Opportunity and the Pandemic: Re-imagining Business Management Curriculum for First-generation Students under Cover of Pandemonium

First-generation university students negotiate with clear and evident difficulty the transition from familiarity of secondary (high school) education to tertiary (university) education. The impersonal nature generally—and particularly so since pandemic advent—accentuates marginalisation vulnerable youth impinges on effective learning a favourable experience. A more desirable state would include demystification processes becoming student-customer, firstly, thereafter learner-initiate. Teaching faculty, in (necessarily virtual) classroom, serve as user-interface often impenetrable administrative teaching dimensions exosystem. rationale is that, were pathway high school graduate student-customer learner-initiate be less harrowing, composed journey degree completion gratifying. Scaffolding this reconceptualised first-year management studies curriculum draws upon Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model learner development, foundations established by Vygotsky’s socio-cultural learning. In frame, proximal arising interaction microsystem exosystem socio-economic inheritance, can addressed classroom transcend disaffection. An entry-level principles delivered substantial cohort second semester 2021 served object phenomenological observation interpretation. student-experience was emphasised instructor-directed, student-focused compensatory. Two foci are brought fore paper, rendering content accessible for student profile, overcoming assessment helplessness despondency. These accomplishments elaborated features backwards design emphasis social knowledgeable other.