Akane has been working in the automotive industry for 20 years. When she got into the purchasing department as a supplier development engineer with a Tier 1 company (about seven years ago), she developed a greater interest in supply chain. She then started a master’s degree in supply chain management at Wayne State University. Her Strategic Procurement class utilized MyEducator’s Purchasing and Supply Management resource—her first introduction to a MyEducator course. Akane graduated with her master’s in supply chain in 2019. But she wasn’t done yet! Akane soon realized how key the engineering part of the process is to supply chain management and returned to Wayne State for a master’s in industrial engineering.

Akane was recently brought on as a part-time faculty member at Wayne State, and this upcoming semester will be her first time teaching the material she so recently saw from the student perspective. The Strategic Procurement class she took for her first master’s degree is the first class she’ll teach as an instructor, this time at the undergraduate level. And she’ll be using MyEducator’s Purchasing and Supply Management—this time from the instructor side!

When asked about what she liked about the MyEducator resource and how she thinks it will help her teach, Akane said, “I really like the fact that you can set up a lot of things online as a teacher. I always had to depend on [MyEducator] for the setup, and I really like that there are a lot of setting options for the quizzes and exams. I also like that there are many students really reading the course and learning through the book.” Teaching classes in an undergraduate program is going to be an adjustment, Akane predicts, because of the difference in life and real-world experience between graduate and undergraduate students. “I want them to learn,” Akane says, and she is grateful for the support she’s already received from the MyEducator team (shout out to Jaret!). 

Akane will finish her master’s in industrial engineering at Wayne State in 2024 and hopes to grow her knowledge and skills in engineering and continue to teach what she knows. When asked about what her goals were with her class and this second master’s degree, Akane said, “I want to basically let the students know what is beneficial when you work with suppliers in the real world.” Akane’s vast industry knowledge, recent student experience, and full access to MyEducator resources will ensure that she does just that—connect the academic aspects of supply chain with experience-based knowledge and information to create an incredible course that’s sure to supply students with everything they need to succeed.

Sources

Personal interview with Akane Herbert

Cover image by Del Arte, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.