1

Exploring stakeholder perspectives regarding a “global” curriculum – A case study

Fenella Galpin & Dr Sharon Slade – OUBS

Dr Paul Prinsloo – Unisa, South Africa

TIS International Conference - Internationalisation of Pedagogy and Curriculum in Higher Education: Exploring New Frontiers - 16/17 June 2011

2

Agenda

• Background to the study

• Survey

• Initial results

• Future work

Acknowledgements•Dr Paul Prinsloo, Acting Head: Institute for Open and Distance Learning, University of South Africa (UNISA)•Ms Jan Jones, Learning & Teaching Development Officer, IET, Open University (OU)

3

BackgroundThis study set out to explore:

• Different stakeholder perceptions of the content of a (global) MBA curriculum

• Issues that students as future ‘global’ managers think that they might face

• Student preferences in delivery, ways of studying

• Differences between stakeholder groups– Students studying with face to face tutorials v online tutorials

– Non graduate v graduate entry students

– Faculty staff

– Tutors

– Sponsors

4

The QuestionnaireWhat are the perceptions of how an MBA should prepare students for managing in multinational and international contexts?

• Drafted and piloted summer 2010

• Sent to 2000+ people in 5 stakeholder groups –

– students studying stage 1 of the OUBS MBA in late 2009 or early 2010, tutors, central faculty, administrative and regional staff, employers/sponsors

• UK/non UK students 3:1, other factors, e.g., gender were random

• Students – own perspective. Others – own and student perspective

• 12 questions, some tick box, some ranking, some free text

• Reminder sent after 2 weeks. Survey live for 4 weeks

• Thematic analysis

5

Response rates – over 570 responses

* The percentage of complete responses from most stakeholder groups is significant

6

Split of student courses

Module % of respondents

non graduate with face to face tuition 28.5

non graduate with online tuition *10.1

graduate with face to face tuition 45.8

non graduate with online tuition *15.6

* Online students are a lower % of total student respondents because there are fewer students studying online

7

Why did students register for an ‘international’ MBA? •1,492 responses from students were coded and classified into themes, such as

– career progression - sponsored by employer

– personal development - the status of the MBA

– to improve management skills - increase in knowledge

– for the qualification adding value to their organisations

– networking and “other”

• The most provided reason was – career progression (28%)

– personal development and self-improvement (17%)

– increase in knowledge/expertise (15%)

– and improving management skills (9%).

8

What is the most important challenge managers face? Individual responses coded and classified into the following themes:

• The changing context• people management • stakeholder/shareholder and network management • resource management • project management • developing as manager • information and knowledge management and ICTs • sustaining growth and strategic planning and leadership • ethical and environmental issues • personal • relationship with seniors and organisational hierarchy • multicultural issues and • “other”

9

Challenges by stakeholder groupStudents Tutors Faculty and

administratorsSponsors

1 People management

The changing context*

The changing context

The changing context; people management

2 Developing as manager/ becoming a leader

Developing as manager

Developing as manager

Resource managementDeveloping as a managerEthics

3 Sustaining growth/ strategic planning/ leadership

*Students ranked ‘the changing context” as 4th most important challenge while the other stakeholders consider it to be the most important challenge managers face.

People managementPersonalSustaining growth

10

Challenges by student groupsNon-graduates Graduates Online Face-to-face

1 People management

People management

People management

People management

2 Sustaining growth/ strategic planning/ leadership

Developing as manager

The changing context*

Developing as manager

3 Developing as manager

Sustaining growth/ strategic planning/ leadership

Personal Sustaining growth/ strategic planning/ leadership

• Online students more aware of the changing context and more concerned about work/life balance than f2f students

• More mature students were more concerned with the changing context than younger students who had greater focus on strategic issues and manager development.

11

What is the most important skill managers need? Individual responses coded and classified into the following themes:

• Communication skills • delegation

• analytical and critical thinking • financial and numeracy skills

• networking with & between different stakeholders

• knowledgeable and expertise

• leadership and strategic thinking

• people management skills

• time management • willingness to learn

• plan, organise and manage processes

• change management

• integrity/credibility • creativity

• emotional intelligence • listening

12

Analysis of surveyed groupsStudents Tutors Faculty and

administratorsSponsors

1 People skills Leadership and strategic thinking

Leadership and strategic thinking

Leadership and strategic thinkingPeople management

2 Leadership and strategic thinking

People skillsOther

People skills Communication skills; Willingness to learn; Plan, organise

3 Communication skills ** Very high for students and sponsors but not for tutors and faculty

Financial and numeracy skillsEmotional intelligence

- -

13

Analysis of student groupsNon-graduates Graduates Online Face-to-face

1 Leadership and strategic thinking

People management/ skills

Leadership and strategic thinking

People management/ skills

2 People management/ skills

Leadership and strategic thinking

People management/ skills

Leadership and strategic thinking

3 Communication skills

Communication skills

Communication skills

Communication skills

•Non UK/European students rated communication skills more highly than others (presumably as including those with English as a second language.•More mature students were less likely to mention leadership skills, perhaps reflecting existing positions in organisation. They were also more likely to suggest important of financial and numeracy skills.

List at least 3 advantages of working in cross cultural student groups

• “My network containing contacts of fellow students from all over the world is my most precious treasure.”

• “lower fees due to greater contributions from internationals” .

• “Less congestion in car parks at venues for residential school, as foreigners tend to take public transport.”

• “I work in an international environment so for me it is just business as usual”.

• I’ve gained as much from my fellow students and their views as from the course material”.

• “multitude of approaches…. breadth of knowledge”.

15

List at least 3 advantages of working in cross cultural student groups• Diversity of views and experience that is brought to and shared

within the group – most cited advantage (45% of all students)• Non graduate entry students higher than graduate entry on

having perceptions challenged• Graduate entry and online tutored students higher than non

graduate entry students on appreciating differences and increasing respect for others. This was the most cited advantage among tutors.

• Tutors tended to give more detailed responses than students, and gave a wider spread of responses.

• Employers most cited advantage was adding to personal skill set, e.g. language skills (a more tangible benefit – to be expected perhaps).

• Other categories included mirrors today’s workplace, networking

Analysis of surveyed groups

Students Tutors Faculty and administrators

Sponsors

1 Diversity of views and experience brought and shared

Encourages appreciation of differences and respect for other cultures

Diversity of views and experience brought and shared

Adds to personal skills set, e.g. languages

2 Encourages appreciation of differences and respect for other cultures

Diversity of views and experience brought and shared

Encourages appreciation of differences and respect for other cultures

Encourages appreciation of differences and respect for other cultures

3 Opens the mind/challenges perceptions and assumptions

Opens the mind/challenges perceptions and assumptions

Networking opportunities

Diversity of views and experience brought and shared

17

List at least 3 challenges for cross cultural student groups• “Including students with poor levels of English as second

language may mean poorer collaboration outcomes for both parties…. we all lost out.”

• “when we meet at tutorials we don’t actually get to “socially interact”, therefore often reducing the value of having a diverse group.”

• “sometimes you just have enough to do trying to sort out problems in your own environment, and don’t have time trying to understand other environments.”

• “Are cultural/national differences the most important? I got more out of the fact that they were from different organisational backgrounds.”

18

List at least 3 challenges for cross cultural student groups

• The main challenges cited by all stakeholders related to:– Dealing with language differences– Dealing with cultural differences– Time taken in establishing a shared frame of reference

• Some advantages listed were also noted as challengese.g. communication can be both an advantage and a challenge, diversity of views is an advantage though gaining a shared understanding out of those is a challenge.

• Tutors cited challenges of course design (reflective practice, critical engagement) not suiting some cultures.

19

Curriculum contentpreferences of the stakeholder groups:

• Students most interested in: people mgt, strategy, financial mgt, marketing and creativity

• Faculty most interested in: international and intercultural issues

• Sponsors most interested in: people mgt, project mgt• Low interest from all in: ethics, law, corporate

citizenship, environmental issues

20

Conclusions- general

• Differences between stakeholders’ views

• Important to all for range of case studies across sectors (faculty and sponsors most strongly; face to face tuition and graduate students least strongly)

• Less important to students that cases have a global reach

• Less important to sponsors to apply learning to internationally diverse contexts

• Wider benefits of cross cultural study (e.g. Networking) not always recognised by faculty

• Online tutored students much more interested in working with internationally diverse student group, and with more focus on communication skills and changing contexts

21

Implications for Curriculum Development & Implementation

• Challenges of single or multiple contexts in curriculum, e.g. people management

• Mix of students in tutor groups• Tutor recruitment and development• Role of technology in student and tutor support• Different approaches to learning and delivery of learning• Accreditation bodies

22

Next steps• Future questions:

• Values of global managers

• Challenges of moving to new country/cultural context

• What else might a global MBA contain

• Meaning of ‘international/global’ MBA

• Future direction:• Focus groups to follow up specific themes

• Impact on curriculum design

• Impact on presentation issues

• Tutor development

• Noting the differences in stakeholder views

• Tailoring marketing messages to different stakeholders/market segments

23

“A programme that can transform a student into a good manager and influential leader in any international environment or location…”

(student quote)

24

Thank you

Fenella GalpinF.A.V.Galpin@open.ac.uk

Sharon Slades.slade@open.ac.uk