BizEd

NovDec2007

Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/57872

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 38 of 83

The MBA That Delivers The part-time MBA landscape is fundamentally changing—location and duration, cost and content. mg To help new and existing staff learn to work in a prob- lem-based context, our school employs training programs developed by the Faculty's Education Research and Devel- opment department. At the start of their program, students also receive training about their responsibilities in a PBL context, which include providing feedback, chairing meet- ings, and adopting the role of the tutor. This preparation helps us create a culture where evaluation and reflection, not evaluation and appraisal, go hand in hand. New faculty members, especially, often find this shift confusing. One professor noted that, at first, he felt as if his knowledge was not being sufficiently tapped during his students' group meetings. Another noted that she nearly "bruised her tongue by biting it so often," when she felt group discussion was going in the wrong direction. However, as they learned new teaching skills and reflect- ed on their classroom experiences with their colleagues, they realized the value of problem-based learning. They were amazed to discover that even when it appeared a discussion was going in the wrong direction, students somehow still found the right answers themselves. In the PBL process, our faculty also learn to use their expertise differently—they learn to meet student questions with more probing ques- tions, rather than to immediately provide the answers. A Reality Check Of course, the program we have designed at Maastricht isn't the only type of environment that can develop responsible LEADS THE FIELD in creating innovative solutions for part-time students: BABSON ® Fast Track MBA Portland, OR campus • Nationally ranked MBA taught in 24 months Wellesley, MA campus • Collaborative, team-based learning environment • Unique combination of Web-based and classroom learning Evening MBA Wellesley, MA campus • Nationally ranked MBA taught in 36 months • Team-taught "cluster courses" encourage learning from multiple perspectives • Career Contexts help students design their electives with a career focus The MBA That Delivers® www.babson.edu/mba Ranked #1 in entrepreneurship by U.S.News & World Report and Financial Times. Ranked #1 Best Opportunity for Women by The Princeton Review. leaders. Many other schools have designed programs that also address ethical issues in a leadership context, and these programs can vary widely. Even in our school, where the dominant pedagogy is PBL-based, not all faculty believe that the development of self-awareness and attention to interper- sonal interaction should receive the same emphasis in the curriculum as academic content. Such diversity of thought is part of the richness of the academic environment. Still, it's of crucial importance that business schools make available to students a sufficient number of courses that address their personal and emotional development and allow them to adopt attitudes that suit responsible leaders. It is just as important that business schools offer faculty the opportunity to train in these areas. Different subjects in the business school might require completely different teach- ing pedagogies when it comes to addressing students' lead- ership development. By taking a variety of approaches into account, business educators and administrators also adopt the attitude of responsible leadership. Given these opportunities, business faculty will have a clear and straightforward answer to the question, "What are you doing to prevent unethical conduct in business?" They can describe the ways they and their students don't just talk about responsible leadership—they act on it. ■ z Mariëlle Heijltjes is a professor of managerial behavior and teaches organizational behavior and leadership at Universiteit Maastricht in the Netherlands. BizEd NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2007 37

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of BizEd - NovDec2007