Breaking the Passive Breaking the Passive Learning Culture:Learning Culture:

Technology, Course Design, & Technology, Course Design, & MotivationMotivation

Bradley C. Wheeler

Assoc. Professor of Information SystemsKelley School of Business

Indiana UniversityBloomington, Indiana

bwheeler@indiana.edu

The Challenge…The Challenge…

Arie De Geus, Head of Planning, Royal Dutch/Shell

““The ability to learn faster than The ability to learn faster than your competitors may be the your competitors may be the only sustainable competitive only sustainable competitive advantage”advantage”

Graduate Business EducationGraduate Business Education

Knowing Today’s Knowledge

Skills for Navigating and Assimilating a World of Resources

Skills for Creating Knowledge in a Changing World

Skills for Thriving as Self- Directed Knowledge Workers

80%

20%

PedagogyUnderstood

PedagogyEvolving

Understood Classroom Understood Classroom PedagogyPedagogy

Method Assumptions Challenges

Lectures Factual body of knowledge

Learning occurs via passive reception

Efficiency

Learning is active, not passive

Cases Situations can be clearly conveyed for analysis

Lessons are clear

Depth of issuesTimeliness

Textbooks Factual body of knowledge

Clear Frameworks

Timeliness

4 Visions for Technology4 Visions for Technology

Vision to Automate

Vision to Informate Down

Vision to Informate Up

Vision to Transform

(Zuboff;Leidner & Jarvenppa)

Process of Creative Process of Creative DestructionDestruction

“Looking Back” “Looking Ahead”

Time

Industrial Age Teaching &

Learning Principles

Information Age Teaching &

Learning Principles

Construction!

Destruction!

Schumpeter; Nolan & Croson

Fitting Pedagogy to PurposeFitting Pedagogy to Purpose

Technology enables rethinking pedagogy – new options for course design

Asynchronous Collaboration

Synchronous Self-Paced

Asynchronous Collaboration

Synchronous

Self-Paced

IT + Pedagogy

Tasks

Technology

People

Structure

After Leavitt

Another Pedagogical Another Pedagogical Approach…?Approach…? Conduct class using principles from

a ‘Virtual Learning Organization’

Like a top-notch consulting practice

All participants are knowledge producers» Extensive engagement, synthesis, creation of

ideas» Process and direction are jointly created

Knowledge production and dissemination are valued

AssumptionsAssumptions

Traditional Course Professor plans/teaches Professor is narrow

funnel for information Students follow a

course plan Knowledge is

transferred via lecture, cases, etc.

Student work is private

Learning Organization Professor sets mission

and supports self-directed learning

Students are knowledge producers from a world of resources

Students co-create a course plan

Student work is public and visible to all

Learning PrinciplesLearning Principles

Looking Back Leadership Principle Knowledge Principle Information Principle …

Looking Ahead Leadership Principle Learning Principle Coordination Principle Information Principle …

Contexts: e-Business CourseContexts: e-Business Course

1996 U. of Maryland 24 Students 2nd year elective, spring Team taught

w/Marketing Professor Lotus Notes

2000 Indiana University

98 Students, 3 sections, fall

2nd year requirement for e-business major

Cameos from other faculty

Lotus Domino/ Notes/Browser

Leadership PrincipleLeadership Principle

Looking Back Professor’s role is to plan, teach,

assign, and grade

Looking Ahead Professor’s role is to craft a mission

for continuous learning activities and then support via instruction and feedback

Course MissionCourse Mission

“The Mission of the e-business practice is to develop and effectively share as much e-business knowledge and skill as possible with all members of the practice.”

Learn the content issues for e-business

Experientially learn the process skills (in context) forthriving in a “virtual learning organization”

Foundations: Weeks 1-3Foundations: Weeks 1-3

+ On-line “XML Overview” Tutorial CBT+ Three Industry Speakers+ Marketing & Operations Faculty Cameos+ Framework for e-Business Topics

Knowledge/Learning Knowledge/Learning PrinciplePrinciple

Looking Back Knowledge is transferred via

readings and lectures; Students are consumers

Looking Ahead Knowledge is constructed via

engagement and interaction with others and a world of resources; Students are contributors and consumers

Course Results:Course Results:

95 topical e-business briefings 100’s of news summaries and links Occasional on-line debate

Documents:8:00am - 843 (25 MB)9:30am - 1,225 (37 MB)2:30pm – 1,038 (31 MB)

A very current and searchable repository of content

Briefing TitlesBriefing Titles• Language and web• Web opinion research: does it work?• Artificial Neural Networks• e-Advertising. Complements to our class discussion• B2B E Commerce Business Strategies• E-Business strategies by IBM• The importance of Content Management Systems for

Marketing• Biometrics• B2B Exchanges - The critical factors and strategies for

Success• WAP; WML; Imode• ASP (with References)• The ASP band-wagon - A consolidation imminent?• Service Level Agreements (SLA's) and Future of ASPs• E Retailing• Application Service Provider- Briefing is lengthy; please allow

time• Virtual and Real working together• E-Markets Briefing• European Trends in the Ecommerce Business• Permission Marketing• E-Branding• WAP - and what about the future?• Web Hosting• Virtual Communities, business and marketing opportunities• Impact of ebusiness on supply chain across industry• After-Sale Auditors• Electronic Communications Network• Software Agents• Bluetooth Technology: the who, what, and why...• Customer Relationship Management• Taxing Internet transactions

• E-business in Hungary• Strategic Intent behind Development of Online

Marketplaces• Location-based Mobile Technology and its effect

on m-Commerce and m-Services• Speech Recognition• Korea's Strategy and Obstacles in the Digital Age• Understanding Video Streaming Technology and

Related Business Opportunities• The Future of e-Money in Korea• Competitive Analysis of Consulting Firms' e-

Business Strategies• Impact of Covisint on Strategic Thinking for the

Auto Suppliers• What customers look for when investing in IT?• Worldwide IT Services Overview• xDSL - Broadband Across the Last Mile• E-commerce in China• Latin America Y2K Update• In which consists a Model Law on E-Commerce?• Predictive Data Analysis w/ a focus on

Collaborative Filtering• The Digital Divide• Software Agents• Technology Acceptance Models• Telematics in the Automotive Industry• Customer Loyalty in e-business• The Value of Privacy• CRM in the Pharmaceutical Industry• Latin America in the New Economy• Domain Names• Merck-Medco.com's affect on medication safety• Transaction Support Providers• Online Marketplaces: Behind the Scenes• WAP vs i-Mode

• Cable Network• Integrating Enterprise Applications• Peer to Peer• Internet-enabled suppy chain management• Supply Chain Management(SCM) software• Handheld device roundup• Boo.com - Case Study• Customer Relationship Management• Digital Cash as a Medium of Exchange• ASP Aggregators - " The Killer app"• Automotive Distribution System• Digital Authentication• XNS and Web Agents• WebTrust/SysTrust - Assurance Services• Speech Recognition• Blown to Bits - Book Review• Knowledge Management• Built to Flip• UMTS in Europe• Dangers of Technology (Bill Joy Article)• Overview of Wireless Application Protocol and

Wireless Technologies• The State of Online Retailing• M-Commerce - Technologies Applications &

Business Models• Making Sense of E-Business M&A• B2B E-Marketplaces• Digital Divide• e-HR initiatives• Internet2• Cyber Laws• Right Here, Right Now, Real Time Financing• B2B E-Marketplaces• Traditional Retailers Efforts to Embrace E-

business: Wins and Losses• Driving people to the web

ebusiness.kelley.indiana.eduebusiness.kelley.indiana.edu

Predictive Data Analysis w/ a focus on Collaborative Filtering

Customer Loyalty in e-business CRM in the Pharmaceutical Industry UMTS in Europe Overview of WAP and Wireless Technologies M-Commerce- Technologies Applications &

Business Models Cyber Laws Integrating Enterprise Applications Application Service Providers E-Retailing Bluetooth Technology: the who, what, and why...

The best 10 briefings are published on our external site – “making partner”

Coordination PrincipleCoordination Principle

Looking Back Synchronous class time was planned

to a sequence of faculty pre-selected topics

Looking Ahead Mutual adjustment and coordination

– improvisation – via common information and emerging meaning

Information PrincipleInformation Principle

Looking Back Access to information was

controlled; most work was private between student and professor

Looking Ahead All course-relevant information is

available to everyone; Contributions are visible to all students

EvaluationEvaluation

Student CommentsMy Reflections

Course Evals… Course Evals… Ouch!…Ouch!…Insights?Insights?

Strongly Disagree Slight Undecided Slight Agree Strongly

I learned a lot 12% 14% 14% 6% 23% 22% 9%

Useful knowledge/skills 12% 14% 8% 10% 18% 28% 10%

Instructor is outstanding 13% 12% 15% 17% 15% 17% 12%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

Strongly Disagree Slight Undecided Slight Agree Strongly

Bi-modal Distribution?

Just Teach Us Please…..!Just Teach Us Please…..!“I was extremely disappointed about this course. I came to IU and enrolled in this course because I wanted to learn from an expert in e-commerce. I am not paying tuition to hear my fellow classmates give their amateur opinion on topics they feel are important in this subject matter. I realize this is a new area but it seems to me that with all of Wheeler’s experience, there is material that could be brought together to teach the basic and advanced concepts in e-commerce.”

“Brilliant. Class discussions were great. Brad facilitated lots of interest.”

“I wish that the professor would have indicated subject matters that he wanted covered by the students.”

The ability of the class to take the course any direction. Professor wheeler was enthusiastic and knowledgeable- made the course interesting and exciting.

Lack of structure and flow. Student-driven format is often weak to facilitate in-class discussion (students aren’t teachers after all). It also brings inconsistent knowledge between different sections. The whole “consulting” format seems to be an excuse to shift all responsibilities to the students. Why take the class when people can just open up a magazine?

Student CommentsStudent Comments“One thing I liked about the way S510 was taught was the role all of the class was designed to take. I do a fairly good job of keeping up on technology, but there were still topics I learned about in the class. In other technology oriented classes I've taken since I've seen what it could have been like. Professors are by nature going to be focused on topics that relate to their own interests and therefore may be hard pressed to cover other topics. I suspect you learned things in class too. I wonder how many other teachers I've had these two years could/would say the same thing.

Having to make presentations in class brings home to the students that it's not as easy as it looks. These were not presos like we gave in other classes where you try to hide the fact that you don't know what you're talking about. The bar was set higher in this class because no one wanted to reveal they had little to say.”

…continued…

Student CommentsStudent Comments

“…The challenge is that not everyone in our class kept up the way I do. There is a disappointing level of expectation by my classmates to be taught in class, not to learn. It's hard to say which came first, but it has become a self perpetuating loop. Students come to class under prepared for a variety of reasons, and teachers sense that it's easier to run through a canned lecture so all the learning points can be hit and since few students respond to opportunities to contribute. I'd expected a healthier environment, but perhaps I'll have to get a doctorate to weed out the people who are less interested.

The style of class was also well suited to the dynamic nature of the topic. New things come out every day so cases on 3, 5, or 10 year old situations are of little use.Ideally the class could continue beyond the confines of it's time slot and semester.”

Students: What I did not likeStudents: What I did not like

“In my opinion a combination of the self learning , news-gathering and knowledge sharing approach should be combined with a framework and direction setting for the course. I think the first three weeks in which we all had to read about and apply the concepts of the two books, showed how such an approach could look like.

Even if textbooks cannot catch up with rapid changes in the digital age, they can nevertheless set a framework for analysis and if they are good provide a direction of where developments might go

The briefings should probably be more based on a common standard, e.g. including a clear reference”

…continued…

Students: What I did not likeStudents: What I did not like

“Also, it might be an idea to determine certain topics for discussion every two weeks. In my opinion this would not be a contradiction to the self-learning approach but rather help to sort out what is important and what not. In the ebusiness forum it could be seen that activity was not bad, but the topics varied so much that nobody had a real interest to participate in a particular discussion.

Overall, I think students should be somewhat more forced not to view S510 as a time saving opportunity for other courses. This however might only be achieved, if at least some constraints are put on the open approach”

Students: What I likedStudents: What I liked

“Everybody was put on the same level through the EBIC concept and the two books

The briefings provided a broad overview over many different topics. At the end we had a very good collection of options from which to

choose from for either future investigation or just as a knowledge basis for further understanding of other upcoming issues

My own takeaway of that class was that I am now more alert to what is happening in the digital world. I read articles about new technologies differently and enjoy staying at the edge of development, even if it is only at a very superficial level

In my opinion the knowledge producing and sharing approach is the working environment of the future and was thus very helpful to gain insight into how a job may look like that is extremely exposed to changing environments”

Students: ChallengesStudents: Challenges

“New and hot topics may be hard to understand for the professor as well when confronted for the first time

Not so interested students can treat the class as a third priority and get easily away with it

How to keep discussions about one topic going for a certain time

Understanding may sometimes be hindered by poor student briefings or presentations”

Students: ConclusionStudents: Conclusion

“Students take out of the class as much as they are willing to put into it!

I greatly enjoyed the method and I remember the class as one of the classes I have learned most from!”

The MBA/MBAA Fall SemesterThe MBA/MBAA Fall Semester

Career Search

ClassClubs

F520

S510E-Biz

ClassClass

Creative Destruction: Two Creative Destruction: Two StepsSteps

1. Information Technology+ Pedagogy (Creative)

2. Culture!(Destroy & Create)

TakeawaysTakeaways

We must start now to teach the skills students will need for a wired world

The “virtual learning org.” process was a good fit for an e-business MBA elective – Poor choice for a core, factual course

Students get the “looking back” culture in 4+ other classes – impedes change

Faculty must not revert to their old habits (control, lecture) during the culture war

Further ReadingFurther Reading

Leidner, D. E. & Jarvenpaa, S. L. (1995). The Use of Information Technology to Enhance Management School Education: A Theoretical View. MIS Quarterly, 19(3), 265-291.

Wheeler, B. C. (Winter, 1998). The State of Business Education: Preparing for the Past? Selections¸ Journal of the Graduate Management Admissions Council.