Presented by: Rachel Yager, Ph.D. MBA Associate Professor & Program Director Davinder Kaur, MPM Assistant Dean, Stony Brook School of Professional Development Cheryl Coveleski, Ed.D. Assistant Dean Tilokie Depoo, Ph.D. Dean & Professor of Management
Highlights the acquisition and alignment of new knowledge creation in the classroom via the field experience: Constructive Action Present evidence of the application for utilizing a Rubric Quality Measure and Continuous Improvement Tool.
MCNY Overview Purpose- Centered Education Constructive Action Literature Review Research Questions Methodology: Planning & Development of the Rubric Implementations
Metropolitan College of New York Student Characteristics Demographics Learning culture Working Adults Educational Philosophy Uniqueness of Purpose- Centered- Education Strength of the Cohort Model
Definition of knowledge: Facts, information, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject. Learners are not empty vessels waiting to be filled deep learning requires that leaners relate new ideas and concepts to previous knowledge and experience (Sawyer, R. K., 2014).
Driscoll (as cited in Siemens, 2001) explains that the debate centers on as it relates to the digital age: Valid sources of knowledge - Do we gain knowledge through experiences? Is it innate (present at birth)? Do we acquire it through thinking and reasoning? Content of knowledge Is knowledge actually knowable? Is it directly knowable through human experience?
Driscoll (as cited in Siemens, 2001) : The final consideration focuses on three epistemological traditions in relation to learning: Objectivism, Pragmatism, and Interpretivism Objectivism (similar to behaviorism) states that reality is external and is objective, and knowledge is gained through experiences. Pragmatism (similar to cognitivism) states that reality is interpreted, and knowledge is negotiated through experience and thinking. Interpretivism (similar to constructivism) states that reality is internal, and knowledge is constructed (2001, p. 2).
According to Novak: the central purpose of education is to empower learners to take charge of their own meaning making. Meaning making involves thinking, feeling, and acting, and all three of these aspects must be integrated for significant new learning, and especially in new knowledge creation. (1998)
The Constructive Action Project (CA) is informed by the dimensional courses. How is new knowledge being created in the classroom? The 3 MBA CA's knowledge deliverables - - industry assessments, business plans, and implementations - - are the results of applying classroom learning to the CA, thereby creating new knowledge. How is the rubric related to the creation of new knowledge? The rubric is a QA and continuous improvement tool, that ensures new knowledge is aligned along the PCE dimensions and student's purpose. Is new knowledge in the classroom created as a result of the field experience in the CA or by virtue of the CA model? The CA aligns with all the dimension courses, and hence ensures relevant classroom learning can help in student's creation of new knowledge while they are in the field.
1. Analysis 2. completeness 3. Purpose- Centered Education Integration 4. Business Planning 5. Communication 6. Critical Thinking 7. LOGIC / REASONING 8. Research 9. Comprehensiveness 10. Industry Exposure
To what extent the student provides analytical details of the CA project?
To what degree does the completed CA document contain all the required chapters? The required sections of the CA are: Table of Contents, Topic Statement, Work Setting, Situation Analysis, Problem or Needs Analysis, Plan of Action, Critical Logs, Background Research, Analysis by Dimension, Final Assessment, and Abstract. The parameters of these categories should be clearly outlined in the Purpose 6 handbook and/ or in the CA Instructors syllabus.
To what degree has the student considered integration of Self & Others dimension into the Constructive Action process? To what degree has the student considered the integration of the Values & Ethics dimension into the Constructive Action process? To what degree has the student considered the integration of the Skills dimension into the Constructive Action process? To what degree has the student considered integration of the Systems dimension into the Constructive Action process?
To what degree do the CA deliverables constitute an introspective and comprehensive strategic business plan on the part of the student regarding his/her specific career goals and general value system?
To what degree is the CA document written in clear, coherent English, free of spelling and grammatical errors?
To what degree does the student exhibit Critical Thinking skills (the ability to identify a problem, to devise alternative solutions to the problem, to enact a reasonable logical plan of action, and to monitor/critically evaluate the success or failure of the proposed plan)?
To what extent the student provides logical interpretation of results and draws valid conclusions supported by evidence
To what degree does the student exhibit research skills commensurate with the college level? This includes following basic competencies: 1. To successfully obtain information from a number of different types of sources; 2. To distinguish relevant from irrelevant information; 3. To distinguish between credible vs. questionable sources; 4. To organize information into a comprehensive and coherent presentation, including the ability to summarize and critically evaluate source material; 5. To exhibit proper citation methodology wherever appropriate.
To what degree is the student s work thorough, detailed and comprehensive?
Degree to which student has identified a clear career path within the business context and has explored the requirements for success in this career path.
Purpose- Centered Education Integration Industry Exposure
Findings and analysis from rubrics and feedback: Grading with the rubrics this term revealed the degree to which (1) writing problems and (2) Issues regarding comprehensiveness / completeness affect final grades in CA classes.
The first point: the literacy rates of students vary widely. The second point simply reveals how the degree of time and effort put into the CA process ultimately affects the final grade. If a student completes only a couple of Critical Logs, or includes only a couple of Background Research sources, then this minimalistic effort affects the grade in these categories. It is perhaps like most classes the students who put in more time and effort, and who research and document their work in more depth and detail, earn better grades. Some students take a minimalist approach to their work by putting in minimal effort, they end up with commensurate scores in the rubric s categories of completeness and comprehensiveness, and it affects their final grades accordingly.
Ongoing data collection and analysis Data presented at start of semester faculty meetings Curricula changes include: Integration of more case analysis work to build critical thinking skills Increased group work activities to increase student- to- student discourse