The Kelley School of Business Indianapolis named faculty member Barb Cutillo its first director of experiential learning. This approach to learning features hands-on, immersive learning experiences that prepare students for real-world jobs. In this role, Barb supports active learning opportunities across all Kelley Indianapolis programs to help students apply what they learn in real time and to build a reliable workforce pipeline that strengthens the vitality of Indiana.
A lecturer of management at Kelley Indianapolis, Barb began as a part-time faculty member in 2018. Prior to teaching, she spent several years working in the finance industry. Barb co-founded Stonegate Mortgage Corporation in 2005 and managed its growth to $186 million before leading its IPO in 2013. She was recognized by Indianapolis Business Journal as a Woman of Influence that same year. Barb has served the local start-up community for many years, including as a consultant and board member.
Barb shares more about her vision for experiential learning at Kelley Indianapolis.
Question: What does experiential learning mean at Kelley Indianapolis?
Barb: We’ve offered experiential learning for quite a while at Kelley Indianapolis. I define it as practicing what you’re learning—whether it’s project-based learning (like I-Core), an internship, or a graduate research project. Active learning can also include projects where students are asked to present or share their conclusions or knowledge with external stakeholders who judge their recommendations.
Studies show that active learning projects provide students with a memorable, long-lasting learning experience because humans learn better by doing. Research shows it’s especially beneficial for students who come from economically challenged or disadvantaged backgrounds to participate in high-impact projects like these.
Kelley Indianapolis faculty also bring examples, speakers, and our own experiences into the classroom to connect lessons to what’s happening in the world. Immersive learning can also mean getting out of the classroom and visiting places in your community or having guest speakers from around the world bring cultural diversity into the classroom.
Q: How does this all fit in with Business Plus, the new Kelley Indianapolis program to introduce undergraduate students to internships earlier in their degree?
Barb: Kelley Indianapolis expanded the undergraduate internship program by creating the Business Plus. It starts in January 2025 with a group of Direct Admit first-year students in their second semester who interview for potential internship positions, which Kelley Indianapolis has negotiated with high-profile employers.
Business Plus is a bit different from a traditional internship program because Kelley Indianapolis invited the employers to campus to interview first-year students for these jobs. In the traditional internship-for-credit program, students find the jobs themselves, and they complete them later in their degree path as a junior or senior.
Business Plus students also take specialized courses on how to conduct themselves in the professional setting. Faculty members and career professionals check in with them throughout the semester to see how they’re doing and help them reflect on what they’re learning. After their first year, students take a regular load of classes in the fall of their sophomore year and, then, decide if they want to return to the same internship in the spring or choose a different one.
Through Business Plus, we’re introducing early-stage students to the workforce. Later, as juniors or seniors, we offer co-op opportunities where students can take a few classes while also working 15 hours a week at one of these companies.
Kelley Indianapolis has moved in this direction to supplement academic classroom training with actual, experiential learning. This prepares students to put immediately into practice what they’ve learned when they begin working.
Q: Why is it important to focus on experiential learning in business school?
Barb: It’s a way to support workforce development while also enriching the classroom experience.
On one hand, we’re contributing to a talent pipeline for local companies, and on the other hand, we’re preparing our students for real-world problem-solving. These students will graduate with years of experience and industry knowledge under their belts.
It’s also a great way for students to test different career paths. For example, one Business Plus company is an accounting firm. By hiring first-year accounting students, the firm can introduce students at an early stage in their degree to different accounting careers. Through Business Plus, some students may start with an accounting internship and say: “This is where I want to stay. This is the kind of environment I want to work in, and the job I want to pursue.” And some may decide: “No, this is not for me.” It’s a way for students to try it before they buy it.
Q: How is experiential learning delivered to graduate students?
Barb: Kelley Indianapolis students have completed capstone and consultancy projects in our graduate programs for years with great success. Students learn a lot about their chosen field, and the companies get a tremendous amount of value out of it. Students in the Evening MBA Program, for example, complete immersive consulting projects in which companies receive a fully researched business report with recommendations as well as an implementation plan, just as if they would’ve hired a consulting firm to do it.
Doctors in our Physician MBA Program identify ways to improve healthcare within their own organizations and use class projects to solve these challenges. It really ties in with the university’s mission to impact our communities. We are here to not only educate and train a workforce, but also to impact our communities in a positive way. Everything we do in the realm of experiential learning creates lasting, positive impact.
Q: What’s the future of experiential learning at Kelley Indianapolis?
Barb: My top priority is to continue building the Business Plus Program to offer more employers so all our students can get hired. We have the student interest; we just need to add more employers.
Also, faculty members are frequently asked to create minor internships, or micro-internships, for companies. Sometimes, faculty members can integrate these projects into a class, but sometimes not. I would love to put together a micro-internship program where we could offer smaller consulting projects that span a couple weeks or a month. These smaller-scale internships could be a good way to offer disadvantaged populations an option for active learning in a way that fits more easily into their lives. If you’re working full time and going to college, it can be challenging to add a semester-long internship on top of that. We have a diverse student population, and it is important to design something that works for a variety of them.”
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