Perspectives and practice: Facilitating the learning of the twenty-first-century manager

Abstract

Using as a case study the redesign of a new stage 1 MBA module at the Open University Business School, this chapter explores the consequences of introducing new pedagogic processes and, in particular, reviews how a dedicated forum for the module’s Associate Lecturers helped them to better understand their role in facilitating the learning of their students. Using data from a larger initiative to study the processes of change and innovation in pedagogical design, this chapter focuses on the role of teaching in four main areas of MBA skills development, which underpinned the module’s learning design, namely, practice-based learning, information discernment, skill building in reflective practice and the use of collaborative and independent learning approaches. The findings highlight the similarities amongst AL and student experiences in the first year of the module and how dialogue and collaborative learning helped both groups to negotiate new, practice-based learning experiences.