ulster.ac.uk

A ‘pracademic’ approach to enrich the student experience in business management teaching.

Nikki McQuillan

Michael McQuillan

Contents

• Challenge of Teaching Management

• Rationale

• The ‘Pracademics’

• From ‘Content & Teach’ to ‘Context & Coach’

• Executive Learners – Examples

• Undergraduate - Examples

• Encouraging Pracademia (Next Steps)

The challenge of teaching management…

• Business School academics have

been teaching management

for 197 years.

Big employers

How we manage!

Workplace

Diversity in the boardroom

Rationale

• The changing consumer

• The viability of Business Schools TODAY

• Green Paper – November 2015

‘employers continue to raise concerns about job readiness of too many

graduates’ Jo Johnson – Minister of State for Universities (2015)

I hear and I forget.

I see and I remember.

I do and I understand.

Confucius.

Rationale

Learners are looking for:

• Relevance, engaging pedagogy, flexibility, value ( impact and applicability)

Lorange and Rembiszewski (2014)

• Harvey (2003) argues that the emphasis should be less on ‘employ’ and more on ‘ability’

• REAL EMPLOYABILITY…

are we honestly adapting to the needs of todays and

tomorrows learners?

I hear and I forget.

I see and I remember.

I do and I understand.

Confucius.

The Pracademics

Business Owners

employing 450

Senior Roles - large

organisations

Industry/ Government

advisory

Consultancy with

more than 200 micro

& SME’s

Placements

Graduates

Advisory

Lecture

Case Study

Lecturer

Course Director

Director

Executive learning

and enterprise

Business

Engagement

Pracademic Approach

FROM CONTENT &

TEACH

TO CONTEXT &

COACH

“There are limits to how much you can teach about the

practice of management in the classroom” Handy (2015).

I hear and I forget.

I see and I remember.

I do and I understand.

Confucius.

Pracademic Approach

• Our preparedness

• Programme architecture

• Innovative delivery

Context (Examples)

• Content/theory signpost (embracing available

literature, media and technology)

• Real Time Case Studies

• What the papers say!

• Contemporary practitioners and models

I hear and I forget.

I see and I remember.

I do and I understand.

Confucius.

Coaching/Facilitating (Examples)

• Speakers – globalised through technology

• Experiential, practical's and visits

• Technology/videos/audience response

• Action Learning

• ‘REAL’ Problem based learning – industry

collaboration

• ‘REAL’ Project execution

• Pedagogic design

CASE STUDY – EXECUTIVE LEARNING

Leadership through their lens

• Context • Before –During - After

• Speakers/Visits • Context –Issue –Record –Reflection

• Reflective journal • ‘Practice of’ – Personal

• Learning in practice • Individual –Organisational –Community –Economy

• Embedding checkpoints • Support – 90days – 180days

I hear and I forget.

I see and I remember.

I do and I understand.

Confucius.

CASE STUDY – EXECUTIVE LEARNING

Leadership through their lens

• What the learners say

“Very Inspiring and has made me have a completely different outlook

on life and leadership”

“the lessons garnered from all key speakers will develop my personal

development into a Leader”

“I have gained more through this module than throughout my whole

degree at university”

I hear and I forget.

I see and I remember.

I do and I understand.

Confucius.

CASE STUDY – EXECUTIVE LEARNING

Leadership through their lens

• What the leaders say

“It is so good when a group has a chance to get a real look at what is

happening on the ground in the community”

Baroness May Blood (27:4:15).

I hear and I forget.

I see and I remember.

I do and I understand.

Confucius.

CASE STUDY – EXECUTIVE LEARNING

Leadership through their lens

• What the organisation say

“Thanks, it was an excellent programme and have will a lasting impact”

Mike Mullan, European HR Director, Moy Park Ltd. (25:3:15)

“Feedback from graduates is very positive and encouraging and they have gained a

lot in the process”

Greg Quinn, European Head of Learning and Development, Moy Park Ltd. (24:3:15)

• What industry is saying

Finalist 2016 CIPD Innovative Programme of the Year

I hear and I forget.

I see and I remember.

I do and I understand.

Confucius.

CASE STUDY – EXECUTIVE LEARNING

Leadership through their lens

Next Steps…

Working with Moypark to redesign graduate management and leader development

programmes.

Building the experience into other programme design and business engagement

across Business Institute provision

I hear and I forget.

I see and I remember.

I do and I understand.

Confucius.

UG Example – Student Conference

Developing ‘work ready’ professionals

Annual Hospitality

Student Conference

Belfast Campus.

I hear and I forget.

I see and I remember.

I do and I understand.

Confucius.

Stakeholder Feedback

• “Congratulations to you and your students for hosting a great event. Your students were very professional and spoke in a positive manner on the event and their course”. Clare Gillen SERC (2015)

• “the students did a fantastic job in organising the conference” Ross Licence Libra Events (2015)

• “thank you for organising such a wonderful conference event today. You did a fantastic job, and what wonderful ambassadors you all are for the Ulster University Business School, and for the University”

Professor Marie McHugh (Dean UUBS)

Learner feedback “Organising our own employability conference was really scary

but I learned so much about engaging with Industry and am now

more confident leading and knowing how to influence

stakeholder decisions”

Jamie Rice (Second year UG, 2015).

Assessment: Reflective Writing Report.

“ Reflective writing has the ability to better prepare

students for the realities of the business setting they

will soon enter (Lawrence, 2013).

UG Example – Real Time Case Studies

Developing ‘work ready’ professionals

UG Example – Real Time Case Studies

Developing ‘work ready’ professionals

Encouraging Pracademia Garnering momentum and next steps

• Toolkit and resources

• Harness technology

• Nurture business engagement

• Track & evaluate learner impact (Research base)

I hear and I forget.

I see and I remember.

I do and I understand.

Confucius.

References

• Johnson, J. (2015) Great Britain. Department for Business, Innovation and

Skills (2015). Higher education: teaching excellence, social mobility and

student choice. Government Green Paper.

• Lawrence, H. (2013) Personal, Reflective Writing: A Pedagogical Strategy

for teaching business students to write. Business Communication

Quarterly, 76 (2), 192-206

• Lorange, P. and Rembiszewski, J. (2014) From Great to Gone: Why FMCG

Companies are Losing the Race for Customers. Gower Publishing Ltd.

England, UK.

ulster.ac.uk

Is your employABILITY REAL?

DISCUSSION Q&A

I hear and I forget.

I see and I remember.

I do and I understand.

Confucius.