13) What are the main commitments of the institution aimed at enhancing the quality of its teaching?

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1 5) Name of the HEI Copenhagen Business School 6) Person completing the questionnaire, position and contact details Please add any other staff (position) who help you completing the questionnaire. Bente Kristensen, former vice-president Address: CBS Learning Lab, Kilevej 14a, 2000 Frederiksberg, Denmark & Claus Nygaard, senior advisor, associate professor Address: CBS Learning Lab, Kilevej 14a, 2000 Frederiksberg, Denmark 7) Number of students of the institution (full time equivalent students) Full time students Open education Total ) Proportion of Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral degress/ Other degrees offered (use figures and %) Bachelor % Master % Other degrees % Total % Doctoral students 168 9) Full time equivalent number of teaching staff and number of teacher-to-student ratio Faculty (full time equivalent number) 466 Part-time faculty (full time equivalent number) 208 Total 674 Faculty (headcount in DEC2007) 516 Part-time faculty (headcount in DEC2007) 707 Total ) In major teaching fields, can you please show the breakdown using the list below, of the students bodies (figures or percentage of students enrolled). Humanities (philosophy, history, literature, linguistic, sociology..) : 2500 (16%) 11) Business/management: (84%) 12) Does your institution select the students? Please specify at which level NO - Undergraduate and Graduate NO - Diploma YES - Executive 13) What are the main commitments of the institution aimed at enhancing the quality of its teaching? 1 is high 4 is low Initial recruitment process of teaching staff 3 Continuing education for faculty 1 Institutional policy design, monitoring and implementation 2 Programme design, programme monitoring and implementation 2 Student evaluation (i.e. evaluation, achieved by the students, of the programmes or of their learning experience or of the learning environment) 1 1

2 Professional development to pedagogy (pedagogical tools, teachers behaviour and attitudes) 1 Funds to promote motivative teaching 1 Prize endowment for 'good' teachers or remarkable QT initiated by teachers 1 Support to organisations, management of programmes at teachers level 1 Support to organisation, management of programmes at institutional level (departmental or institutional level) 2 Support to teaching and learning environment (libraries, computing facilities, virtual learning environment...) 1 Support to students(eg. councelling service, career advice, mentoring, students associations...) 1 Feedback loop of the QT initiatives on the teaching experience 3 Support to student learning (initiatives helping students to work efficiently) 3 14) IMPORTANT: What is (are) the specific QT initiative(s) your institution woud like to address particularly through this questionnaire (1 to 3 QT initiatives): Please specify: 1. CBS Learning Lab 2. CBS Assistant Professors Competence Development Program 3. CBS Learning Strategy 15) Is your institution accredited or externally adjudged in relation to quality assurance or enhancement at institutional level? Yes (0) 16) 3) Professional bodies Until 2007 it was EVA (Danish Evaluation Institute) From 2007 it is ACE Denmark (national higher education accreditation institution) 17) What are the main methods used to accreditate or to adjudge the institution in relation to quality assurance or engagement? 1) Self-evaluation + peer review: Yes 18) 3) Professional bodies ACE Denmark 19) What are the main methods used to accreditate programmes? 1) Self-evaluation + peer review: Yes 20) What is the scope covered by the accreditation or the process in relation to quality assurance or enhancement (on teaching aspects only)? 1 is high 4 is low Academic content of programmes 1 Recruitment process of teaching staff 3 Human resources policy 3 Pedagogy 2 Facilities for teaching and learning 2 Quality assurance set up by the institution to support quality teaching 1 Impact of student experience 2 21) If the programme is not accredited or if the evaluation reveals poor or bad results, what are the consequences for the programme? 1 is high 4 is low No funding or less funding received 1 The programme cannot operate 1 The institution is obliged to undertake corrective actions to make the programme operate 1

3 No consequence 4 22) Additional consequences? a) as a consequence of the programme not operating the institution receives less funding b) if a programme is not accredited it cannot operate c) If a study program is not accredited the institution must reformulate/enhance the quality in order to supply the study program 23) Has your institution recently required a private accreditation or evaluation (labelisation, etc) at which level? CBS Accreditations Benchmarks 24) In your country, to what extent does your institution have the freedom or the autonomy to... 1 is high 4 is low Design the programmes 1 Implement the programmes 1 Assess the outcomes of the programme 1 Recruit teachers 1 Discretion to reward the teachers 1 Assess the teachers 1 25) Does your institution (or part thereof) assign certain teachers to specific classes or specific levels (eg. at an introductory level)? Yes 26) Do external regulations/guidelines oblige or expect new recruited teachers to be trained initially or on continuing education? No Page 3 (24 Points) 27) * Introduction: profile and context of the institution * Origin and initial steps of the QT initiative * Functioning of the QT initiative * Extension and sustainability of the QT initiative * Progress monitoring and assessment of the QT initiative * Synergy of the QT initiative * Additional comments (optional) * Confidentiality and further issues 28) What is the initiative? Describe the QT initiative and give examples: The establishment of CBS Learning Lab. At Copenhagen Business School (CBS) our work with teaching and learning is grounded in the philosophy that graduates from CBS face requirements for continuous learning at both the individual and the organizational level. CBS graduates need to Learn for the future. Environmental challenges will be: flexible societies, flexible markets, flexible networks, flexible jobs, rapidly changing intra- and inter-firm organisation, alongside continuous introduction of new technology. Educating our graduates to be able to learn for the future in flexible knowledge societies poses important challenges to CBS. For jobs organised in flexible networks embedded in flexible societies, it is not possible to educate students within one overarching academic discipline or in one overarching academic method. Learning for the future is not a question of one size fits all. Therefore the competence development of CBS-students has to build on the premises that students learn to learn. It is crucial that CBS graduates are prepared to self-produce and self-develop their own knowledge and are able to further contextualize that knowledge. Based on their theoretical competencies, methodological competencies, meta-theoretical competencies, and 3

4 contextual competencies, CBS-graduates need to be able to transfer their knowledge and competencies between multiple contexts (to make a profound and competent shift from management education to business practice). To be capable of doing this, CBS graduates need to possess higher-order thinking skills (analyses, synthesis, and reflection). The key question for CBS is of course how to develop a curriculum and an institutional quality system that enables such flexible competence development. In order to coordinate and enhance the quality development of the large variety of study programs at CBS and to strengthen the position of CBS study programs in the national and international HE sector, CBS Learning Lab was founded in 1994 (until 2001 it functioned under the name of The Pedagogical Service Unit). CBS Learning Lab is a professional research centre and consultancy unit under the Rectors office working with quality enhancement at CBS, and it supports all study programs, educations and departments. CBS Learning Lab works within four domains: 1) consultancy, 2) competence development (teacher training), 3) Evaluation & Accreditation services; 4) development of new knowledge and methods (research). Below is a description of the four domains. 1) Consultancy within teaching, learning & assessment curriculum development from teaching to learning pedagogical issues supervision e-learning (design and implementation) project management task forces and project groups 2) Competence development within teaching, learning & assessment courses for teachers and administrative staff supervision of teachers supervision of examiners 3) Evaluation and accreditation services Design and implementation of evaluation methods focusing on student learning outcomes Design and implementation of organizational support in relation to accreditation Participation in national and international accreditation and benchmarking projects in relation to quality in teaching and learning 4) Development of new knowledge and methods within teaching, learning & assessment national and international research articles books white papers CBS Learning Lab has 10 full time consultants working within the four areas. Two of the consultants have a ph.d.-degree. The primary aim of CBS Learning Labs is to work for a continuous enhancement of quality in study programs and teaching at CBS. To do so the employees first and foremost engage in competence development of teachers, course coordinators, members of study boards, and administrative staff. They give advice about pedagogical and technological development in all study programs at CBS. CBS Learning Lab also offers professional project management of larger development projects such as development of new curricula or development of curricula based on e-learning concepts or virtual space learning. This is done by engaging in close dialogue with study boards, curriculum directors, course coordinators and student organizations in order to be able to service the needs of the study programs in the best possible way. The employees at CBS Learning Lab are also engaged in research, particularly in order to develop new knowledge about the relationship between competence development, learning processes, and the role of new technology in HE. As such learning, teaching and assessment are not only present as mission statements at CBS. CBS Learning Lab works explicitly and professionally with quality enhancement of study programs at CBS, with teacher training, with consultancy, with evaluation and accreditation, and with research. 29) What was the origin of the QT Initiative? Internal (stragtegy, new types of teaching) (0) 30) Comments need for teacher training, need for implementation of new learning practices, strengthening of the pedagogical approach and focus of the quality of study programs. 31) Who prompted the QT initiative within the institution?

5 Decision-making bodies (0) 32) Additional comments? The Dean 33) Has the QT initiative... Been implemented for more than 3 years (0) 34) Additional comments? was established in ) How would you describe the QT initiative? Experimental no Established yes 36) Does it aim at: Enhancing the quality of the teaching (0) Assessing the quality of the teaching (0) Helping teachers to teach efficiently (0) Affecting teachers career progression (0) Promoting scholarship and research on teachers (0) 37) What is the level of concern regarding the objectives of the QT initiative? 1 is high 4 is low For the Institution 1 For teachers 1 For students 2 38) Is the QT initiative locally implemented(within a faculty or a department or at lower level)? CBS Learning Lab is an established centre at CBS operating at the institutional level with direct reference to the Rector. 39) Is the QT initiative disseminated (over several departments, faculties or concerns the whole institution)? The whole institution. 40) What is the exact timeline of the QT initiative? CBS Learning Lab has functioned for 14 years and continues to operate at CBS. 41) Who is dedicated to the project (position, type, number of staff concerned) and how is it done? CBS Learning Lab s consultants/researchers: Name: Mr. Ib Andersen Position: Managing director, associate professor Key area: Learning, curriculum development, methodology within social science, project management, organisational development Name: Dr. Claus Nygaard Position: Senior advisor, ph.d., associate professor Key area: Learning, curriculum development, ICT-enhanced learning, strategizing, organisational development Name: Mr. Jakob Ravn Position: Senior advisor Key area: Evaluation of teaching and study programs, research based education, quality management of university educations Name: Mr. Jens Tofteskov Position: Senior advisor Key area: Assistant professors competence development program, Research based teaching, supervision Name: Mr. Michael Pedersen Position: ICT consultant 5

6 Key area: Communication, ICT-enhanced learning Name: Mr. Flemming Georg Meier Position: Pedagogical advisor, ph.d.-stipendiat Key area: Learning, organisational learning, ICT and learning Name: Mrs. Mia Thomsen Position: Evaluation consultant Key area: Evaluation and quality enhancement practices Name: Dr. Tine Nielsen Position: Pedagogical consultant, ph.d. Key area: Learning and teaching styles, student group work, learning, student dropout Name: Dr. Mads Hermansen Position: Senior advisor, professor Key area : Learning, organisational development, pedagogics, personal development Name: Mrs. Bente Kristensen Position: Former vice-president, quality advisor Key area: Quality development, benchmarking, development of a quality culture + Administrative staff supporting the consultants, and administrating the teacher training courses. 42) Does your institution have a specific body/committee/postholder that centalises or monitors or coordinates the support to the QT initiative? CBS Learning Lab functions as such an intermediary that ties together management, departments, study programs, study boards, individual course managers, teachers and student organizations in relation to QT initiatives within teaching and learning. 43) What is the target audience of the QT initiative? The target audience represent the beneficiaries, those who are directly concerned and involved by the QT initiative 1 is high 4 is low New teachers 1 Current teachers 1 Bachelor students 4 Master students 4 Doctoral students 3 Administrative staff 2 Leaders of the institution 2 Employers 3 44) How many people have attended and which departments have participated (as beneficiaries) in the QT initiative so far? CBS Learning Lab participates in more than 50 ongoing QT initiatives. CBS Learning Lab arranges teacher training courses. More than 250 teachers participate in the teacher training courses each year. CBS Learning Lab has hosted a knowledge-sharing network for the administrative staff at CBS from The network has developed and shared new administrative practices which support study programs. CBS Learning Lab has initiated and participated in more than 500 QT-initiatives over the past 14 years ranging from ICTdevelopment, ICT-implementation, teacher training programs, assistant professorship competence development program, evaluation initiatives and practices, supervision of teachers, study program development, benchmarking initiatives, accreditation initiatives, managerial support, strategic white papers, implementation of learning strategies, e-learning strategies, competence development strategies, and similar activities on institutional, departmental, study program, teacher, and student levels. 45) If individual teachers have been launching their own QT initiative, to what extent does the institution support, monitor and/or reward these initiatives? CBS Learning Lab and CBS as institution support individual QT initiatives taken by teachers. The advisors/consultants of CBS Learning Lab take part in multiple QT-initiatives launched by individual teachers or groups of teachers. It is not a prerequisite that the QT initiatives are taken by CBS Learning Lab or the management group at CBS. Contrary we seek to

7 work with QT-initiatives from a bottom-up perspective. 46) If your institution or department has launched the QT initiative, what are the tools and procedures used to make such initiatives attractive to a potential audience? CBS Learning Lab works for the shaping of a quality culture at CBS. The support structures at CBS are much in favor of local initiative and local dynamic growth. CBS Learning Lab supports (with knowledge and human resources) local QTinitiatives. It is done by taking the role as a project manager (if necessary), by help collecting data (or similar work that demands manpower), by help developing methods for quality enhancement or implementation of QT-initiatives locally in the organization, by participating and supporting in political negotiations (internally or externally). As such departmental or individual QT-initiatives are supported by CBS Learning Lab. 47) Is there a willingness of the institution to extend the QT initiative? Yes 48) How has the institution extended, disseminated or permeated the QT initiative in-house? See above 49) What are the major challenges the QT initiative promoters will have to anticipate, or had to anticipate, in order to succeed? CBS Learning Lab needs to continuously address issues that a relevant to students, teachers, faculty and management in relation to improving the teaching and learning at CBS. At the same time CBS Learning Lab needs to continuously take part in the national and international debate and follow the legal dispositions surrounding the Danish and international university sector (such as the Bologna process + national laws in relation to the Danish University act, the grading scales, accreditation of study programs etc.). The role of CBS Learning Lab is to help improve the quality of teaching and learning internally at CBS by facilitating and implementing new QT-initiatives in a balance between internal expectations and external demands. 50) In what ways, does your institution encourage discussion of the impacts and the appraisal of the efficiency of the QT initiative? This is very much encouraged at CBS by the establishment of CBS Learning Lab as a unit devoted to such discussions. 51) How is the QT initiative funded? special external money, internal resource, amount... CBS Learning Lab is funded by internal resources, 7 million Danish Kroner annually. 52) How does your institution foresee the next steps for the future of the QT initiative? CBS Learning Lab will continue to professionalize its consultancy, teacher training and other QT-initiatives by being more research based. Professorship, associate professorship, assistant professorship, and ph.d.-positions are added to CBS Learning Lab in 2008/09. 53) What are the mechanisms/indicators implemented by the institution to follow-up on the progress of the QT intiative? CBS Learning Lab has a professional board monitoring the activities and resources spent on QT-initiatives. Directions, resources, strategies, networks, etc. are discussed with the board. The director of CBS Learning Lab reports directly to the Rector of CBS, which secures a strong follow-up by the institution s management group. 54) What is measured when assessing or monitoring the QT initiative? CBS Learning Lab takes part in more than 50 ongoing projects at the same time (and new projects are initiated when old projects stop). The QT-initiatives of CBS Learning Lab are monitored in a large variety of ways dependent of what type of QTinitiative we are talking about. 55) The people who are in charge of the implementation of the QT intiative, who are they accountable to? The board of directors of CBS Learning Lab, and the Rector and the management group of CBS. 56) Who are responsible for taking stock of the QT intiative's progression and of it's outputs? 1) The people in charge of QT implementation? yes 7

8 57) 2) The beneficiaries themselves? yes 58) 5) Others? The board of directors of CBS Learning Lab 59) What criteria did your institution chose to evaluate the success of the QT intiative? Please give examples of the criteria. See above 60) Please give examples of yardsticks or standards to be reached See above 61) To date, what are the main consequences for the teachers and the students of the QT initiative? The main consequence is that CBS has gone through several reforms of their study programs in the move from teaching to learning. CBS has been through many external benchmarks and evaluations and the evaluators have entitled CBS as a learning university. Students get study programs of higher quality, the study programs are directed by the pedagogical principles, and the learning strategy of CBS, and we believe that such study programs leads to better student learning. 62) Has the QT intiative been designed and implemented to be linked to other policies of the institution? If so, could you please specify by giving examples. 1) IT strategy? yes 63) 2) Student services? yes 64) 3) Staff development policies? yes 65) 4) Estate, space and building strategies? yes 66) Could you give examples of tools or practices that ensure the coherence amongst the various QT intiatives that many occur simultaneously? The practice of CBS Learning Lab is project-based, network based, and integrates the different consultants in different QTinitiatives. Different QT-initiatives are followed closely by the board and the consultants of CBS Learning Lab coordinate their efforts through daily and weekly meetings and collegial briefings. It leads to a harmonization of resources, approaches, tools and practices. 67) Could you give examples of impact of the QT intiatives that concern other domains than solely teaching (eg. on teachers mobility, on research activities...)? Implemantation of e-learning strategy. Use of ICT. Web-based teaching and training. Accreditation of study programs. Teacher training. International research projects. National research projects. Career strategy for teachers. Education of external examiners. Ph.d.-education. Introduction programs for new students. Training of students that occupy positions in study boards. This is just some of the QT-initiatives taken by CBS Learning Lab. 68) Within the institution, how is the QT intiative articulated with other initiatives undertaken by other departments, by senior decision-making bodies, by committees and by other individuals? See Qestion ) Outside the institution, how is the QT intiative articulated with other initiatives undertaken by other departments, by senior decision-making bodies, by committees and by other individuals? See Question 61. At the same time CBS Learning Lab is a member of national and international networks, association, and research groups which secures close links between external activities and internal activities. 70) Could you give examples of how your institution makes sure that the QT initiative is articulated with the

9 strategy or the key objectives of the institution? CBS Learning Lab is positioned directly under the Rector. There is a close link between CBS Learning Lab and the management group of CBS. The director of CBS Learning Lab is a member of the management group at CBS. CBS Learning Lab provides advice on strategic issues in relation to teaching and learning. The learning strategy of CBS is drafted by CBS Learning Lab together with study program directors and department heads and study boards at CBS. 71) Is the QT initiative part of, or, an incentive, to build a 'quality culture' in your institution? Yes, CBS Learning Lab works to build a quality culture at CBS. It has operated for 14 years and has helped implement: an assistant professorship competence development program (1995), pedagogical principles for CBS (1998), the CBS Learning Strategy (2005), an e-learning strategy for CBS (2003, 2007). At the same time CBS Learning Lab works on more than 50 simultaneous quality enhancement initiatives within the entire organization of CBS. It works with research activities which help qualify the QT-practices of CBS Learning Lab and enhance the quality of the study programs and the pedagogical competencies of teachers at CBS. CBS Learning Lab participates actively in the shaping of a quality culture at CBS underpinning the institutions' move from teaching to learning. The management culture and tradition of CBS as a learning university is one of high flexibility, high autonomy and a large degree of idealism on all levels throughout the organization. This goes for top management, over faculties, to departments, research centres and administrative staff units. Therefore, the development and assessment of the different programmes has, until now, been quite decentralized, and have been done in close corporation between teachers and students on the different programmes supported by CBS Learning Lab. Thus, our teaching, learning and assessment policies at CBS have had the form of relatively flexible frameworks, which has allowed the management of the different programmes to use rather dissimilar approaches, as long as they documented their way of doing things. The top management has, on the other hand, driven the development of the programmes in a certain direction, by formulating a teaching and learning, and learning philosophy, which has been the basis of CBS learning labs consulting and different awards given to teachers and programmes. This soft, value based way of implementing policies is deeply rooted in the culture and tradition at CBS, where we pay respect to the fact that teachers and researchers have in depth knowledge within their domain and as such are important to include in the development of policies and strategies for teaching and learning. By the same reasons, the development and implementation of the CBS Learning Strategy is taking place as a bottom-up process where all study programme directors, head of departments, study boards at the faculties as well as the student organisations have been involved in discussing the formulation of the learning strategy. We believe that a tight anchoring of ideas, perspectives and policies is crucial for success at the learning university. CBS are, on the other hand, in several areas taking steps towards a more unified approach. Thus, the new Learning Strategy is has much more specific demand on how the different programmes should approach teaching and learning, than the preceding pedagogical principles. Additionally, a common programme evaluation system is under development, which will be used alongside the more specialized ones developed locally. 72) To some extent, is the QT initiative bound to a specific identity of your institution? Yes, CBS is an institution at which local initiatives and projects for quality enhancement is encouraged by the top management. The Rector is very visionary and gives room for experiments and new ideas. Such are often supported by resources which mean that a lot of locally initiated QT-initiatives take place. Often CBS Leaning Lab takes part as a consultant or advisor in such QT-initiatives. 73) Is the QT initiative part of the promotion of the institution? Yes, at the largest internal quality enhancement unit at any university of business school in Denmark, CBS Learning Lab brands CBS as an institution that actively and systematically works with institutional quality enhancement activities. Page 6 (0 Points) 74) Please add your comments? CBS Learning Lab supports the move at CBS from teaching to learning (towards the learning university) by formulating and implementing a Learning Strategy for CBS. Since 1998 both faculties at CBS have followed sets of pedagogical principles in their curriculum development and teaching. The principles were institutionalized to such a degree that they had become an everyday routine, which at one hand were ideal, but on the other hand somewhat problematic, as teachers and students took them for granted to such a degree that they caused no further reflection. During the autumn of 2004, CBS Learning Lab therefore took initiative to formulate an overall learning strategy for CBS, in which the pedagogical principles were revised and a learning philosophy was formulated and interlinked with the mindset of graduates and with new principles guiding curriculum development at CBS. This learning strategy was a natural development of the pedagogical principles which had successfully functioned as a guideline for curriculum development and quality enhancement within teaching since CBS Learning Lab together with its board of directors of which the pro-rector and the two deans of CBS are members - wanted to move the dialogue from pedagogical issues alone to issues centred around learning. Their vision was to work actively for creating a business school at which the 9

10 majority of the management education is learning centred and supports the overall strategy of CBS as a learning university. With this learning strategy the management group (including the deans) at CBS expects its responsible study program directors, members of study boards, teaching staff and faculty members to address curriculum development from a learning centered point of view. CBS is in the middle of implementing the Learning Strategy and from five pilot studies is noticed that half of the study programs seem to adapt and implement the learning philosophy well, while the other half of our study programs need a revitalization in connection to their pedagogical methods in order to address learning rather than teaching. For CBS Learning Lab this is a natural consequence of the higher ambition of the learning strategy and an even greater challenge when working with quality. The learning strategy is explained here: CBS is a learning university that strives to educate graduates who are able to think and to take decisive action in other words, graduates who are professionally and academically reflexive, and who are able to act competently in many different situations and contexts. CBS graduates must be able to navigate today s international knowledge society and, in order to do this, they must be able to identify problems, to structure, to analyse, to synthesise and to reflect critically. Furthermore, they must be able to cope in multilingual environments and work constructively with both information and communication technologies. Thus, CBS aims not only to develop the professional, methodological and academic competencies of its students but also their personal and interpersonal skills. CBS focuses upon the individual learning processes of its students. Individuality is emphasised because learning constitutes an individual process of development and experience that is dependent upon the individual s identity and social position. At the same time, learning is perceived as a social process taking place in the interaction of students, teachers and others involved in the process. At CBS education is regarded as the product of a close partnership between the students, the teachers, business practitioners, administrators and others who are in some way involved. The learning strategy for CBS clearly defines the learning philosophy of the university by making the basic assumptions of what learning is and how learning takes place explicit. This is essential for the students, the teachers, the course administrators and for the university s external partners. The clarification of basic assumptions allows a discussion of the roles and responsibilities that each of the participants in the educational and teaching process can and ought to adopt. Further, the learning strategy defines the CBS ideal in terms of the mindset of its graduates i.e. the characteristics and qualities that students should develop in the course of their studies at the university. It specifies the concrete content of the overall profile that CBS would like to be the hallmark of its graduates. Finally, the clarification and definition of basic assumptions and expectations (learning philosophy and mindset of the graduates) enables CBS to establish principles to guide curriculum development i.e. the development of the study programmes, and the preparation and carrying out of the course activities. CBS will maintain the breadth and diversity that characterises its portfolio of study programmes. The many different programmes will continue to work from very different conditions and contexts in terms of academic area, market conditions, student numbers and relations to future employers. As such, the clear formulation of CBS s learning philosophy, of expectations to the mindset of its graduates and of principles for curriculum development is at the very heart of the continuing quality development at the school. By constantly upholding a critical stance, by reappraising and further developing the core components of the learning strategy, CBS will truly be a learning university. This will involve a process of continuous development and implementation of the learning strategy at CBS; a process in which the learning strategy will develop through an ongoing dialogue with both internal and external stakeholders. Learning philosophy As a learning university, the study programmes at CBS are founded upon an understanding of what learning is and how learning processes take place. This understanding, in turn, is realised in practice by a wide range of actual course activities designed to promote the learning of the students. The central tenets of the learning philosophy at CBS can be summarised as follows: Basically, learning is the construction and maintenance of meaning. Learning is the ability to doubt and to question one s own assumptions. Learning involves acquiring new personal knowledge, skills and competencies that can be used to resolve forthcoming challenges in life. Learning is both individual and social. Learning is contextual in the sense that it is embedded in ongoing social relations and is affected by the identity and social position of the learner. Learning contexts change through time and space. Each new combination of students, teachers, technologies and media constitutes a new learning context; each context will affect the learning process of the individual student. The mindset of the graduates

11 At CBS we strive towards educating graduates who are both professionally and academically reflexive, and who are able to act competently in different situations and contexts. Our graduates are capable of thinking and acting decisively. First of all, we expect our graduates to be able to reflect on both the academic knowledge and academic traditions that they encounter during their studies (and to be aware of the status and background of this knowledge); second, they must be able to discern what the customary practice is in any given situation and to judge how their knowledge can best be utilised in that situation. We set great store by academic achievement, but we also value highly the development of students personal and interpersonal skills. These goals are reached at CBS by the combination of many different forms of study and learning; by integrating research-based teaching with hands-on learning techniques that involve a high degree of problem-solving, innovation, and creative and active decision making. The qualities of CBS s ideal graduate can be summarised as follows: CBS graduates are competent in both methodology and in their chosen academic area. They are capable of applying models and theories; they are able to use relevant research methodologies; they are able to analyse empirical observations of current practice. CBS graduates are both innovative and reflexive in their thinking. CBS graduates are well-founded in their core disciplines, but they also possess interdisciplinary knowledge and skills; these graduates are, thus, able to understand and to work with people from different academic and professional backgrounds. CBS graduates are trained to apply their knowledge and they are familiar with business practice; they have transferable skills that strengthen their employability. CBS graduates have personal and interpersonal competencies abilities that enable them to cope with the demands of a study programme in higher education and to work in both a national and an international business environment. They are, for example, able to take responsibility for and to organise their own learning process; they can collaborate in team projects; they are able to identify and to formulate problems, they can read and understand a wide range of academic literature; they can transfer knowledge to action in concrete situations; they are skilled at expressing themselves verbally and in writing; they are able to communicate with others across cultural barriers. CBS graduates are able to act decisively; they are capable of reaching a decision even in situations where information or knowledge is not fully adequate. CBS graduates are efficient and ethical. They are trained to make decisions on the basis of efficiency but, nevertheless, with an understanding of societal and interpersonal relationships that ensures an ethical and, in business terms, morally responsible way of dealing with other people. CBS graduates are prepared for lifelong learning. Principles guiding curriculum development at CBS A graduate profile such as that described in CBS s ideal graduate mindset demands the development, organisation and implementation of a curriculum that promotes the learning processes of the students. At CBS we regard education, with its many study-related activities, as a process of general development for the individual student. Education is regarded as the product of a close partnership between the students, the teachers, and business practitioners. The overall principles guiding curriculum development at CBS can be summarised as follows: 1. The curriculum includes a mix of study methods and course activities that are designed to activate the students and which also take into consideration the level of the course, individual learning styles and differences in academic content. 2. Study methods, course activities and academic content are prioritised according to the qualifications that the students are expected to achieve. 3. Courses are structured in such a way that the students are able to take responsibility for their learning. 4. The form and content of examinations are grounded in and reflect the course or programme objectives. 5. Study programmes are related to current practice and are problem-based. 6. All teaching and learning is research-based. 7. Students are ensured a considerable range of options in terms of electives, course directions, syllabus, examination methods and learning techniques. 8. Students are ensured flexibility in terms of where, how, when and how fast they wish to study. 9. Information and communication technology is used when and where this promotes the students learning processes and facilitates communication between students, teachers and the administration. It is crucial that the ideals and assumptions of the learning strategy rest on an organisational culture in which the will to experiment and to challenge and inspire through continuous dialogue are central. The following diagram illustrates this ongoing dialogue and developmental process; it also provides some examples of the kinds of activities that can maintain this process. CBS Learning Lab supports the move at CBS from teaching to learning (towards the learning university) by formulating and implementing a Learning Strategy for CBS. Since 1998 both faculties at CBS have followed sets of pedagogical principles in their curriculum development and teaching. The principles were institutionalized to such a degree that they had become an everyday routine, which at one hand were ideal, but on the other hand somewhat problematic, as teachers and students took them for granted to such a degree that they caused no further reflection. During the autumn of 2004, CBS Learning Lab therefore took initiative to formulate an overall learning strategy for CBS, in which the pedagogical principles were revised and a learning philosophy was formulated 11

12 and interlinked with the mindset of graduates and with new principles guiding curriculum development at CBS. This learning strategy was a natural development of the pedagogical principles which had successfully functioned as a guideline for curriculum development and quality enhancement within teaching since CBS Learning Lab together with its board of directors of which the pro-rector and the two deans of CBS are members - wanted to move the dialogue from pedagogical issues alone to issues centred around learning. Their vision was to work actively for creating a business school at which the majority of the management education is learning centred and supports the overall strategy of CBS as a learning university. With this learning strategy the management group (including the deans) at CBS expects its responsible study program directors, members of study boards, teaching staff and faculty members to address curriculum development from a learning centered point of view. CBS is in the middle of implementing the Learning Strategy and from five pilot studies is noticed that half of the study programs seem to adapt and implement the learning philosophy well, while the other half of our study programs need a revitalization in connection to their pedagogical methods in order to address learning rather than teaching. For CBS Learning Lab this is a natural consequence of the higher ambition of the learning strategy and an even greater challenge when working with quality. The learning strategy is explained here: CBS is a learning university that strives to educate graduates who are able to think and to take decisive action in other words, graduates who are professionally and academically reflexive, and who are able to act competently in many different situations and contexts. CBS graduates must be able to navigate today s international knowledge society and, in order to do this, they must be able to identify problems, to structure, to analyse, to synthesise and to reflect critically. Furthermore, they must be able to cope in multilingual environments and work constructively with both information and communication technologies. Thus, CBS aims not only to develop the professional, methodological and academic competencies of its students but also their personal and interpersonal skills. CBS focuses upon the individual learning processes of its students. Individuality is emphasised because learning constitutes an individual process of development and experience that is dependent upon the individual s identity and social position. At the same time, learning is perceived as a social process taking place in the interaction of students, teachers and others involved in the process. At CBS education is regarded as the product of a close partnership between the students, the teachers, business practitioners, administrators and others who are in some way involved. The learning strategy for CBS clearly defines the learning philosophy of the university by making the basic assumptions of what learning is and how learning takes place explicit. This is essential for the students, the teachers, the course administrators and for the university s external partners. The clarification of basic assumptions allows a discussion of the roles and responsibilities that each of the participants in the educational and teaching process can and ought to adopt. Further, the learning strategy defines the CBS ideal in terms of the mindset of its graduates i.e. the characteristics and qualities that students should develop in the course of their studies at the university. It specifies the concrete content of the overall profile that CBS would like to be the hallmark of its graduates. Finally, the clarification and definition of basic assumptions and expectations (learning philosophy and mindset of the graduates) enables CBS to establish principles to guide curriculum development i.e. the development of the study programmes, and the preparation and carrying out of the course activities. CBS will maintain the breadth and diversity that characterises its portfolio of study programmes. The many different programmes will continue to work from very different conditions and contexts in terms of academic area, market conditions, student numbers and relations to future employers. As such, the clear formulation of CBS s learning philosophy, of expectations to the mindset of its graduates and of principles for curriculum development is at the very heart of the continuing quality development at the school. By constantly upholding a critical stance, by reappraising and further developing the core components of the learning strategy, CBS will truly be a learning university. This will involve a process of continuous development and implementation of the learning strategy at CBS; a process in which the learning strategy will develop through an ongoing dialogue with both internal and external stakeholders. Learning philosophy As a learning university, the study programmes at CBS are founded upon an understanding of what learning is and how learning processes take place. This understanding, in turn, is realised in practice by a wide range of actual course activities designed to promote the learning of the students. The central tenets of the learning philosophy at CBS can be summarised as follows: Basically, learning is the construction and maintenance of meaning. Learning is the ability to doubt and to question one s own assumptions. Learning involves acquiring new personal knowledge, skills and competencies that can be used to resolve forthcoming challenges in life. Learning is both individual and social. Learning is contextual in the sense that it is embedded in ongoing social relations and is affected by the identity and social position of the learner.

13 Learning contexts change through time and space. Each new combination of students, teachers, technologies and media constitutes a new learning context; each context will affect the learning process of the individual student. The mindset of the graduates At CBS we strive towards educating graduates who are both professionally and academically reflexive, and who are able to act competently in different situations and contexts. Our graduates are capable of thinking and acting decisively. First of all, we expect our graduates to be able to reflect on both the academic knowledge and academic traditions that they encounter during their studies (and to be aware of the status and background of this knowledge); second, they must be able to discern what the customary practice is in any given situation and to judge how their knowledge can best be utilised in that situation. We set great store by academic achievement, but we also value highly the development of students personal and interpersonal skills. These goals are reached at CBS by the combination of many different forms of study and learning; by integrating research-based teaching with hands-on learning techniques that involve a high degree of problem-solving, innovation, and creative and active decision making. The qualities of CBS s ideal graduate can be summarised as follows: CBS graduates are competent in both methodology and in their chosen academic area. They are capable of applying models and theories; they are able to use relevant research methodologies; they are able to analyse empirical observations of current practice. CBS graduates are both innovative and reflexive in their thinking. CBS graduates are well-founded in their core disciplines, but they also possess interdisciplinary knowledge and skills; these graduates are, thus, able to understand and to work with people from different academic and professional backgrounds. CBS graduates are trained to apply their knowledge and they are familiar with business practice; they have transferable skills that strengthen their employability. CBS graduates have personal and interpersonal competencies abilities that enable them to cope with the demands of a study programme in higher education and to work in both a national and an international business environment. They are, for example, able to take responsibility for and to organise their own learning process; they can collaborate in team projects; they are able to identify and to formulate problems, they can read and understand a wide range of academic literature; they can transfer knowledge to action in concrete situations; they are skilled at expressing themselves verbally and in writing; they are able to communicate with others across cultural barriers. CBS graduates are able to act decisively; they are capable of reaching a decision even in situations where information or knowledge is not fully adequate. CBS graduates are efficient and ethical. They are trained to make decisions on the basis of efficiency but, nevertheless, with an understanding of societal and interpersonal relationships that ensures an ethical and, in business terms, morally responsible way of dealing with other people. CBS graduates are prepared for lifelong learning. Principles guiding curriculum development at CBS A graduate profile such as that described in CBS s ideal graduate mindset demands the development, organisation and implementation of a curriculum that promotes the learning processes of the students. At CBS we regard education, with its many study-related activities, as a process of general development for the individual student. Education is regarded as the product of a close partnership between the students, the teachers, and business practitioners. The overall principles guiding curriculum development at CBS can be summarised as follows: 1. The curriculum includes a mix of study methods and course activities that are designed to activate the students and which also take into consideration the level of the course, individual learning styles and differences in academic content. 2. Study methods, course activities and academic content are prioritised according to the qualifications that the students are expected to achieve. 3. Courses are structured in such a way that the students are able to take responsibility for their learning. 4. The form and content of examinations are grounded in and reflect the course or programme objectives. 5. Study programmes are related to current practice and are problem-based. 6. All teaching and learning is research-based. 7. Students are ensured a considerable range of options in terms of electives, course directions, syllabus, examination methods and learning techniques. 8. Students are ensured flexibility in terms of where, how, when and how fast they wish to study. 9. Information and communication technology is used when and where this promotes the students learning processes and facilitates communication between students, teachers and the administration. It is crucial that the ideals and assumptions of the learning strategy rest on an organisational culture in which the will to experiment and to challenge and inspire through continuous dialogue are central. The following diagram illustrates this ongoing dialogue and developmental process; it also provides some examples of the kinds of activities that can maintain this process. 13

14 Page 7 (0 Points) 75) Would you permit reference to your institutional illustrations in the report? Yes (0) 76) Would you allow the institutional illustrations to be quoted in the report or in an annex? Yes (0) 77) Would you like the institutional illustrations to be part of the annex of the report on the IMHE-OECD website? Yes (0) 78) Would you like to be contacted to have further discussions on the topic? Yes (0) 79) Would you like to participate in the in-depth analysis for the second phase of this project? Yes (0)