by Farman (2019) and Hendricks (2019) similarly highlight the competition’s importance in connecting classroom learning with industry practices. Drawing on their insights and my experiences in teaching and instructional design as an associate professor of strategic communication at Ball State University, where I began integrating WMSF participation into a media planning course through HIPs, this paper presents actionable strategies for incorporating the competition into the curriculum. It shows how the competition’s structured framework can enhance instructional efficiency and improve student outcomes through HIPs such as undergraduate research and collaboration.
Competition Guidelines
When incorporating extracurricular competitions into the curriculum, instructors must carefully review and comply with the specific guidelines. For example, the WMSF competition materials, including fictional datasets and case scenarios, are copyrighted and intended for competition submissions.
To ensure the compliance, instructors can guide students to access the competition materials directly from the official WMSF website. This approach is efficient, as competition cases and deadlines vary each year. Additionally, instructors can emphasize the importance of submitting their completed work after the semester but before the submission deadline, typically in late January. This approach not only aligns with the WMSF requirements but also encourages students to independently and continuously engage with the competition process.
Additionally, the competition outlines specific eligibility criteria: participants must be currently enrolled at a U.S. college and be 18 years or older. Thus, if an instructor identifies an ineligible student for the competition, an alternative assignment may need to be provided, and/or their work should not be submitted.
Regarding mentorship policies, a faculty advisor must be entered during the Qualifying round, and an advisor may oversee multiple teams, such as those from the same classroom. In the Semifinal and Final rounds, participants are allowed to seek additional guidance from professionals or other individuals. However, to maintain consistency, instructors may encourage teams to consult their faculty advisor first before seeking external advice. Additionally, all contributors to the work must be acknowledged in the submission.
Timing of Course Integration
Example Media Planning Course Schedule Integrating the WMSF Competition.
Communicating the Value of WMSF Competition to Students
The competition is open to students of any major; historically, participants have come from diverse majors, including marketing, business, communication, journalism, advertising, public relations, sociology, and the arts. This cross-disciplinary nature enables participants to leverage their unique perspectives, shaped by their academic backgrounds, internships, and involvement in clubs such as AAF or PRSSA, when working in teams. Thus, it provides a distinctive learning experience beyond what the traditional curriculum provides.
However, students may hesitate to participate because of various reasons, including unfamiliarity with the competition, lack of motivation or confidence in their knowledge and skills, or concerns about the additional time and effort required beyond their regular coursework. To overcome these barriers, instructors should address them early in the semester (Week 1 or 2) by clearly explaining how the competition aligns with course objectives and the benefits it offers.
My approach has been effective in encouraging my students to participate. For instance, I emphasize that such extracurricular competitions are a risk-free opportunity to apply classroom knowledge to real-world scenarios. Even if students do not advance to the next round, the experience builds their confidence and provides an opportunity to assess their professional readiness. Below are my students’ reflections on their experiences in the Qualifying round. “The first round of the competition helped me to apply the terms and concepts I had learned in my media planning class to a real-world situation. It also helped me learn how I work with my teammate!” “I found the qualifying round to be more focused on creative hypotheticals whereas the other rounds felt more focused on using numbers and data to support ideas.” “Participating in the qualifying round gave me the opportunity to practice skills I learned in classes in a real-world scenario. It was a fun opportunity to brainstorm ideas for a hypothetical client, and there was much more freedom to structure things in whatever way I wanted instead of following a course rubric.” “Working on our projects for this competition led me to develop new skill sets as we encountered problems and questions that hadn't come up in our coursework.” “Participating in this round also gave me an idea of what questions clients would be asking in the real world and what needed to be considered in every step of launching a new media project.”
Advancing to the Semifinal round is a meaningful accomplishment that enhances both their resumes and portfolio development. Being selected as finalists offers additional benefits, including networking opportunities with industry professionals and the building of ongoing advisor-advisee relationships, regardless of whether students win scholarships. Below are students’ feedback about the Semifinal and Final rounds: “The biggest thing this competition helped me gain is confidence and self-assurance; I got to see how valuable my work can be, even as a student.” “I gained so much from participating in each phase of this competition. During the semi-final round I got to work with my teammate to create a media plan that became the foundation of our final round submissions. I could have used just the submission from the semi-final round as a portfolio piece for job applications.” “Many of the professionals we met were open to giving us their business cards and giving us advice on future careers, we also met some recruiters who were hiring in their fields as well.” “This competition also gave us the opportunity to earn scholarships to support our continued education.” “The WMSF gave me a place to practice classroom skills and the opportunity to learn new ones, the chance to develop a portfolio piece for job applications, a space to network and the chance to find support for my schooling or future career aspirations.”
Aligning WMSF Competition with Course Objectives
Integrating extracurricular competitions into coursework requires careful alignment between the competition’s content and the course objectives. The media planning course typically cover key aspects such as identifying business challenges, defining target audiences, setting objectives, analyzing media consumption, and budgeting. A solid understanding of these components is critical for students to make competitive submissions. Thus, instructors may schedule the WMSF competition assignment from November until the end of the semester, providing three to four weeks for completion, as shown in Table 1.
Additionally, instructors may allocate time for reviewing past cases from WMSF competitions, available on their website (see https://www.mediascholars.org/case-archives/). While students are not permitted to share their original ideas with others, analyzing past cases helps them gain a clearer understanding of expectations and workflow in each round, building their confidence.
Emphasizing Coaching Over Direct Instruction
My teaching philosophy emphasizes coaching over direct instruction. I encourage students to think critically and make independent decisions, maintaining the integrity of their individual efforts by prohibiting the sharing of work until final submissions. This approach fosters intellectual curiosity, which is essential for undergraduate research.
Furthermore, I emphasize that all decisions during the competition must be evidence-based, utilizing both quantitative and qualitative analysis alongside the provided materials. A successful media plan should be cost-efficient, consumer-centered, and demonstrate a deep understanding of the target audience, brand, and media channel options. More importantly, it should analyze the intersections between the target audience and media channels (i.e., which media channels the target audience uses or does not use and why), between the target audience and the brand (i.e., how the target audience perceives and engages with the brand compared to competitior brands, and the reasons behind these preferences), and between the media channels and the brand (i.e., which media channels the brand uses or does not use and why). By mastering these dynamics, students can enhance their evidence-based creativity and perform effectively in the competition.
Mentoring Students Through the Process
During the three to four weeks before the WMSF assignment deadline in class, students are encouraged to meet regularly in teams to collaborate on addressing each question of their Qualifying round assignment. During this period, students may submit their draft work for review (Week 14) to receive feedback from their instructor, helping them evaluate whether their work is on the right track. However, the instructor must ensure that the feedback is independent and not influenced by other teams’ work, while allowing each team to develop its own unique approach and strategies.
After the semester ends, students who choose to continue participating in the competition have the opportunity to refine their work further based on the instructor’s feedback. This extension of learning allows students to enhance their submissions. During this period, the instructor can continue to mentor students, review their revisions, and provide guidance on making their media plans more competitive. This ongoing interaction strengthens the mentor–mentee relationship, a key benefit of integrating HIPs.
Example Rubrics
Instructors may develop rubrics to provide feedback on final submissions in class at the end of the semester. While approaches may vary, they should not assess the quality of students’ responses, as the students’ work needs to be independent and original, rather than influenced by the instructor’s expectations. Instead, the focus should be on ensuring that all questions are fully addressed and that their reasoning is supported by both qualitative and quantitative data. Additionally, instructors may consider evaluating creativity, originality, and persuasive writing skills as part of the assessment criteria. An example rubric (totaling up to 50 points) has three criteria as follows:
Criteria 1: Completion of Responses (20 pts): • Excellent (18–20 pts): Fully addresses all questions with clear, detailed responses • Good (14–17 pts): Addresses most aspects, but lacks clarity or detail • Satisfactory (9–13 pts): Partially addresses questions with vague responses • Needs Improvement (0–8 pts): Fail to address key aspects or provides irrelevant responses
Criteria 2: Logical Reasoning (20 pts) • Excellent (18–20 pts): Strong reasoning, well-supported by data or materials • Good (14–17 pts): Reasoning supported by some data, but incomplete for some questions • Satisfactory (9–13 pts): Basic reasoning, but insufficient support • Needs Improvement (0–8 pts): Weak or unsupported reasoning
Criteria 3: Assignment Format (10 pts) • Excellent (9–10 pts): Well-organized, meets length, and formatting requirements • Good (6–8 pts): Organized, but with minor formatting or length issues • Satisfactory (3–5 pts): Poor organization or formatting, length requirements not met • Needs Improvement (0–2 pts): Disorganized, improper formatting, length issues
Conclusion
Integrating HIPs into the advertising curriculum is invaluable for bridging theoretical knowledge with practical application. Extracurricular competitions such as the WMSF Media Plan Case Competition exemplify how high-impact undergraduate research and collaborative projects can create effective experiential learning opportunities that extend beyond the classroom.
Reflecting on my efforts to integrate HIPs in the coursework, I have seen their transformative impact. For example, my students have achieved notable success, including a second-place finish in the WMSF competition in 2022 and a finalist position in 2024. These achievements highlight the lasting impact of HIPs-integrated extracurricular competitions in enhancing students’ skills, confidence, and overall educational experiences, ultimately preparing them for success in competitive professional environments.
While this paper focuses on two specific aspects of HIPs, other approaches and activities derived from extracurricular competitions can also be effectively integrated into the curriculum. Exploring diverse HIP strategies and their cross-disciplinary applications will be instrumental in fully understanding and maximazing their potential to enrich student learning and outcomes.
Footnotes
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
