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Thursday, April 4
8:30 – 9:00
9:00 – 9:15
Registration
Welcome Remarks
Ranjan Banerjee, Dean, S.P. Jain Institute of Management & Research, India
Dan LeClair, Chief Executive Officer, Global Business School Network, USA
9:15 – 10:15
Introduction to Experiential Learning in Management Education
Professional education is as much about application as it is about knowledge and content. Experiential learning has become a fixture in management development and business school programs worldwide. Begin the discussion with an overview of what experiential learning is, key concepts and types of activities. This session will cover how to establish a framework and guiding principles to stimulate thinking about what an experiential learning program can look like.
Michellana Jester, Senior Lecturer Global Entrepreneurship Lab, MIT Sloan School of Management, USA
10:15 – 11:15
Improving Student Learning Outcomes through Experiential Learning
Management educators today are challenged to develop pedagogies that support students in learning how to manage and lead in rapidly changing business contexts. Experiential learning has been touted as an effective way to prepare future business leaders to function in such contexts by enabling them to apply classroom learnings in real-world situations. However, the unique characteristics of this approach to teaching and learning introduce some complex challenges. Assurance of learning is one of them. Management educators are increasingly expected to articulate and demonstrate what students are learning through the activities we design both inside and outside of the classroom. We must therefore design experiential learning courses with certain standards in mind. This workshop introduces a set of assurance of learning standards that schools can directly adapt and apply to their own contexts. The standards have been co-developed by the facilitators in collaboration with a group of MBA schools that has been studying this topic over the last several years.
Improving Student Learning Outcomes through Experiential Learning
Management educators today are challenged to develop pedagogies that support students in learning how to manage and lead in rapidly changing business contexts. Experiential learning has been touted as an effective way to prepare future business leaders to function in such contexts by enabling them to apply classroom learnings in real-world situations. However, the unique characteristics of this approach to teaching and learning introduce some complex challenges. Assurance of learning is one of them. Management educators are increasingly expected to articulate and demonstrate what students are learning through the activities we design both inside and outside of the classroom. We must therefore design experiential learning courses with certain standards in mind. This workshop introduces a set of assurance of learning standards that schools can directly adapt and apply to their own contexts. The standards have been co-developed by the facilitators in collaboration with a group of MBA schools that has been studying this topic over the last several years.
Michellana Jester, Senior Lecturer Global Entrepreneurship Lab, MIT Sloan School of Management, USA
Kerry Laufer, OnSite Global Consulting program, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, USA
11:15 – 11:30
11:30 – 12:30
Coffee Break
Engaging with Company Partners
Partnerships play a vital role in an institution’s capability to provide students valuable learning experiences that can help them discover career ideas and cultivate technical skills for careers they are aiming for. This content session will cover best practices, challenges and opportunities in developing and maintaining partnerships with different types of organizations for experiential learning projects.
Bryan Andriano, Executive Director, Global & Experiential Education, George Washington University School of Business, USA
Preeta George, Professor – Economics, Chairperson – PGEMP Program, S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Economics, India
12:30 – 13:30
13:30 – 14:30
Lunch
Creative Resource Solutions
Cost factors and resource requirements for action-learning projects; Creative models for maximizing impact with limited time and financial resources; Leveraging relationships between schools and business organizations.
Moderator: Bryan Andriano, Executive Director, Global & Experiential Education, George Washington University School of Business, USA
Panelists: Ajay Adhikari, Sr. Associate Dean of Faculty and Research, Kogod School of Business, American University, USA
Radha Iyer, Professor, K.J. Somaiya Institute of Management Studies & Research, India
Deepa Krishnan, Adjunct Associate Professor, Head of the Abhyudaya Project, S.P. Jain Institute of Management & Research, India
14:30 – 15:30
The Role of Faculty in Experiential Learning
The growth of experiential learning has created new opportunities for faculty and students to interact. It has also necessitated a rethinking of traditional faculty roles. In experiential learning, faculty involved are asked to embrace operating in a less controlled environment where outcomes are less certain and more difficult to measure because the process, not the instructor, creates the content. The faculty coaches and mentors for experiential learning courses and activities are less “sage on the stage” and more “coach, mentor, guide, consultant, observer, sense-maker, and facilitator.” And in many cases, they are accountable to program directors that must sure a consistency of experience across experiential learning offerings. For some, this represents an entirely new way of teaching.
This session will explore questions like:
- How have schools been successful in encouraging more faculty to incorporate experiential learning activities within classroom-based courses?
- How have schools been successful in encouraging more faculty to participate in experiential learning courses that take them outside of the classroom?
- What challenges are they facing?
- How are they addressing these challenges (e.g. education/training, incentives, other approaches)?
Moderator: Dan LeClair, Chief Executive Officer, Global Business School Network, USA
Panelists: Anita Brar, Deputy Dean, The Young India Fellowship, Ashoka University, India
Ranjan Banerjee, Dean, S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research, India
Michaela Rankin, Deputy Dean, International, Monash Business School, Australia
15:30 – 16:00
16:00 – 17:00
Coffee Break
Small Group Exercise & Dialogue
Friday, April 5
8:30 – 12:00
Experiential Learning Models from S.P. Jain Institute of Management Research
Small groups take to the field to experience examples of SPJIMR’s non-classroom learning programs and initiatives.
VISIT TO ABHYUDAYA
About Abhyudaya: Abhyudaya is a Sanskrit word which means “welfare and development for all”. At SPJIMR, Abhyudaya is a 1.5 credit, year-long course through which MBA students mentor bright, underprivileged children (whom we call Sitaras, or stars). The mentoring visits are conducted at the homes of the Sitaras in low income neighborhoods. The Abhyudaya initiative has been running successfully since 2008.
Student learning objectives: Business education has to teach not just how to make a living, but how to live life. The Abhyudaya course has evolved through the search for answers to questions that the traditional B-school curriculum usually does not address: How do you understand yourself? What is the link between business and society? How do you become a leader who understands the millions who make up India’s ‘base of the pyramid’? The traditional classroom-based curriculum of B-schools is not effective in bringing about the kind of deep attitudinal impact we wish to create. Therefore, we have evolved an innovative non-classroom experiential pedagogy, aimed at creating grounded individuals who embody the SPJIMR values of Courage and Heart. At the core of this pedagogy* is direct experience of adversity. Students mentor children in our neighboring slums, and through this exposure, they learn and reflect deeply on their role in society. In addition, MBA students get a first-hand understanding about the segment of low-income households who represent nearly 50% of urban India. Using ethnographic techniques, students study social, economic and financial characteristics of the base of the pyramid. They use their learning to develop business ideas for this segment.
INSIGHTS INTO (RE)DESIGNING A COURSE ‘JOURNEY TOWARDS SELF TRANSFORMATION’ FOR MANAGEMENT STUDENTS
Background: Central to the process of developing holistic leaders at SPJIMR are non-classroom learning (NCL) initiatives. Of the five core NCL courses developed, the Journey Towards Self Transformation (JTSM) course* is aimed to deepen and integrate the other NCL experiences students encounter. It draws upon insights and contemplative practices from Eastern Wisdom Traditions (including Advaita Vedanta and Buddhism), findings from Cognitive and Developmental Psychology, and research evidence from Neuroscience. It is offered by the Science of Spirituality department at SPJIMR
Student learning objectives: are to help students develop awareness and mastery over their inner landscape through various practices, and learn how this awareness influences their relations with others and their engagement with the world. Students also explore how they can widen their personal sources of meaningfulness and fulfilment. Finally, students develop a deeper understanding of the implications of the concept of interconnectedness in their future roles and their responsibilities to society.
EXPERIENCING A SIMULATION COURSE
Background: At SPJIMR, simulations have been a part of the approach to learning, since the early days of the institute. Today, it remains a vital part of the curriculum, not only as a course-length offering, but also as a vital element within a traditional course. Given the history and high frequency of use of simulations at SPJIMR, the institute was selected as HBS’ exclusive partner for teacher training for simulations
Participant learning objectives: Simulations help MBA students to compress time and develop insights into business challenges and responses that are typically hard to directly experience until later in their career, when stakes are “too high”. Simulations are typically characterised by multiple rounds of decisions, with each round creating several points of feedback loops for participants, which inform further decisions. This creates a powerful, forward-looking learning dynamic. At SPJIMR they are a valuable tool for learning
VISIT TO SPJIMR DESIGN THINKING HUB
SPJIMR is the pioneer amongst top B-Schools in India to run a core Design Thinking (DT) course as part of its curriculum, across all programs and customized management development workshops. Since the past 2 years, to enhance learning in the course by making it more relevant & practical with tangible outcomes – a first of its kind in institutes and colleges in India – SPJIMR introduced a Design Thinking Hub (popularly known as DT Hub) facility. This benefits students, our partner corporates, faculty and professionals including our alumni from both corporate & social sectors, to prototype their out-of-the-box challenging ideas in a makers’ environment.
A leading makerspace in Mumbai (named Curiosity Gym) has helped in the setting-up of equipment and tools, in ideating about fresh and simple products and services and providing regular mentorship for our students at the Design Thinking Hub.
The fundamental principles of DT like Prototyping, Testing and Iterating these steps based on user feedback, are supported in the DT Lab by workshops on Rapid prototyping – specifically in CAD & 3D Printing, Laser cutting and other rapid prototyping tools. A hands-on exposure to the power of IOT (internet of things) and basic configuration for smart IoT devices is also done here.
This makes our students to visualize and prototype with the technology needed behind some of their out-of-the-box, challenging ideas and solutions. A panel of outside experts with a track record in identifying, mentoring and/or funding entrepreneurial ventures come on board to assess our aspiring students end-to-end from the concept to a working prototype, and extend them a reality check early enough, or on time.
The DT Lab is open to all streams of students – the 2-year PGDM & 1-year PGPM batches, GMP, Women’s program, Family Managed Business, FPM, long tenure Executive Management Programs and in-company as well as open workshops for industry practitioners.
12:00 – 12:30
Report Back & Introduction to Workshop Activity
Observations from the field.
12:30 – 13:30
13:30 – 15:30
Lunch
Workshop: Building your Experiential Learning Portfolio
Design your new experiential learning program or modify a current one in this hands on facilitated workshop. You’ll give and get feedback on your ideas and leave with something to implement.
15:30 – 16:00
Closing Remarks
Takeaways, implementation plans
Dan LeClair, Chief Executive Officer, Global Business School Network, USA