The Tarkenton Institute proudly introduces MasterSuite: Apprentice, an entirely Web-based solution for business administration course instruction. Our custom-designed curricula harness the power of hosted software solutions to lift the world of modern business technology out of the textbook and directly into the hands of our future business leaders.

The Tarkenton Institute’s MasterSuite: Apprentice program offers technology-based business administration curricula that give students an exceptional competitive advantage by providing low-cost access to the same real world technologies on which businesses — large and small — depend to thrive in today’s marketplace.

Discover Tomorrow’s Technologies Today

MasterSuite: Apprentice is a unique education platform that integrates state-of-the-art technology solutions from Tarkenton Institutes’ sister company, Lodestar Technology Labs, with comprehensive course curricula developed by some of the nation’s most experienced educators in business administration. The fully hosted solution allows teachers and students to interface at a single point of access, ensuring a streamlined education experience that maximizes the efficient delivery of assignments, grades and additional information.

How it Works

Delivery

TI sister company Lodestar Labs’ developers have leveraged the power of the Web 2.0 dashboard concept to give instructors a fully customizable teaching experience with a drag and drop administrative user interface. By customizing the elements on their home page, instructors decide how they want to manage and visualize important information about their classes, calendars and assignments. From their home page, instructors can manage all functions related to their Apprentice course implementation:

• Register a class • Adjust assignments • Track student progress

and performance • Assign grades to pre-

formatted electronic assignments.

GraDinG

Let the software track student progress and performance for you. At the Tarkenton Institute, we know that measuring progress is critical to ensuring knowledge retention. So, we’re providing a simple, but powerful, way to grade at the point of instruction: Grades are assigned within each software application and tracked for reference as the term progresses. Quizzes and other assignments are graded electronically the instant students complete each task.

assiGnments

Leave the technology to us and concentrate on what really matters: Educating. Each Web-based assignment is tracked by the software itself, whch provides instructors an instant report, detailing the method and path used to complete the task in question. After students have completed an assignment, instructors have easy access to their work. MasterSuite Apprentice provides instructors side-by-side comparison of the student’s completion of the assignment with the expected, or correct, result.

For the InstructorA tightly integrated and easy-to-use platform for extracting and managing data from instructional efforts means maximal efficiency with minimal technological expertise.

Delivery

Delivered as an e-book via Lodestar Labs’ secure Web servers, each chapter of any Apprentice Text is formatted as a weeklong lesson, accompanied by a series of quizzes and interactive assignments that require students to master a particular management task, using one of Lodestar Labs’ Web-based software applications. Everything – from the text to the assignments to access to the software itself — is managed from the same centralized Web-based interface used by instructors. The Student Interface allows learners to:

• Access pre-formatted and trackable assignments• Navigate the MasterSuite software applications • Complete pre-formatted electronic quizzes

assiGnments

Students access all their assignments and quizzes from the MasterSuite: Apprentice Student Interface. The apprentice program offers a comprehensive library of Web-based assignments that require students to complete a series of managerial tasks using any of several software applications. Example Assignments include:

• Employee data entry• Generating staff tracking reports• Administrative document creation• Developing job descriptions and interview worksheets

tools

The Text: Apprentices’ unique curricula take a novel-like approach to instruction, using a linear narrative that follows a diverse group of characters as they attempt to navigate the complex landscape of business management. Each chapter uses stories from real world events to address a spectrum of common tasks and challenges faced by small business owners and their staffs every day.

The Software: With the launch of TI’s first Apprentice curriculum in Personnel Management this fall, each student will gain access to two of Lodestar Lab’s business applications, the MasterDoc Administrative Document Builder and the MasterFile Employee Data Manager. (See sidebar for information about the software). Each software-related assignment takes its cues directly from the corresponding section in the Apprentice Text.

MasterFile is an easy-to-use data management solution for the creation of a fully client-hosted, paperless HR department. Using MasterFile, HR professionals can manage key information about their company, including policies and procedures regarding time off, sexual harassment, dress code and other common workplace guidelines. MasterFile also facilitates comprehensive employee data reporting and information retrieval, as well as optimized employee review processes and additional controls through an easy-to-use family of accompanying mini-apps.

MasterDoc allows users to create and store an assortment of requisite HR documents like personnel policies, job descriptions, interview worksheets, handbooks and more, using a comprehensive library of document templates and data replacement forms. It also includes access to important information on employment laws at both a Federal and a State level.

masterDoc: Document BuilDer

masterFile: employee Data manaGer

For the StudentA Novel Approach to Business Instruction.

Since the creation of GoSmallBiz in 1996, Tarkenton Institute founder, Fran Tarkenton, has focused his time and energy on helping entrepreneurs across North America access an extensive catalog of tools and resources designed to help them thrive in today’s competitive marketplace. His Atlanta-based business group, Tarkenton Companies, provides a broad spectrum of services to the small business market, including 24-7 consulting, software development, research and content publishing.

loDestar technoloGies

In 2006, Fran expanded the scope of Tarkenton Companies’ software development initiatives with the creation of Lodestar Technology Labs, LLC, a national provider of Software as a Service (SaaS, also: Software On-Demand), with a primary focus on Internet-based productivity applications for the small business market.

Lodestar Labs’ software products are designed to support and streamline a range of functions for small business, from administrative document creation to employee database management and cutting-edge DIY Website design. Lodestar’s mission is to reduce infrastructure costs for end-user businesses by delivering almost all of its products via the Internet using a subscription-based pricing model. The long-term benefit to the end-user lies in the resultant reassignment of business software as a variable expense (purchased on demand), rather than a fixed cost at the time of initial purchase.

Lodestar Labs’ complete catalog of software products and services, including the original MasterSuite, is available for purchase under the trademark The Small Business MasterSuite™ at www.mastersuiteapps.com.

the tarkenton institute

In 2008, NFL Hall of Famer and self-described serial entrepreneur Fran Tarkenton founded the Tarkenton Institute, a think tank charged with spearheading the development and delivery of diverse educational initiatives that further the mission of the American entrepreneur. The Tarkenton Institute staffs a national network of consultants who respond directly to questions from small business owners via dedicated Web portals.

The Institute also maintains an experienced staff of writers who develop business-focused editorial content that’s delivered to various Tarkenton Web properties, as well as partner Web sites, via a secure, customizable API. To find out more about the various services offered by the Tarkenton Institute, visit tarkentoninstitute.org.

MasterSuite: Apprentice, The Tarkenton Insitutute’s newest concept, was born out of its relationship with the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs, who had conceived an entirely Web-based solution for business administration classroom instruction. With rapid access to Lodestar Technology Labs business solutions, and a team of experienced educators providing extensive consultation, The Tarkenton Institute has spent the last year developing a series of comprehensive course curricula structured around LSTL’s cutting-edge technologies: MasterSuite: Apprentice. For more information about Lodestar Technology Labs, visit lodestartechlabs.com.

on the horizon

The Tarkenton Institute will launch the MasterSuite: Apprentice program with a beta version of the Web-based software and accompanying curriculum for Personnel Management in fall 2010. Following beta testing, TI will formally launch Apprentice nationally in January 2011.

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