Martin Rich

Student engagement and learning

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the impact of a new undergraduate one-term double module called management practice and skills – which sought to change the learning environment for the new intake of undergraduate students based on constructivist ideas aimed at creating a high level of student engagement. Design/methodology/approach – Action research focusing on the evaluation stage of the first cycle of an intervention. The intervention is described in a case study explaining the features of the new module combined with the statistical analysis of the hard data collected on the first cohort of students taking the module using mainly correlation techniques. Findings – The module design did achieve to a great extent the objective of catering to all learning styles and personalities within the cohort. The results from the first cohort established the elusive nature of the concept of student engagement and the challenge in measuring it quantitatively. Research limitations/implications – This ...

Non‐formal management learning through electronic experiential fiction

Purpose – All sectors of the economy have shortfalls in the quantity and quality of management development, but a notably large skills gap is in the not‐for‐profit sector, compounded by a reluctance among many managers in the sector to engage with learning management skills. The purpose of this paper is to report on a novel approach which has successfully deployed web technology to create a soap‐opera style of material for the purposes of informal experiential learning for managers in that sector.Design/methodology/approach – An action learning approach was used.Findings – It has proved feasible to deploy the processes and style of soap‐opera (continuing drama) to the development of non‐formal management development materials. It has also been feasible to find and develop a team of authors with suitable management experience and fiction‐writing skills.Research limitations/implications – This is based on a single case study developed in a particular set of circumstances, so its generalisability has not bee...

Combining Formal and Non-formal Learning for Undergraduate Management Students Based in London

This chapter describes the experience of developing and delivering a module for first year undergraduate management students that combines traditional formal teaching methods with a range of informal methods based on student based activities. The problems inherent in evaluating the success of the module and the student learning achieved are discussed. The measures of success adopted are described together with the way in which some of the results from the last three cohorts are used in the annual redesign of the module. The chapter concludes with the eight issues that designers of similar modules need to consider and suggests some of the important factors for success.

Win-win: the benefits of successful collaboration for information professionals, teaching staff and students

Abstract This paper weaves together issues of collaboration among staff and collaboration among students. It builds on experience at two very different British universities and it fits with one of the conference themes of ‘collaborative action in and beyond the campus’. One connection between these is that by practising effective collaboration, staff can contribute to a climate where collaborative information and technology skills are perceived by students to be valuable. Among staff the paper focuses particularly on collaboration between academic and information staff. Information professionals have an important, and often undervalued, role, in knowing where expertise is situated within a university; this is particularly valuable where electronic resources are used widely to support teaching. In the authors’ institutions there is a considerable variation in approaches to electronic support for teaching and learning, and one barrier to wider use is often the lack of a ‘comfort factor’. It is suggested that effective collaboration across roles within a university can help to build greater comfort with the use of electronic resources. Among students the paper discusses information skills, notably those relevant to effective group work. Even students who perceive themselves to be highly information literate on arrival at university, have demonstrated scope for improvement, often in the light of reflection about their requirements. From the students’ viewpoint, evidence of effective and visible collaboration among staff, especially those in various roles, can promote the benefits of collaborative work.

Making Space for Twenty-First Century Management Learning

This chapter evolved from four years of research and development, which has been dominated by the practicalities of designing and constructing one of the largest wholly new business school buildings in Europe. This is the Cass Business School, City of London, formerly known as the City University Business School. Its location on Bunhill Row was a former banknote factory, appropriate for a school serving the City as financial district. And it has local associations with creative icons such as Jonathan Swift, Daniel Defoe, and William Blake. The previous business school is spread over four buildings and its main building, Frobisher Crescent, was originally designed as apartments, so the transition to a single integrated building is itself of great significance. At the very start of the

A Learning Community on the Internet:An exercise with Masters Students

60m project, there was a decision to begin a study of how physical space can impact educational outcomes. From this initial point onwards, there has been an explicit and strong concern with the