[Ailist] Using AI to begin university course, "Principles of Management"

[Donald P Austin]

I have just begun teaching at a university again.  One of the courses is
"Principles of Management," for mostly sophomores.  I believe in
experiential learning whenever possible and practical, especially for a
subject related to dealing with people.  The text was selected before I got
here, and it is pretty good in some ways, but very dry and devoid of
anything experiential or process oriented.  Thinking about how I could
create an experiential thread for throughout the semester, it occurred to me
that making the students partially responsible for "managing" their own
learning of management could be good, especially if I behave more as a
manager of their learning, than as a "teacher," and collaborate with them.
What better way to get started than by using an AI approach to begin to move
them out of a more traditional "student mentality" and into thinking about
what they would really value for their learning (about management), I
thought.  So, this is the framework for their second session together,
below.  

 

I would very much like to hear of any similar teaching experiments you have
done, or any thoughts on this framework for beginning (I never actually
referred to "appreciative inquiry."

 

I plan to MANAGE this classroom, to support & enable your LEARNING the
content and processes of managing.

 

The common student "mentality" of figuring out what will please the
instructor as a means of learning and getting a good grade is NOT a good
management mentality, and will let you down here.

 

What do you value, to make learning easier and better for you?  Some
possible questions to ask- think about specific times or events when.

 

1)   You felt very satisfied from learning (anywhere, but especially, in the
classroom).

 

2)   You learned something very important.

 

3)   You had a lot of fun learning.

 

4)   You were successful, learned a lot, and had fun (anywhere).

 

I am NOT asking you to remember outcomes (the outcomes in these example are
that you felt satisfied, or learned something important, or had a lot of fun
learning!

 

 First, think of one event that met one of these criteria (because it was
important to you, somehow), and take a couple of minutes to write down for
yourself what someone could have recorded with a camcorder, if he/she was
there with you at the time.                  

 

Do this for each of the four questions above.  If you finish before we go on
to the next step, take a short break.

 

Second, get together in groups of three.  One at a time, pick the story you
are MOST excited about and tell the story to the other two people.  Right
after you tell the story, the other two should repeat back to you what they
heard as most compelling.  Do this for all three people.  So, now, you have
each told one 

story and gotten an "echo" from the others.


 

Then, join two groups and tell each other what you found out, or learned, or
heard . from this last experience.  Share what seemed important to you.


HOMEWORK:  Take 20 to 30 minutes and write me an email tonight or tomorrow,
telling me:

 

a.    What was this experience like for you?  What was new?  What did you
find out? Etc.

 

b.   What is at least one thing (hopefully more than one) that you realize
from this exercise we just did, that you would really like to be a part of
your learning experience in this course.  Please tell me, even if you are
afraid that it makes no sense.

 

c.    Anything else that seems relevant.

 

Don Austin