Connecting subject disciplines in the MBA through common

pedagogies Bill Sutherland

Ken RussellAllan Scott

Aberdeen Business SchoolRobert Gordon University

Agenda

• Overview• Background and Context• Activities and Examples of Practice– The use of intensive workshops– Course Design Intensive (CDI) method

• Key points• Sharing Practice• Future plans

Overview: Aberdeen Business School MBA ‘Four Pillars’

Academic

Career Development

Career Development

AcademicAcademic

Behaviouraland Skills

Behaviouraland Skills

IndustryEngagement

IndustryEngagement

Key Literature and Concepts

• Biggs (1999) – ‘constructive alignment’

• Mayes and de Freitas (2004)– Challenge underlying assumptions– Take account of the context of delivery mode

• Koper and Olivier (2004)– ‘pedagogical expressiveness’

Background and Context

• Staff development• Course design• Interdisciplinary teams• AMBA – half of learning from within the

cohort

Aims of the project

• Effective and efficient use of time• Learner Expectations• Balance learner competency• Consistency• Constructive alignment• Framework for new Module design• Staff development in pedagogy• Course design, but Module delivery

Course Design Intensive (CDI)

• Oxford Brookes• curriculum design in extended, multi-

professional teams• design at programme level• speed up development times • cascade e-learning design expertise into

academic departments

CDI Process

OXFORD BROOKES , 2013. Course Design Intensives http://www.brookes.ac.uk/services/ocsld/sese/cdi_flyer.pdf

Future Plans - where next?• Review each MBA module, starting with the

first four.• Opportunities to link activities across modules• Determine other projects and sub teams– Authentic assessment– Reading strategies and directed study– Transition management– ‘Handbook’ of module design

Acknowledgements• Oxford Brookes– Dr. Greg Benfield– Dr. Frances Deepwell

• RGU DELTA– Prof. Alan Davidson– Catherine Ogilvie– Technical Support Team

• MBA Teaching Team, Administration Team and Support Team

Sources• BIGGS, J. 2003. Aligning teaching for constructing learning. Higher Education

Academy. [online] available from: http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/documents/resources/database/id477_aligning_teaching_for_constructing_learning.pdf [accessed12 April 2013]

• CHICKERING, A.W. and GAMSON, Z.F., 1987. Seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education. AAHE Bulletin March 1987, 3-7.

• DEMPSTER, J.A., BENFIELD. G. and FRANCIS, R., 2012. An academic development model for fostering innovation and sharing in curriculum design. Innovation in Education and Teaching International 49(2), 135-147.

• HERRINGTON, J., REEVES, T.C., and OLIVER, R., 2006. Authentic tasks online: A synergy among learner, task, and technology. Distance Education 27(2) pp.233-247.

• KOPER, R. and OLIVIER, B., 2004. Representing the learning design of units of learning. Educational Technology and Society 7(3), 97-111.

Sources• MAYES, T. and de FREITAS, S., 2004. Review of e-leaning theories, frameworks and

models. JISC Commissioned Review: JISC e-learning Models Desk Study. [online] available from: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/uploaded_documents/Stage%202%20Learning%20Models%20(Version%201).pdf [accessed12 April 2013]

• OXFORD BROOKES , 2013. Course Design Intensives http://www.brookes.ac.uk/services/ocsld/sese/cdi_flyer.pdf

• REEVES, T.C., HERRINGTON, J. and OLIVER, R., 2002. Authentic activities and online learning. Quality Conversations: Proceedings of the 25th HERDSA Annual Conference, Perth, Western Australia, 7-10 July 2002, pp. 562-567. http://www.herdsa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/conference/2002/papers/Reeves.pdf

• SHEEC, 2013. Developing and Supporting the Curriculum. Scottish Higher Education Enhancement Committee http://www.enhancementthemes.ac.uk/enhancement-themes/developing-and-supporting-the-curriculum