Challenging the assessment-driven course cultureChallenging the assessment-driven course culture

Paul DennisonPaul DennisonBusiness SchoolBusiness School

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• Setting the scene – Creativity and decision-making in Business – a non-typical 2nd year course

• Discussion Break: how do you get students to re-Discussion Break: how do you get students to re-address areas of previous failure or difficulty?address areas of previous failure or difficulty?

• The tactics we used in Creativity and decision-making in Business

• Discussion Break: learning and assessment – are they Discussion Break: learning and assessment – are they at odds?at odds?

• The results from Creativity and decision-making in Business

• Discussion Break: drivers for learningDiscussion Break: drivers for learning

Challenging the assessment-driven course cultureChallenging the assessment-driven course culture

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Creativity & Decision-making in BusinessCreativity & Decision-making in Business

• 30 credit 2nd year course• Core course on BA Business Studies - quantitative• 134 students and teaching team of 3• 1 hour lecture and 1 hour tutorial per week• 1st year it has run• Agenda made up of

• creative techniques• Management science, including applied modelling• Data gathering and statistical analysis• Financial analysis, including DCF

• Context of creativity and critical thinking• Problem solving cycle / group creativity• Probability, risk and decision-making• Cost relationships & regression and correlation• Performance analysis using financial ratios• Capital investment decisions• Data gathering and survey methods• Principles of Negotiation• Analysing and evaluating arguments• Normal distribution and applications

Agenda in detail:Agenda in detail:Creativity & Decision-making in BusinessCreativity & Decision-making in Business

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Discussion break:Discussion break:

• How do you get students to re-address areas of previous failure or difficulty?

• How do you empower them with the necessary self-belief to succeed?

• How do you organise challenging material to make it as learner-friendly as possible?

• What is “learner-friendly”?• How do you recognise and reward honest attempts to

learn difficult material?

Creativity & Decision-making in BusinessCreativity & Decision-making in Business

Extract from lecturesExtract from lectures

Lecture 1

Lecture 1The course: CREATIVITY

Interesting, insightful and inspiring+ (Difficult, technical and useful)

We will do what we teach – you will learn by doing.

The product is the process- the medium is the message.

There will be extra voluntary stuff – try it - you could really grow – (even though it won’t be needed for the assessment!)

The course: CREATIVITY

Interesting, insightful and inspiring+ (Difficult, technical and useful)

We will do what we teach – you will learn by doing.

The product is the process- the medium is the message.

There will be extra voluntary stuff – try it - you could really grow – (even though it won’t be needed for the assessment!)

Lecture 1

Lecture 1The course: DECISION-MAKING

(Interesting, insightful and inspiring) + Difficult, technical and useful

It will involve spreadsheetsIt will involve statisticsIt will involve finance and accountsIt will involve critical thinkingIt will take more than 50% of the teaching resource – because it difficult, technical, etc

The course: DECISION-MAKING

(Interesting, insightful and inspiring) + Difficult, technical and useful

It will involve spreadsheetsIt will involve statisticsIt will involve finance and accountsIt will involve critical thinkingIt will take more than 50% of the teaching resource – because it difficult, technical, etc

Lecture 1

Lecture 1The assessment:

….is not the point of the course.

…is valid, but not necessarily fair AND fair but not necessarily valid

Be more interested in your personal development than in the grade you get.

We will be.

The assessment:

….is not the point of the course.

…is valid, but not necessarily fair AND fair but not necessarily valid

Be more interested in your personal development than in the grade you get.

We will be.

Lecture 2

Lecture 2“Learning is

experience, everything else is just

information.”

“Learning is experience, everything

else is just information.”

We are surrounded by information artefacts – books, web-pages, hand-outs –

but experience???

You can’t buy it, can’t swap it, can’t steal it, can’t down-load it, can’t plagiarise it.

Experience belongs to YOU.

Experience is PERSONAL.

We are surrounded by information artefacts – books, web-pages, hand-outs –

but experience???

You can’t buy it, can’t swap it, can’t steal it, can’t down-load it, can’t plagiarise it.

Experience belongs to YOU.

Experience is PERSONAL.

Lecture 2

Lecture 2• Creativity depends on live ideas

– not dead information.• It depends on mental furniture.• It depends on personal learning• Learning IS personal.• No one can do it for you.• You build your own.• It’s a creative process.• You change the inside of your head.

BTW - there are no shortcuts.

• Creativity depends on live ideas – not dead

information.• It depends on mental furniture.• It depends on personal learning• Learning IS personal.• No one can do it for you.• You build your own.• It’s a creative process.• You change the inside of your head.

BTW - there are no shortcuts.

Creativity & Decision-making in BusinessCreativity & Decision-making in Business

Engagement & Engagement & AchievementAchievement