Every year, the School of Business Faculty held its annual “Best Practices” seminar, where each faculty member share one or more practices that have proven successful in their courses. The goal is to provide each other with ideas on how to enhance their class experiences.
Some of the highlights that emerged in this year’s session were:
- Implementing a real-world focus, even when using textbooks, cases or reviewing articles. Focus: making critical thinking a habit.
- Using a monopoly game in accounting classes. Focus: enhancing students’ awareness on the difference between assets and liabilities, and depreciation.
- Using a Harvard Business game of politics in change management courses. Focus: clarifying dynamics and relationships in work settings.
- Ethical scenarios and moral dilemmas in management and marketing classes. Focus: helping students understand the different outcomes of different moral theories.
- Communication practices to help students strengthen their motives. Approach: Asking “Why?” multiple times to probe deeper into the mind.
- Improving presentation formats. Focus: optimal engagement of audiences.
- Regular shifts in activities: Focus: maintaining a steady attention flow amongst audiences.
- Distinguishing between teaching different topics. Focus: understanding the difference in teaching interactive versus lecture courses.
- Applying a self-reflective approach. Focus: optimizing learning by enabling students to share their individual viewpoints.