By MISTI PINCOCK
Teaching at a university used to mean standing at the front of a large lecture hall, with hundreds of eyes gazing down at the all-knowing professor, who used a very non-interactive style of teaching.
The professors of the Marriott School of Management, however, are working on getting rid of one-way communication in the classroom. They are trying out new and creative ways to teach the same concepts of business and accounting.
For Bob Daines, professor of business policy and finance, and Burke Jackson, professor of business policy and operations, written final exams are a thing of the past. The objectives of their finals are, among other things, to allow the students to review the concepts of the course and to present those concepts in a creative manner.
One group of MBA students, for example, created a magazine for their final exam, while other students have written poems, produced videos and written games.
Mark Hansen, an assistant professor of organizational leadership and strategy, brings out the creativity of his students throughout the semester. After assigning his class to read two case studies of how two CEOs managed a similar situation, three students draw their interpretations of the different approaches on the chalkboard.
Hansen said this exercise is one of the most thought- provoking he has used in his teaching.
“We often see things that we would not have thought of otherwise,” Hansen said. “It unleashes creativity in some fun ways.”
Hansen said the concepts taught in this exercise are not easily forgotten.
James Stice of the Accounting Department says his students retain course concepts better when they are placed in the “hot seat.” At the beginning of each class, the names of six students are written on the board. Each time a question is asked in class, those students take the role of teacher and must answer the question.
Stice acts as a ricochet and said he is there to rescue the six students when they need help. He feels students and teachers should understand each other in order for this to work.
“Before you can do anything with your students, they have to be able to trust you,” Stice said. “Students think it’s us against them. You have to let them know that there isn’t that kind of division.”
Other teachers take advantage of everyday life to teach the students. Hal Gregersen, an associate professor of organizational leadership and strategy, has his students work in local soup kitchens. The students write about their experience and how it has taught them the concept of individual identity.
Hal Heaton, a professor of finance, considers the entrepreneur classes the hardest to teach. Heaton said entrepreneurism is an art and the best way he has found to train a “Michelangelo” is to expose him to various kinds of entrepreneurial situations.
Heaton’s students receive a case study of an entrepreneurial scenario. They respond to the actions and outcomes of the characters in the scenario. After students are done with their critique, the actual person who experienced the scenario comes into the classroom to discuss the decisions with the class. Bringing in an experienced entrepreneur allows the students to ask questions and learn first hand the dos and don’ts of starting a business, he said.
This innovative style of teaching has caught on like wildfire in the Marriott School. Stice said the reason is that students are willing to allow their teachers to change their curriculum.
“The secret to good teaching is to create an environment of trust and learning,” he said. “Be excited about your subject and the students will let you do whatever you want with them.”
