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Syllabus Design-
Learning & Teaching Effectively: From the classroom to the boardroom
Laura A. Black
McCall Aldrich
Katelyn Neary
Ball State University
Syllabus Design-
Learning & Teaching Effectively: From the classroom to the boardroom
Interpretation of
Rationale
This syllabus design is for a business training program for
a group of facilitators (instructors, professors, teachers) working at
different universities across the state of Indiana. The contents of the course
and the syllabus will focus on how facilitators can create a pleasant learning
environment for students so they will learn business more efficiently. There
are five dimensions of environment and context including the physical,
cultural, knowledge, power and real-life environments; furthermore, for this
syllabus design focus is on the ‘real life’ environment.
Based on programs that were researched, this syllabus will
incorporate ideas and concepts for each program. The concepts will assist the
facilitators in providing a ‘real-life’ learning experience for each student to
assist in a powerful learning experience. Each seminar attendee will gain
personal experience from the learning process and knowledge in how to guide and
better prepare students for this ‘real-life’ context incorporation.
A syllabus has been designed to capture all of the
extraordinary features identified by programs previously investigated and the
literature that has been reviewed. The seminar, Learning & Teaching Effectively: From the Classroom to the Boardroom,
has been designed to recognize the importance that environment and context can
have on adult learning. This seminar is a training program that highlights
these external factors.
Programs
Three programs were investigated to overcome the limitations
identified by the literature review. The first program, “PricewaterhouseCoopers
Experimental Case Study” used an undergraduate course to complete a systems
analysis project replicable to one industry professional’s use. The second
program, “Simulation-based Learning” Just like the Real Thing” helped medical
students and other health professionals’ develop
knowledge, skills, attitudes, and teamwork to enhance performance on the job. The
third program, “Learning from Others: Learning in a Social Context” takes
examples of different facilitators in how their teaching was affected by social
interactions in different settings; furthermore, this program provides facts on
how these social interactions among students can enhance the learning environment
in a ‘real-life’ setting.
The seminar held will use
realistic scenarios incorporating the previous mentioned programs to allow for
those attending to get ‘real-life’ experience that will enhance business
skills. Retraining and practicing sessions will take place till one can master
the procedure or skill being taught. Teamwork training conducted in the
simulated environment may offer an additive benefit to the traditional didactic
instruction, enhance performance, and possibly also help increase learning effectiveness.
Features integrated
into syllabus & seminar design
Many great features were identified by the programs
investigated that were considered in the creation of the course syllabus as
well as use of ‘real life’ environment.
Features from “PricewaterhouseCoopers Experimental Case
Study” provide great ideas that should be implemented into a syllabus. The
first feature of this program that will be intergraded is the facilitator’s
encouragement for students to treat the case as ‘real work’ rather than a class
assignment; furthermore, students were told to act as PwC system and process
assurance consultants. The second feature that will be integrated into the
syllabus design involves the emphasis on skills developed from the case and how
applicable they are to a variety of contexts and firms. Stressing the
importance of the skills acquired from the ‘real life’ case study approach and
how beneficial it is for an person in a working environment, not just as an
employee of whatever industry topic is being used for the case. The third
feature applicable to our syllabus design is the discussion of nuances not
portrayed in the classroom, but may arise in the ‘real world’.
Features from “Simulation-based learning: Just like the Real
Thing” provides simulation-based training
techniques, tools, and strategies that can be applied in designing structured
learning experiences, as well as be used as a measurement tool linked to
targeted teamwork competencies and learning objectives. The first feature
of this program that will be integrated is to encourage
critical thinking to resolve dilemmas. This will allow participants of this
seminar to use critical thinking to narrow options and assess situations to
gain results. The second feature of this program that will be integrated into
the syllabus design will allow time and tools for retraining and practice until
a skill or procedure is mastered. This will give participants the tools needed
to successfully complete a task once they return to their place of work. The
third feature applied will be building communication skills through
collaborative group work. This will give
participants the opportunity to build trust and rapport with co-workers, use
active listening to know when “not to step on each other’s toes,” to clearly
define roles and responsibilities, as well as communicate awareness of common
goals.
Features from “Learning From Others: Learning in a Social
Context” provide guided social interactions to increase the learning
sophistication in each student’s situation. The first feature that will be
incorporated in this syllabus design for training program will be; guided
discussions in the classroom. Students will have opportunities to voice their
knowledge of business and their personal experiences with the assistance of the
Facilitator. The Facilitator will lead discussions in in a professional
setting, guiding meaning discussions on business topics and incorporating
‘real-life’ scenarios to get each student thinking and learning from one
another as-well-as learning from the educated instructor. The second feature
that will be incorporated from this program in the training is small group
work. There will be opportunity for each person attending this training to be
assigned in a small group and learn to work through a business problem or
situation with this group. The social interactions in this group will
facilitate a meaning learning experience. The third feature to be incorporated
in the syllabus design for this learning program is the ‘reciprocal teaching’
that is taught in the ‘Learning in a Social Context.’ Each group will be
assigned to work through a business situation together, then groups will
present their material teaching the others in this training the information
they came up with. This experience will provide each person with greater
understanding of the material and gain experience in different social settings.
The programs investigated provide excellent features from
which our group can build an effective program. Attention of the physical,
cultural, knowledge, power, and real-life environment will be given while
constructing our program. The program will try to create a learning environment
conducive to as many individuals and learning styles as possible while using a
‘real life’ environment approach.
There are also ideas from the reviewed literature that will
be implemented in the syllabus design in relation to learning and facilitating
principles. According to Mackeracher (2004), “the brain requires that learning
activities be carried out in a physically supportive environment in which the
learner is reasonably comfortable, the temperature and lighting are suitable,
and the air quality is good. (p. 102)
For the seminar, creating a physically supportive
environment is a main focus as it should be for any facilitator. Providing a
good example for the seminar attendees will allow facilitators to see
experience the difference and hopefully try to recreate it when they are back
in the classroom for their students. The seminar will be held in a large
conference room with the tables initially set up in a term known as a ‘Cluster’
(Lawson, 2009, p.157). This allows for the trainer to allow for moderate group
involvement during the presentations and discussions of the case studies. The
‘cluster’ table set up also allows for two-way communication compared to most
conference table settings.
These features previously mentioned from the investigations’
and literature will serve as a basis for the design of the proposed syllabus.
There are five main features that will be implemented:
1. Instructors highlight benefits and possible barriers of
using case study in class room setting.
2. Strategies learned can be applied to design additional
learning experiences.
3. Students should act more as researchers compared to
traditional students.
Implementation
To implement these features into the design of a syllabus,
modifications are needed to maximize the effectiveness of the features within
the syllabus. The first feature will be advocated in the syllabus by the
reading material and learning tools, which emphasize encouragement from
facilitators to treat the case as ‘real work’ rather than another assignment
and putting an emphasis on the numerous industries that are applicable to the
case; therefore, while also discussing the differences between ‘real world’ and
classroom problems. The syllabus will include activities to reiterate the
second feature by highlighting the professional skills acquired from the use of
a ‘real-life’ or case study. The third feature will be reinstated in the
syllabus by encouraging social interactions in several different settings such
as giving students more responsibility in the classroom; furthermore, for
example allowing them to check email in class and encourage communication to be
that of a business professional.
Conclusions
In the creation of Learning & Teaching Effectively, the
physical, cultural, power, knowledge, and ‘real life’ environments were all
considered and addressed in the integration and application of the seminar. By
designing a seminar and syllabus that is based on using real life environments
it will hopefully create more effective learning and teaching practices.
Seminar Outline
Learning &
Teaching Effectively: From the Classroom to the Boardroom
Seminar Outline
Seminar Website: www.classroom2boardroom.com
Session Meetings:
Saturday, January 25th,
2014 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Sunday, January 26th,
2014, 8 AM to 4 PM
Saturday, February 1st,
2014, 8 AM to 4 PM
Sunday, February 2nd,
2014, 8 AM to 4 PM
Location: Indiana Convention Center, Room 101
100 S.
Capitol Indianapolis, IN
Instructor: Dr.
Ball State
Instructor Contact
Information:
Cell phone: 317-333-3333
Office phone: 317-555-5555
Seminar Objectives
1. To learn the benefits and possible barriers of using a
case study in a classroom setting.
2. To learn strategies that can be applied to design
additional learning experiences.
3. To acknowledge the importance of treating students as a
professional and not as a traditional student.
4. To identify and apply social interactions as support for
future learning and teaching experiences.
5. To become familiar with teaching in groups and the
benefits of learning role contexts.
Skill level requirements for
seminar attendees:
Professor or instructor at a university headquartered and located in Indiana;
Interest and/or experience in using ‘real life’ case study;
At least 5 years’ experience as an instructor or facilitator at
particular university.
**Note the special requirements for attendance. Contact
bstate@bsu.edu for further questions in
relation to the skill level requirements.
Seminar Format
The seminar will include multiple forms of instruction and
evaluation including individual, small, and large group work. Instructional
methods will include lecture presentations, pre-session questionnaires,
assigned reading materials, discussion, case study evaluations, videos, expert
speaker presentations, testimonials, and question and answer sessions. For
convenience and understanding handouts, worksheets, and notes will be available
online and at each seminar meeting. Nametags will be provided at each seminar
meeting check-in to try to help familiarize the attendees with one another.
Nametags will include: First and Last name, University, Area of study, years in
the position. It is expected that attendees arrive with time to check-in,
collect name tags and any session documents, and are ready for participation.
Attendance: Attendees
are allowed up to a quarter day of absence from the seminar or 2.25 hours over
the course of the four seminar meetings. There will be no make-up opportunities
available. If attendance cannot be achieved due to any circumstance including
emergency- withdrawal from the conference should be considered. The stringent
attendance policies required of the seminar is based on the certification that
is awarded after completion of the 4 seminar meetings. Successful completion
will be judged based on attendance, completion of pre-questionnaire, reading
material with assignments, and participation. We ask all participants to clear
their schedules in advance, so limited interruptions and complete participation
is achieved. Any questions or concerns in relation to the attendance policy and
withdrawal procedure, contact Dr. Ball State,
bstate@bsu.edu.
Certification:
Upon successful completion of the seminar and assigned materials a conference
certification will be issued to each successful attendee. The certificate will
instate the successful completion of the “Learning & Teaching Effectively:
From the Classroom to the Boardroom” seminar and the skills acquired and topics
discussed. See Exhibit #4 for the Learning
& teaching effectively: From the classroom to the boardroom certificate.
Accommodations: If
any attendee needs any adaptations or accommodations because of a disability or
any other reason, please contact bstate@bsu.edu in advance to allow for
appropriate procedures as well as notification of the Indiana Convention Center
personnel.
The Indiana Convention Center allows guests to walk from
Lucas Oil Stadium to twelve premium hotels including the Westin, Hyatt,
Marriott, Conrad, Omni, Crowne Plaza at Union Station, Embassy Suites, and JW
Marriott. There are over 7,100 + hotel rooms within blocks of the Indiana
Convention Center. The seminar has a special premium package deal with The
Westin Indianapolis Hotel. The address of The
Westin is 50. S Capitol Ave Indianapolis, IN 46204, phone contact: (317)
262-8100. The Indiana Convention Center is connected via an enclosed
walkway to The Westin Indianapolis Hotel. For a special seminar package pricing
use the promotion code: Classroom to boardroom.
There is no obligation for seminar attendees to stay at The
Westin Indianapolis Hotel; furthermore, there are an abundant number of hotels
located closely to the Indiana Convention Center, if The Westin is not of
preference. There are 108 rooms within 1 block of the Convention Center and the
skywalk connects to 4,715 hotel rooms. 1-1.5 miles from Convention Center there
are 379 rooms available, with so many different rooms available in a close
proximity to the seminar the decision to hold the conference at the convention
center was made (Indiana Convention Center, n.d.).
Parking
Downtown Indianapolis hosts more than 70,000 parking spaces.
An interactive map is available with pricing, hours, and more at Indianapolis
Downtown Inc. and parking reservations can be made at Parking Whiz. Go to
http://www.indydt.com/interactivemap.cfm?&lm=vd
for more information about parking and reservations.
Internet
Accessibility
Free Wi-Fi is available in the Convention Center for tasks
that are not bandwidth intensive such as reading email and light internet
browsing. Clients that require higher needs can contact Smart City Networks.
The seminar committee has taken care of this and seminar attendees are
encouraged to bring personal lap tops or operating systems.
Assignments
A pre-assessment questionnaire (Exhibit #2) will be
distributed to each seminar attendee via email and United States postal mail
service approximately 3-4 weeks prior to the first seminar meeting. If it is
past December 16th, and no email or hard copy has been distributed to the
attendee, please contact
bstate@bsu.edu
immediately. The purpose of the questionnaire is to provide the facilitator of
this program with insights into your current skills or knowledge about the
subject of using ‘real life’ environment in the classroom. By knowing what new
skills and knowledge you would like from the program, the facilitator will be
better able to meet your needs.
Specific reading material is assigned and is available on
the seminar webpage (
www.classroom2boardroom.com).
Requests for additional hard copies should be made to
bstate@bsu.edu in advance with understanding
of U.S. postal mailing delivery methods. Each reading material requires the
completion of an assignment, the document is standard for all three reading
assignments and can be found on the webpage and under Exhibit #3 Not only are
the assignments due at the start of the conference, but each attendee should be
prepared for a discussion and evaluation over reading material.
Reading & Assignment # 1: From the Journal of Innovative Education, “A systems analysis
experiential case study: Repeatable real-world problem solving.” Reading and assignment #1 due: Saturday, January 25th, 8 AM
Reading & Assignment #2: From the Journal of Emergencies, Trauma, and Shock: the article
titled, “Simulation-based learning: Just like the real thing.” Reading and assignment #2 due: Sunday,
January 26th, 8 AM
Reading & Assignment #3: From the research article titled, “Learning from others:
Learning in a social context.” Reading
and assignment #3 due: Saturday, February 1st, 8 AM.
The morning each reading and assignment is due, dedication
will be given at the seminar for each assignment, starting with a small group
discussion (at each individual table), followed by a total group discussion-
moderated by Dr. Ball State.
Seminar Meetings and Schedule of events
Learning &
Teaching Effectively: From the Classroom to the Boardroom
Saturday, January
25th, 2014
8:00- 8:30 AM Registration/Check in
8:30-9:00 AM Welcome/Opening Comments/Ice Breaker
9:00-9:30 AM Evaluate pre-session questionnaires responses,
discussion
9:30-9:45 AM Break/Snacks Provided
9:45-10:30 AM Discussion on case study (reading assignment
#1) A Systems Analysis Experiential Case Study: Repeatable real-world problem
solving
10:30-11:00 AM Break into groups – evaluate case
11:00-11:15 AM Total group discussion
11:15-11:45 AM Video on real-life experience case study
11:45 AM-12:00 PM Questions/comments on seminar so far
12:00-1:15 PM Break for lunch, lunch tickets provided in
welcome packet
1:15-1:30 PM- Return from lunch
1:30-2:30 PM- Presentation/ Q&A: Dr. Priscilla Arling,
Professor at Butler University, author of Case Study: A Systems Analysis
Experiential Case Study: Repeatable real-world problem solving
2:30-3:00 PM Meet and Greet with Dr. Arling
3:30 PM Explanation of future readings & meetings,
Questions
4:00 PM Dismissal
Sunday, January
26th, 2014
8:00- 8:30 AM Registration/Check in
8:30-9:00 AM Welcome/Opening Comments/Ice Breaker
9:00-9:30 AM Introduction & Discussion about yesterday’s
meeting
9:30-9:45 AM Break/Snacks Provided
9:45-10:30 AM Discussion on case study (reading assignment
#2) From the Journal of Emergencies, Trauma, and Shock; “Simulation-based
learning: Just like the real thing.”
10:30-11:00 AM Break into groups – evaluate case
11:00-11:15 AM Total group discussion
11:15-11:45 AM Video on real-life experience case study
11:45 AM-12:00 PM Questions/comments on seminar so far
12:00-1:15 PM Break for lunch, lunch tickets provided in
welcome packet
1:15-1:30 PM- Return from lunch
1:30-2:30 PM- Presentation/ Q&A: Dr. Ball State,
Experience and work with ‘real life’ case studies
2:30 PM Explanation of future readings & meetings,
Questions
3:00 PM Dismissal
Saturday, February
1st, 2014-
8:00- 8:30 AM Registration/Check in
8:30-9:00 AM Welcome/Opening Comments/Ice Breaker
9:00-9:30 AM Evaluate previous seminar meetings
9:30-9:45 AM Break/Snacks Provided
9:45-10:30 AM Discussion on case study (reading assignment
#3) “Learning from others: Learning in a social context.”
10:30-11:00 AM Break into groups – evaluate case
11:00-11:15 AM Total group discussion
11:15-11:45 AM Video on real-life experience case study
11:45 AM-12:00 PM Questions/comments on seminar so far
12:00-1:15 PM Break for lunch, lunch tickets provided in
welcome packet
1:15-1:30 PM- Return from lunch
1:30-2:30 PM- Presentation/ Q&A: Dr. May, Professor with
over 20 years of case study experience
2:30-3:00 PM Meet and Greet with Dr. May
3:30 PM Explanation of future readings & meetings,
Questions
4:00 PM Dismissal
Sunday, February
2nd, 2014
8:00- 8:30 AM Registration/Check in
8:30-9:00 AM Welcome/Opening Comments/Ice Breaker
9:00-9:30 AM Evaluation of previous seminar meetings
9:30-9:45 AM Break/Snacks Provided
9:45-10:30 AM Discussion on seminar and objectives achieved
10:30-11:00 AM Break into groups – evaluate seminar
11:00-11:15 AM Total group discussion
11:15-12:00 PM Questions/comments on seminar so far
12:00-1:15 PM Break for lunch, lunch tickets provided in
welcome packet
1:15-1:30 PM- Return from lunch
1:30-3:00PM- Presentation of Certificate of Completion
3:30 PM- Farwell & Dismissal
REFERENCES
Arling, P.A.,
Deeter. C., & Eggers, H. (2010). A system analysis experiential case study:
Repeatable real-world problem solving. Journal
of Innovative Education, 8 (2), 417-422.
Hammond, D., Austin K., Orcutt S., Martin,
D.(nd). Session 7 Learning from others:
Learning in a Social Context, 125-142.
Lateef, F. (2009). Simulation-based learning:
Just like the real thing. Journal
of Emergencies, Trauma, and Shock, 3(4), 348-352.
Lawson, K. (2009). The Trainer’s handbook (3rd Updated ed.). San Francisco, CA:
Pfeiffer Wiley Press.
MacKeracher,
D. M. (2004). Making sense of adult learning
(2nd ed.). Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
EXHIBITS
EXHIBIT 1
Participant Cover Letter
Dear Program Participant:
Welcome to the Learning & teaching effectively: From the
classroom to the boardroom workshop! I am looking forward to meeting and
working with you as we explore ways to enhance and create pleasant learning and
‘real life’ environments to improve teaching and learning.
In preparation for this session, I am asking you to complete
the following pre-session assignments:
1) Confidential Pre-session Questionnaire. Please fax your
completed questionnaire to me by January 17th. My fax number is 317-666-6666.
2) Assignment & Reading Material #1: Please bring your
completed assignment with any questions or comments to the session on January
25th.
It is imperative that you complete these pre-session
assignments. We do not want to take valuable seminar time to complete this
work. It should take you about one hour to complete both assignments.
This seminar will be highly interactive, and you will have
several opportunities to apply concepts and skills to ‘real life’ scenarios.
See you on Saturday, January 25th, 2014!
Sincerely,
Dr. Ball
State, Ph.D.
Program
Facilitator
EXHIBIT 2
Confidential
Pre-Session Questionnaire
The purpose of this questionnaire is to provide the
facilitator of this program with insights into your current skills in or
knowledge about the subject of using ‘real life’ environment in the classroom.
By knowing what skills and knowledge you would like from the program the
facilitator will be better able to meet your needs.
Name:_____________________ Current
Position:________________________
University:_________________ City,
State:_____________________________
Previous experience with real life environment:
Previous positions held:
Formal education beyond high school:
What course, workshops, or seminars have you attended
related to the topic?
Briefly describe the responsibilities of your current
position:
How long have you facilitated others?
How many students are in your program?
What do you believe is the most difficult problem or
challenge you face when trying to translate ‘real life’ to students?
What one specific thing do you want to get out of this
program?
What concerns do you have about participating in this
learning experience?
Additional comments:
Please Fax this to Dr. Ball State at (317) 666-6666 no later than January
17th, 2014.
EXHIBIT 3
Seminar Assignments
Instructions:
Read the following articles, which can be found at
www.classroom2boardroom.com, and answer the following questions for each reading
assignment (numbers one through three). These questions will guide your small
group discussions at the start of each seminar.
Reading & Assignment # 1: From the Journal of Innovative Education, “A systems analysis
experiential case study: Repeatable real-world problem solving.” Reading and assignment #1 due: Saturday, January 25th, 8 AM
Reading & Assignment #2: From the Journal of Emergencies, Trauma, and Shock: the article
titled, “Simulation-based learning: Just like the real thing.” Reading and assignment #2 due: Sunday,
January 26th, 8 AM
Reading & Assignment #3: From the research article titled, “Learning from others:
Learning in a social context.” Reading
and assignment #3 due: Saturday, February 1st, 8 AM.
EXHIBIT 4
Certificate of Completion
Syllabus Design Team
Contributions:
McCall Aldrich: Program
description, description & features of program
Laura Black: Program
description, description & features of program, Exhibit 3- Seminar
assignments and questions, Exhibit 4- Certificate of Completion
Katelyn Neary: Program
description, description & features of program, Seminar Outline, Exhibit 1-
Participant Cover Letter, Exhibit 2- Pre-session Questionnaire.