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ABSTRACT European MBA programmes use a variety of learning processes. .... Section B: Likert scale responses on learning support features at Henley. • Section ... questions, it is felt that the sample is too small to draw firm conclusions on the basis ..... from most DL programmes was a comprehensive support system and.
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Learning Expectations and Learning Process Design Rehan Ul-Haq, Jan Stiles and Keith Pond Active Learning in Higher Education 2003; 4; 168 DOI: 10.1177/1469787403004002005 The online version of this article can be found at: http://alh.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/4/2/168

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active learning in higher education Copyright © 2003 The Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education and SAGE Publications (London, Thousand Oaks, CA and New Delhi) Vol 4(2): 168–180 [1469-7874 (200307) 4:2;168–180;033892]

Learning expectations and learning process design

ARTICLE

R E H A N U L - H AQ

University of Birmingham Business School, UK

JA N S T I L E S KEITH POND

Henley Management College, UK

Loughborough University Business School, UK

A B S T R AC T European MBA programmes use a variety of learning processes. The distance learning model meets a desire to develop continuous and flexible learning environments alongside full-time work. Embedded in the six elements of the Henley distance learning MBA – workbook, groupware, workshops, WWW, telephone links and business simulation – are the cognitive and experiential schools of learning styles. This article examines the learning style expectations of 133 Henley distance learning MBA students and notes high congruence between their learning expectations and the process design used. K E Y WO R D S : co gnitive, curriculum design, distance lear ning,

experiential, Henley, lear ning process, lear ning styles, MBA

Introduction The content of an MBA programme has embedded within it a view of the world that informs the choice to include or exclude particular theories. It is generally held that the strategy part of MBA programmes, at least in Anglo-Saxon business schools, is based around the Positioning School view (Mintzberg et al., 1998) expanded, variously, by an understanding of the holistic and interrelated nature of the firm and its activities. The delivery method is also a core issue. In European MBA programmes the one-year full-time model is more usual, with North America preferring a two-year full-time model. Henley Management College (hereafter Henley), one of the leading institutions in the UK with regard to management business schools, delivers executive, corporate university links and doctoral (PhD and DBA) programmes alongside the MBA. The MBA delivery methods are 168

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Table 1

Learning theories and Henley learning space

School of thought

Applications

Conditioning

Programmed learning, language laboratories, educational technology, rote learning Profiles, training needs by subtraction Syllabus-based programmes. ‘Telling’ methods Simulations, technique tell/test Learner-centred/problem-centred discussion, reflection Structured exercises, encounter groups, learning community Induction processes, rituals of role passage. Some role-playing Selection of methods that appear to ‘work’. Some case studies, and some project work

Trait modification Information transfer Cybernetic Cognitive Experiential Social influence Pragmatic

Henley learning space

Workbook, workshops Workbook Groupware, workshops, WWW, telephone links Workshops, groupware, business simulation Business simulation

(Adapted from Burgoyne and Stuart, 1997)

modular MBA, executive MBA and distance learning (DL) MBA. The latter is analysed in this article. A range of UK business schools use DL approaches to meet the often conflicting demands of continuous and flexible learning and full-time work. Flexible approaches to teaching and learning have two essential features. First, they provide students with the opportunity to take greater responsibility for their own learning. Second, they enable students to be engaged in learning activities and opportunities that meet their own needs (Pond et al., 1995). Learning is, in our view, the process of transforming students’ understanding. Embedded in the delivery methods used is a set of assumptions about the students’ learning styles. Burgoyne and Stuart (1997) identify eight schools of thought on learning theory in management development as detailed below. These learning styles and Henley’s facilities are outlined in Table 1. Henley uses, in the main, two learning styles to underpin the design of its DL MBA programme: the cognitive and the experiential. The cognitive style is one in which the learner is thought of as a knowing being who develops, adapts and extends their ‘cognitive map’ (Burgoyne and Stuart, 1977), a map of insights about the relationships and patterns between facts, through reflection and assimilation. The experiential style takes the view that people have intrinsic capabilities of developing and learning, and that 169

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the task of the educator is to reduce the blocks and create the conditions to engender autonomous learning. The DL MBA at Henley currently uses six elements in its learning environment – workbook, groupware, workshops, World Wide Web (WWW), telephone links and business simulation. Each element links with a particular learning style thereby allowing the students to choose a collection of facilities that together make up a learning environment that is tailored to their individual needs and preferences. The purpose of this article is to gain an understanding of student perceptions of the effectiveness of these methods and to consider how this informs changes to the learning and teaching methods of the strategic direction module of the DL MBA at Henley.

Methodology This article presents the results of a survey undertaken about the expectations and judgements of students of the Henley Integrated Learning Environment at the outset of their DL MBA studies. The overall aim of the research is to shed light on the types of learning features prized or disregarded by students at the start of their MBA studies. The DL student relies heavily upon learning support from various sources and it is essential for a DL provider to understand the mix of support mechanisms required by students, especially where preferences can be linked to static data such as gender, age or prior study. The survey was administered to groups of students during their Henley DL MBA induction courses. In all, 140 complete survey forms were returned. Of these, only 133 were used in this article as they were from UK-based students, lending some homogeneity to the sample. The study was restricted to a UK base as around 40 percent of students on the programme are based in the UK. This is seen as an important part of the market and it therefore requires further understanding. It was also thought that the inclusion of overseas student data at this stage might produce more diverse results and therefore reduce the consistency of the initial investigation. However, as the Henley DL MBA is an international programme it is hoped to develop the research to include overseas data at a later stage. This survey therefore relates only to the expectations of UK-based students. The survey was divided into three discrete sections: • Section A: Static data on background/qualifications, etc. • Section B: Likert scale responses on learning support features at Henley. • Section C: Free-form questions on anticipated gains from study. Survey forms were completed in a lecture room setting with the researcher allowing sufficient time for the forms to be considered at length 170

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Table 2

Age profile of student cohort

Age

Number (%)

20–25 years 26–30 years 31–35 years 36–40 years 41–45 years 46–50 years Over 50 years Total

3 34 42 29 17 7 1 133

(2.3) (25.6) (31.6) (21.8) (12.8) (5.3) (0.8) (100)

by respondents. The benefits of a larger response were felt to outweigh any benefit derived from allowing respondents to take questionnaires away and complete them once they had left Henley.

The sample The breakdown of study respondents was broadly in line with cohorts on the Henley MBA. In all, 133 responses were received from UK-based students with 38 (28.6%) from female respondents and 94 (70.7%) from male respondents. Although the data show some tendency for female respondents to be more decisive, especially in responses to Likert-scaled questions, it is felt that the sample is too small to draw firm conclusions on the basis of gender. The age profile of respondents is given in Table 2 and shows, unsurprisingly, a clustering around the 26–40 years age group. The MBA qualification is aimed at junior or middle managers who, typically, would be in this key age group. This point is emphasized when the job titles of respondents are reviewed. Although some are styled ‘director’, most hold ‘manager’ or ‘consultant’ roles. Age becomes a significant factor when support for study is considered as many respondents felt that their families would be the biggest support during their study period. Henley students come from a wide range of industry backgrounds, although none of the respondents was from primary industries (farming, extraction, etc.). The distribution between secondary (manufacturing) and tertiary (service) industries was 23.3 and 66.2 percent, respectively, which is broadly reflective of the UK industrial base; 10.5 percent of respondents’ companies were consortia with secondary and tertiary characteristics. The industry distribution has implications for a number of taught modules that rely on practical examples for teaching. Many economics and human resource management texts are packed with manufacturing industry examples, whereas ownership of learning would be easier to achieve if texts 171

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Table 3

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Company size* profile of student cohort

No. of employees Under 25 25–99 100–249 250–499 500–749 750–999 Over 1,000 Total

Number (%) 15 6 10 9 10 6 77 133

(11.3) (4.5) (7.5) (6.8) (7.5) (4.5) (57.9) (100)

* By number of employees.

carried service industry case studies too. Although the bulk of students work in companies of more than 1,000 employees, the spread of company sizes reported shows respondents from all sizes of company, including those with under 25 employees. The full breakdown is shown in Table 3. It is clear from the data on the payment of course fees that smaller companies are least likely to fully fund fees. Employees of the smaller companies account for the bulk of the 28.6 percent of students who are self-funding. The largest companies (over 1,000 employees) are most likely to fully fund MBA fees. The data showed that 54.9 percent of respondents had their fees fully funded in this way, whereas the remaining 16 percent shared the burden with employers. That the larger companies perceive value in funding study for their managers is clear. What is less clear is whether smaller companies do not perceive this value or whether they are simply unable to be as generous. Overall, the sample is well distributed on a number of criteria. There is a considerable male, ‘30-something’, middle manager for a large company tendency, a feature well known to MBA teachers. This can, of course, have positive implications for study support in the form of access to resources, and negative implications too, in the form of interrupted study due to the exigencies of work.

Baseline factors Because the Henley MBA is a DL experience the survey sought to identify certain baseline factors concerning the preparedness and experience of students in this style of learning. The survey revealed that only 18.8 percent of respondents had had exposure to DL in the past (unaffected by gender or age criteria – apart from the over 45 years age group who had had no 172

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Table 4

Important factors in deciding to study by distance learning

Distance learning factor Flexibility Cost Accessibility Reputation Other

Average score (SD) 4.629 3.131 4.168 4.664 4.667

(1.635) (1.177) (0.870) (0.640) (0.482)

exposure to DL at all). This has implications for the respondents’ expectations concerning the various DL resources used at Henley (see later). The anticipated gains from DL study and the decision to study in this way are, therefore, affected by the inexperience of DL of respondents. However, other factors affecting the decision to study at Henley are less likely to be tainted. Respondents were asked to grade the factors they felt to be important in deciding to study by DL at Henley on a 1 (unimportant) to 5 (very important) Likert scale. These scores are reported in Table 4. Because many respondents have their fees paid by their employer, it is not surprising (and wholly consistent with economic theory) that explicit costs were considered to be less important. Henley’s reputation and the flexibility of the learning environment were given the highest scores. It should be noted, however, that views on costs were less internally consistent within the cohort, indicating that some respondents considered costs very important and others unimportant. Owing to the way in which the question was asked, however, there is no way of knowing whether the cost envisaged by respondents related to the course fees alone or whether it related to fees plus the cost of learning materials or on-going opportunity costs during the years of study. The educational backgrounds of the respondents warrant some study as these can help to advise of the learning styles prevalent in the cohort. Multiple awards account for 169 responses on prior qualifications from the 133 respondents but Table 5 shows that most respondents’ recent experience of study was at first degree or professional level. In addition, 71 percent of respondents had undergone their last course of study within the last 10 years (38% within 5 years).

Anticipated gains A three-year course of study undertaken by middle managers in their early 30s must promise substantial gains given the wealth of other opportunities that this section of the population has access to. The time commitment 173

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Table 5

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Last type of study of student cohort Number (%)

School College / FE Bachelor’s degree Professional Qualification Master’s degree PhD Other Total

Table 6

6 5 33 43 14 10 22 133

(4.5) (3.8) (24.8) (32.3) (10.5) (7.5) (16.5) (100)

Anticipated gains from MBA study Number

% of cohort

Personal gain A qualification Networking Intellectual stimulation Confidence Commercial applications Personal skills Understanding business Team skills

23 11 6 18 19 50 111 4

17.3 8.3 4.5 13.5 14.3 37.6 83.5 3.0

Career help Promotion Salary increase Marketability Wider options Understanding business Credibility Improve skills No help at all

43 4 8 53 41 20 37 0

32.3 3.0 6.0 39.8 30.8 15.0 27.8 0

alone (together with the risk of failure) needs to be balanced by high perceived rewards from study. The survey, therefore, polled respondents on their anticipated gains from study in terms both of their personal gains and their career gains. The responses given were free-form but categorized into the areas shown in Table 6. The major anticipated personal gain was ‘understanding business’ 174

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although this is not as marked as a boost to career development. This is particularly marked in the responses from tertiary sector employees. The gains of the MBA qualification, networking and confidence were rated more highly by female respondents, whereas the acquisition of personal skills was rated highly by males. Only the older respondents failed to rate the acquisition of personal skills at the same level. Only 32.3 percent of respondents felt that the MBA would lead to promotion, and even fewer to a salary increase. The benefits of having wider career options, improving skills and understanding business were favoured. Again, there was a male/female split, as male respondents favoured more concrete gains such as promotion and salary increase (less marked in smaller companies), whereas female respondents preferred the thought of wider career options and credibility in the workplace.

The learning environment The Henley MBA comprises six discrete features designed to support learning in the DL environment. These are: • • • • • •

workbook; groupware; workshops; WWW; telephone links; and business simulation.

Respondents were asked to score the key features of each learning feature on a 5-point Likert scale, according to the importance they judged this feature to have in respect of their own learning. It must be noted that although we have grouped the various learning resources within the six features, the Henley Integrated Learning Environment is designed to allow learners to access knowledge in a number of different ways, for example, through workbooks, or downloadable Web-based resources or CD-ROM. Thus the boundaries between the features are permeable and fluid. The full set of mean scores is show in Table 7. The first of these is familiar to all DL students, comprising a set of workbooks, one per module, that mirrors the syllabus and guides the distant student through the learning points, often introducing self-tests to assess progress and case studies to help build understanding. Of these features, ‘Case Examples’ were scored most highly, especially amongst younger students, reinforcing the desire to understand business more through MBA study. This feature was also prized amongst those with prior experience of DL. There was also a tendency for those with less recent experience of study 175

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Table 7

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Importance of learning support features to student cohort

Workbook Workbook Course information Explanation Case examples Points to ponder Key exercises Assignment building Clarity of writing Groupware Access to resource centre Interaction with peers Communication with tutors Report writing classroom Assignment building Assignment submission Workshops Familiarization Interaction with peers Interaction with faculty Interaction with support staff Content Motivational aspects World Wide Web Access to Henley server Access to Lotus Notes Access to WWW for support Telephone Access to support staff Access to academic staff Access to peers Access to Henley Simulation helpline Henley general helpline Local centre helpline Foundation of Management helpline Business simulation ‘Hands on’ learning Performance feedback Access to PC

Mean score (SD)

4.397 4.575 4.606 4.150 4.568 4.643 4.368

(0.749) (0.598) (0.579) (0.757) (0.652) (0.529) (0.768)

3.967 4.354 4.441 3.532 4.144 4.339

(1.016) (0.841) (0.709) (0.977) (0.849) (0.828)

4.417 4.744 4.433 4.178 4.457 4.519

(0.840) (0.603) (0.708) (0.843) (0.707) (0.772)

4.221 (0.925) 4.252 (0.891) 4.150 (0.788) 4.307 4.279 4.336 3.426 3.429 3.695 3.202 4.018

(0.740) (0.790) (0.787) (1.124) (0.956) (0.910) (1.214) (0.935)

4.541 (0.706) 4.680 (0.684) 4.322 (1.010)

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(more than 11 years) to judge all features of the workbook more highly, suggesting, perhaps, that expectations of materials provided are high amongst those with more recent exposure to study. Often DL provision stops at the provision of workbooks, but the Henley MBA scheme augments provision by providing computer and telephone links to teaching staff and other students via ‘groupware’, the WWW and by simple telephone hotline contact. The ‘groupware’ features of contact with peers and with tutors were acknowledged to be most important by respondents, especially those in the 30–35 years age group and those with more recent experience of study. Access to the resource centre scored most highly amongst the older, possibly more independent, learners. Two features that scored low marks overall, the report writing classroom and the resource centre are ‘groupware’ features that students will use more as their studies progress and may in fact score higher after exposure to them. Overall the World Wide Web features scored lower than more traditional learning support methods, although still at a reasonably high level. The novelty of the Web and inconsistent access amongst students may account for this. More traditional telephone support was favoured more highly amongst those with prior DL experience with access to peers being a particularly significant feature. Two interactive learning features, workshops and business simulation, scored high marks amongst respondents. These features support the anticipation of students that their studies would help them to understand business better. Interaction with peers was particularly important to respondents, especially in the under-40 years age group. In each category, female respondents scored features more highly than the male majority although, as stated previously, the sample size is too small to derive meaningful conclusions from this.

Conclusions The research presented in this article is akin to a user survey, albeit with very sophisticated users with clear ideas about how the Henley process will benefit them. It was clear from the research that a core element missing from most DL programmes was a comprehensive support system and network. This places a considerable emphasis and strain on the available resources of the study guide or workbook, tutor feedback on the occasional written assignment and the students’ own families. Web-based learning and DL provision are likely to become a major force in postgraduate and postexperience education, yet the Web does not, and cannot, provide all of the key resources that actually make a difference to students. This article has presented early findings from a survey aimed at better understanding the needs and aspirations of DL students. It suggests that students have a clear 177

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CD ROM Imparta Simulation

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Course Text Electronic Route Map Integration Support

Condensed Workpapers

Local Workshops

Faculty Readings Book Figure 1 The revised Henley DL MBA strategic direction learning model (Source: J. Stiles)

idea of the personal and career gains they are aiming for, and they recognize the benefits of interaction with learning resources and communication with tutors and peers during their studies. To give one example, the learning model that has been developed following the research aims to deliver the strategy course of the final part of the Henley DL MBA in a way that builds on the benefits of the various learning aspects discussed above. The resultant Strategic Direction Learning Model (detailed in Figure 1) places the support and integration of the various resources and elements of the strategy programme around an electronic core delivery mechanism. The electronic route map provides the key contents list and directed ‘route’ for the student to follow in order to go through the programme, in addition to also providing additional supporting materials and discussion. The boxes surrounding the electronic core then add additional learning resources that support the course and allow a further flexibility of learning. These include a business simulation, a number of text-based readings from a textbook, work papers or a readings book, and a summary face-to-face workshop. This focus of the model therefore builds on the cognitive and experiential theories embedded in the existing model, and other support expected and appreciated by the students who responded to the survey. The Electronic Tutor Role, a core element in the Henley Integrated Learning Environment, as detailed in Figure 2, is a further element of the response to the students’ expressed need for a guide or mentor in the process of the student adapting and extending their cognitive map as they attempt to navigate by it and to removing blocks to learning (Burgoyne and Stuart, 1997). This provides discussion, clarification and on-going support 178

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Exam/ISP

Exam Case

Queries

Answering questions on subjects and facilitate discussions in chat

Assignment Support

rooms -

Asynchcronous

Issue case studies on-line Issue questions, facilitate discussion, achieve 24 hour support -

References and readings updates

Electronic Tutor Role

closure

Synchronous

Lead discussions on a synchronous basis

Familiarity with the course text-book and the The simulation is free-standing and needs no

Web Site

tutor input but will need tutor familiarity for potential queries

Figure 2 The Henley DL MBA strategic direction electronic tutor role (Source: J. Stiles)

for the students throughout the course in terms of the assignments, course material and administration issues. Also it can be used to enhance the course materials by including synchronous and asynchronous discussions, or provide explanation to students who require a remote debrief on their simulation exercise.

Acknowledgements The authors thank the Journal reviewers, BAM Reviews and observations for their insights. All errors and omissions remain the responsibility of the authors. Note An earlier version of this article was presented as a Conference Paper at The British Academy of Management Conference held at The Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University, 5–7 September 2001.

References B U R G OY N E , J .

& S T U A RT, R . (1997) ‘Implicit Learning Theories as Determinants of the Effect of Management Development Programmes’, Personnel Review 6(2): 5–14.

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M I N T Z B E R G , H . , A H L S T R A N D, B .

& L A M P E L , J . (1998) Strategy Safari – A Guided Tour Through the Wilds of Strategic Management. London: Prentice Hall. P O N D , K . , U L - H AQ , R . & WA D E , W. (1995) ‘Peer Review: A Precursor to Peer Assessment’, Innovations in Education and Training International 32(4): 314–23.

Biographical notes R E H A N U L - H AQ is a Lecturer in Strategic Management at the Birmingham Business School at the University of Birmingham. He publishes in pedagogy, strategic alliances and strategic management, in national and international journals. He consults for the United Nations group and is Associate at Henley Management College. He holds visiting professorships in Uzbekistan and France. Address: The Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham, Winterbourne, 58 Edgbaston Park Road, Birmingham B15 2RT, UK. [email: [email protected]] J A N S T I L E S is Head of Strategy for MBA programmes and Client Director at Henley Management College. She has published in various books and journals on strategy, strategic alliances and methodological approaches, is a visiting lecturer at Swansea University and an active consultant in the strategy field. Address: Henley Management College, Greenlands, Henley-on-Thames RG9 3AU, UK. [email: [email protected]] K E I T H P O N D is a Lecturer in Banking and Economics at Loughborough University Business School. He has published textbooks and articles in the field of professional education and has a developed and published research agenda into individual and corporate insolvency. Keith has recently been elected a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers in recognition of his contribution to professional education in banking. Address: Loughborough University Business School, Ashby Road, Loughborough LE11 3TU, UK. [email: [email protected]]

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