At Alfred University, learning doesn’t stop at theory, but extends into real-world application. In the Strategic Marketing course taught by Brittany Thierman, assistant professor of marketing, students are challenged to move beyond textbook materials and step into the role of marketers, creators, and entrepreneurs. This semester, that challenge took shape in the writing, publishing, and marketing of books on Amazon.
Alfred University students Isabella Santella (left), a senior marketing major (leadership minor), and Vova Kalinin (right), a sophomore business administration major, with Brittany Thierman, assistant professor of marketing. Thierman teaches a Strategic Marketing course in which Santella, Kalinin, and their classmates wrote, published, and marketed books on Amazon.
For students like Isabella Santella, a senior marketing major (leadership minor) from Middleport, NY, the experience has been both eye-opening and demanding.
“Strategic Marketing has been an interesting experience in real-world problem solving,” Isabella shared. “Seeing the real steps involved in creating a book, uploading it to Amazon, and marketing my product has had more bumps than you would expect.”
Rather than following a predictable academic structure, the course places students in situations where they must navigate uncertainty, make decisions, and adapt to the realities of today’s business environment.
This hands-on approach is intentional. Alfred University emphasizes experiential learning, encouraging students to work through challenges before entering the workforce. “Alfred does a great job of putting our students in a place where we need to work through everyday challenges before the pressures of the workplace are also a part of that experience,” Isabella said.
For Vova Kalinin, a sophomore business administration major from Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine, one of the most valuable aspects of the course is its balance between theory and application. “Compared to many other classes, this course focuses not only on theory but also on real-world practice,” Vova explained. “Professor Thierman encourages students to try things themselves and learn by doing.”
Publishing a book on Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) is not just a creative assignment; it is a business exercise. Students must research their target audience, analyze competitors, develop pricing strategies, and build marketing campaigns designed to generate real sales. “This gave us practical experience with digital marketing, publishing, and promotion,” Vova said. “It makes the class both practical and valuable for real life.”
The structure of the course reflects a broader shift in marketing education. According to Thierman, the goal is to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world application.
“In higher education, there is an ongoing necessity to balance theoretical knowledge with practical application,” Thierman said. Rather than asking students what they would do in a case study, she explained, the course challenges them to actually do it: launch a product, run a campaign, and measure results. As Thierman notes, there is a significant difference between intention and execution.
Ultimately, Strategic Marketing at Alfred University is a platform for transformation. By combining theory with execution, students gain a deeper understanding of how marketing works in practice. They leave the course not just with knowledge, but with experience, something that cannot be replicated through textbooks alone.
As experiential learning continues to shape modern education, courses like this demonstrate what is possible when students are given the opportunity to create, test, and learn in real time. At Alfred, the classroom is not just a place to learn about the world; it is a place to start building within it.
Story by Andrii Maltsev '27
