Let\u27s Spread the Word about the Wisdom of Transformative Learning

The author argues for the discussion of the findings of transformative learning research in more mainstream platforms

What Price Success? Is It Worth It? The Emotional Journey of 50 Female CEOs and Directors

What is the typical emotional journey to the C-Suite? Most female CEOs and Directors love their positions despite the sacrifices The emotional associations are generally positive: excitement (82%), gratitude (62%), and pride (58%), although there are also moments of feeling overwhelmed (48%) and frustration (44%). To quote a participant, “Female leadership is living an exhausting life balancing on a razors edge the need to be smart, but not too smart. Being tough but not a bitch. Being confident but not too full of yourself. Being vocal but not too opinionated, ambitious but not too aggressive, agreeable but not weak and the list goes on and on.” The purpose of this research was to document the journey female CEOs experience in their way to the top. The target population was not the famous ones, but the women who have quietly taken over organizations and made them successful

Team Skills: Comparing Pedagogy in a Graduate Business School to That of a College of Pharmacy Professional Program

Aim/Purpose: To measure the change in team skills resulting from team projects in professional and graduate school courses, a pilot study was conducted among students in two courses in a graduate school of business and one in the pharmacy school of the same institution of higher learning. This pilot study evaluated (a) students receiving training and practice in working as part of a classroom team were able to translate the formal training into the belief they had improved routine team interactions and experienced benefits from the intervention, and (b) determine whether changes in perceived team skills acquired by graduate business students differed from those of pharmacy school students. Background: This pilot study examined the usefulness of adding a teamwork skills module imported from a graduate school of business to increasing team skills in a pharmacy curriculum. Methodology: Thirty-five students (22 in a graduate school of business and 13 in a school of pharmacy) took a survey comprised of 15 questions designed on a 5-point scale to self-evaluate their level of skill in working in a team. They were then exposed to a seminar on team skills, which included solving a case that required teamwork. After this intervention the students repeated the survey. Contribution: As the pharmacy profession moves to be more integrated as part of inter-professional healthcare teams, pharmacy schools are finding it necessary to teach students how to perform on teams where many disciplines are represented equally. The core of the pharmacy profession is shifting from dependence on the scientific method to one where team skills are also important. Findings: The small size of the pilot sample limited significance except in the greater importance of positive personal interaction for business students. Directional findings supported the hypothesis that the business culture allows risk-taking on more limited information and more emphasis on creating a positive environment than the pharmacy culture given its dependence on scientific method. It remains moot as to whether directly applying a teaching intervention from a business curriculum can effectively advance the team skills of pharmacy students. Recommendations For Practitioners: Educators in professional schools such as pharmacy and medicine may find curricular guidance to increase emphasis on learning teamwork skills. Recommendations for Researchers: Researchers are encouraged to explore cross-disciplinary exchanges of teaching core business skills. Impact on Society : The question is posed that as pharmacy schools and the pharmacy profession integrate more into the business of pharmacy whether this difference will close. Future Research: A full study is planned with the same design and larger sample sizes and expanding to include students in medical, as well as pharmacy classes

Updating PowerPoint for the new Business Classroom

Aim/Purpose To update a 2010 study that recommended “rules of thumb” for more effective use of PowerPoint in the post-secondary business classroom. The current study expanded the focus to include the business classroom in India as well as the US and examined possible shifts in student perception of the utility of PowerPoint among Generations Y and Z. Background The study examined students’ perception of the learning utility of PowerPoint in post-secondary business classrooms in the US and India and the relationship of the use of PowerPoint to course ratings. Methodology Surveys were distributed in post-secondary business classrooms in India and the US in 2018 and early 2019, resulting in 92 completions from India and 127 from the US. Separately 50 student course evaluations from the same US college were compared to the use of slides as well as to their conformance to the “rules of thumb” for effectiveness established earlier and other measures of quality. Contribution These results show how PowerPoint is viewed by post-secondary business students in India and the US and its perceived utility as a learning tool for Generations Y and Z. Findings Most post-secondary business students (80%) found PowerPoint an effective learning tool, but only 21% of the business classes examined used it. US students were more positive than Indian ones, who were more likely to say PowerPoint is overused

Surveys as Praxis: A Pilot Study on Transformative Learning Assessment with the Laboratory Experience of the Theatre of the Oppressed

Transformative learning has been important in the development of college and adult education since Jack Mezirow proposed it more than 40 years ago as a theoretical description of the steps learners undergo in changing their worldviews. From the educator’s perspective, transformative learning is when a learner is struck by a new concept or way of thinking and then follows through to make a life change; it supplements more common types of learning such as acquiring facts or learning new skills (Cranton, 2006) [1]. Little quantitative study has been made of the incidence of transformative learning or the ten steps predicted by Mezirow to precede it (Taylor, 2007) [2]. More European involvement in research on transformative learning is needed, given that the theory of transformative learning does not have concrete roots in the conceptual formation of the European adult educators (Kokkos, 2012) [3]. European adult educators’ rich scholarship on the social and critical dimensions of adult learning (Bourdieu, Foucault, Mayo) would have much to offer the study of transformative learning theory (Taylor & Cranton, 2013) [4]. The real innovation could be the reintegration of the transformative learning with ideas, theories and methodologies of freirerian pedagogy and of democratic adult education, such as Theatre of Oppressed and Forum Theatre, derived from the theory of Augusto Boal (2005) [5]. Our purpose is to create a collaborative international research to study the processes of transformative learning occurring during university laboratory experiences based on Freire’s pedagogical tools and on Boal’s Forum Theatre and Theatre of the Oppressed with graduating students. This paper presents the international pilot study for the validation of the instrument for assessment of the transformative learning adopting the perspective of the theory of ten precursor steps (Taylor, 2007; Brock, 2011) [6]

AI and the future of marketing education through the lens of the space merchants

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming professional marketing practices as well as marketing education. This paper employs the science fiction novel “The Space Merchants” by Pohl and Kornbluth as a metaphorical framework for critically examining AI integration in marketing curricula. The authors review existing literature examining the impacts of AI on marketing practices and education. Furthermore, they establish a qualitative methodology analyzing a real-world case study, current applications of AI in marketing education, and discuss ethical frameworks surrounding the use of AI. Utilizing “The Space Merchants” satirical portrayal of consumerism, they reflect on AI’s potential to commodify marketing education, homogenize student thought, and undermine educational integrity. Also examined are AI’s capabilities to enhance personalization, engagement, and teaching efficiency. Ultimately, the paper argues for educators’ indispensable role in ethically leveraging AI to enrich the student experience. The unique fictional lens highlights the need to balance advancement and responsibility in AI-enabled marketing education. This comprehensive ethical analysis aims to significantly advance the discourse on AI's evolving function in shaping the next generation of marketing professionals. Furthermore, by adopting a transdisciplinary approach through the integration of science fiction and ethical critique, the paper seeks to catalyze broader transdisciplinary conversations between the technical and social sciences on the impacts of emerging technologies like AI on education

Gender Equality for Learning Leadership in Undergraduate Business Schools

Some scholars suggest that business schools are failing the challenge of providing 21st century skills and in particular, they are failing women. As a conceptual model of how people can better adapt to change, the lens of transformational learning was used to shed light on whether women are at a disadvantage to men in transformational learning when exposed to the same experiences at undergraduate business school. Transformational learning occurs when a student's worldview is challenged and when the learner moves beyond old assumptions to see things in a new way. In this quantitative study of 256 undergraduate business students, women experienced comparable rates of transformational learning to their male counterparts and reported experiencing the same learning stimuli in personal relations, class room activities, and life events. It would appear that when exposed to the same stimuli, female undergraduate students are not at a disadvantage to male undergraduate students in learning how to be business leaders through transformational learning

Learning and Transformation

This chapter discusses transformative learning and higher education

How to Advance More Women into Leadership : Guidance from 50 C-Suite Women

Based on research with 50 C-Suite Women, this presentation details specific recommendations for easing the path of future female leaders. It also brings the positive and negative emotions of leadership journey to light in the words of women at the top of their organizations. What is the price of success and do they think it’s worth it? Specific takeaways include the importance of : Promotion of the positive emotional payback of a top job for a woman as well as some of the negative ones. To date, publicity is more about the trade-offs female leaders make between job and family / personal time. More stories of actual female leaders need to be told. This recommendation is directed more to what happens within organizations than a request for media coverage although that is also helpful. Most organizations have cultures created by men for men, as one study respondent observed, making pathways to leadership for women obscure. Programs that allow direct contact with high-achieving women include mentorships, can show aspiring female leaders the value (and price) of top jobs and pathways to achieve them. More programs that build confidence in girls and young women, especially for those eligible for and expressing interest in executive positions. A confidence gap between girls and boys has been documented, and it is not clear that girls growing up in the 21st century have been able to catch up with boys