Pedagogical Changes And Challenges For The Future Growth Of Decision Sciences
Prof. Dr. Uday Salunkhe & Dr. P. S. Rao
Abstract Knowledge, Innovation and change in business schools have not been researched as intensively as business and industrial organizations anywhere. If these three are to flourish in B-schools it is critical that the mechanism which can sustain and encourage should be understood clearly. The significance of these three raises the need of new teaching and learning methodologies. B-schools require constant monitoring to identify the areas of potential improvement and to improve the quality of teaching and learning models. An attempt is made in this paper to address the new challenges and emerging issues for both teaching and practice of decision sciences. Key words: Knowledge, Innovation, change, teaching methodologies.
Introduction Management Science (MS), or Decision Science (DS) is the discipline of using scientific research-based principles, strategies and other analytical methods, such as mathematical modeling to improve any organizations ability to enact rational, meaningful business management decisions. The field is also known as Operations research (OR) in the United States, or operational research in the United Kingdom. These three terms are often used interchangeably to describe the same field.
Decision Sciences are concerned with developing and applying models and concepts that may prove useful in helping to illuminate management
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issues and solve managerial problems. The models used can often be represented mathematically, but sometimes computer-based, visual or verbal representations are used as well or instead. The range of problems and issues to which management science has contributed insights and solutions is vast. It includes, deciding the appropriate place to site new facilities such as a warehouse or factory, identifying possible future development paths for parts of the telecommunications industry, establishing the information needs and appropriate systems to supply them within the health service, and identifying and understanding the strategies adopted by companies for their information systems.
In the modern economic scenario all over the world- "Management" - as a stream of education and training has acquired new dimensions. Management as a Decision Science is an exciting field where you can have an immediate impact on the operations of any business. The field of Management is dynamic in nature. New tools and techniques are continually being introduced to improve the efficiency, productivity, and profitability of any organization. All organizations and their departments, functions, or groups use Management methodologies, which include problem solving techniques and guidelines for various related activities.
Objectives The main objectives of this paper are 1.
to examine the present status of management education and to find out ways for quality improvements in the current system so that business responds to current paradigm shifts and global dynamics.
2.
schools to improve the quality of teaching and learning models.
Methodology The methodology used was secondary data sources and survey of literature available on the internet, journals, newspapers and the proceedings of the Annual Conventions conducted by AMDISA, South Asian Management Forum, AIMS, IAMD and ICUBER. This gave a broad overview of what has been happening in the areas of management education in different business schools.
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Quality of Management Education - challenges of changing scenario The world around us is changing and changing very fast. The speed of change is so fast that we cannot turn back. The changes are visible in multiple forms and in multiple directions. The qualitative aspects of management education are as important as its technical aspects. It should equip students with management skills and expertise and develop in them the right attitude.
Knowledge is the driving force in the rapidly changing globalised economy and society. Quantity and quality of specialized human resources in management education determine their competence in the global market. Emergence of knowledge as driving factor results in both challenges and opportunities. It is well known that the growth of the global economy has increased opportunities for those countries with good levels of education.
In a true sense, Internationalization of management education needs number of changes and the thrust areas of management education requiring quality improvement are the following: 1.
Course Curriculum 2.Teaching Methods 3.Teaching Faculty 4.Research and Innovation, 5.Industry Institute Linkages and 6. Foreign collaborations.
1.
Course Curriculum
In the context of a rapidly changing global economy, Universities / Business Schools have to learn to cope up with the emerging challenge. It calls for changes rather than updating curriculum to take up the challenges. The updating / restructuring course curriculum includes the following
i)
International Orientation The course curriculum should be of international character. The curriculum bounded by national boundaries will not serve the purpose in present scenario. The stiff competition from global players made it mandatory for every organization, to study the issues from international perspective. The studies should include global issues like gender, nuclear, economical, social, political, cultural diversity and foreign policy etc.
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ii)
International Marketing As market is wide open for every nation and every organization, knowledge of international marketing is of utmost importance. The curriculum should include understanding of overseas markets, their needs, their purchasing patterns, opportunities, political scenario, foreign trade policy, etc. Study of principles of trade, bi-lateral and multilateral agreements, regional groupings, foreign direct investment is highly needed.
iii) Understanding Foreign Language / culture There is the need for understanding of foreign consumers, their culture and language. It is said that culture changes at every 50 km, but to understanding foreign consumer, its study is of immense value. Cultural pattern gives basic information like behavioral pattern, consumption pattern, likes and dislikes, etc.
So there is a need for organized programmes like 'Cultural Immersion Programme', Language studies Programme' etc., in collaboration with foreign universities / organizations. It is a novel way to know about diversity in culture and developing partnership /collaboration with other higher educational institutions around the globe, The universities/ Institutions have to take entrepreneurial role and be more proactive in negotiating and arriving at mutually satisfactory exchange agreements.
iv) Understanding Technicalities of Foreign Trade Practices With the emergence of WTO, the International trade is governed by unique trade practices. There is need to understand these unique rules of governance. So one must know the features of national and international trade. This includes study of various agreements of tariff and trade like, agreement on preshipment inspection, agreement on technical barriers to trade, agreement on valuation of goods, principles of WTO etc., and last but not the least documentation i.e. procedural part of international trade.
v)
Knowledge of E-commerce / Internet Internet is just not one more point in the long continuum of inventions,
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but a moment of real transformation that is now beginning to be appreciated. Development of Internet is a real boon for internationalization of management education. The internet education facilitates not only e-learning process but utmost needed to understand a new trading practice i.e. electronic commerce (ecommerce). The objectives served by Internet in learning process are. a) b) c) d)
surfing through the information highways. promise on-line library international orientation of curriculum facilities in learning
The motto of learning internet is that now a days e-commerce becomes the watchword for business world. Internet has an exclusive potential to elicit business from 100 million-plus Internet users world wide. There is no second opinion that Internet in general and e-commerce in particular is overturning the old rules about competition and strategy. Many companies choose to engage in this type of business practice in addition to traditional business methods, while others use the internet exclusively to reach existing and potential customer. It also facilitates to complete the transaction over web only. Hence keeping in mind this very fact, the knowledge, especially of Internet and e-commerce is of great importance.
vi) Benchmarking course Curriculum against Institutes - Overseas Apart from the above, the business schools in the country must also continuously upgrade themselves by comparing themselves with their counterparts in other parts of the world. Infact they should benchmark their course curriculum against such Institutes overseas.
Here the following aspects must be stressed upon a)
course on technology should stress not specific computer techniques, but the very dynamism of information revolution.
b)
course curriculum to stress on strategic planning, systems analysis and design and operations.
c)
inclusion of International policy study and
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d)
offer electives like global money, market games, Asian management models, Lab in group dynamics and the like over the traditional electives offered.
2.
Teaching Methods
Already we are witnessing several paradigm shifts in management education. Globalization demands change in existing structure, mode of delivery of education system etc. thanks to the major developments in information technology, learning is made easier, highly customized and learning centred. Electronically delivered educational services make use of the real time television and computer links and make interactive learning possible. It makes it possible to bring real life experience to class room.
Paradigm Shifts A paradigm shift is taking place in higher education particularly in management education. According to Barr and Tagg (1995), the paradigm that has governed our universities is one that defined a university as "an institution that exists to provide instruction. Subtly but profoundly we are shifting to a new paradigm where a university becomes an institution that exists to produce learning.
Pedagogical Changes Old paradigm of teaching and testing
New paradigm of continuous learning and improvement
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Success is artificially limited to a few "winners." All others are made to consider themselves and their work as mediocre or inferior.
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Unlimited, continuous improvement and successes are the aims of the school and community.
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Competition-based
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Cooperation-based.
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Lessons are linear, consecutive segments of one-way communication.
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Learning is like a spiral with offshoots, with energy directed toward continuous improvement.
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Product-oriented. Focused solely upon results, without acknowledgment of their short-term nature. Grades and rankings are important in themselves.
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Process-oriented. Goals are important, but the process of getting to the goal is at least as significant. Assessments are used for diagnostic and prescriptive purposes.
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Old paradigm of teaching and testing
New paradigm of continuous learning and improvement
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The system and its processes don't matter, as long as the ends are achieved.
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The integrity and health of the system, its processes, and its people must be maintained, or the system will be suboptimized and will eventually fail.
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School is a place where teaching is done to (at) students. Students are passives, while teachers are active.
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School is a true community of learner in which administrators, teachers, and students learn how to get better and better at the work they do together, so that everyone succeeds optimally.
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Teachers are isolated from each other by time and space.
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Teachers work together on school time to build success with each other and with a manageable number of students in a cohort group.
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Single-discipline instruction.
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Multi- and cross-discipline instruction.
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School learning is restricted to the curriculum, often in its narrowest interpretation.
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School learning is the foundation for life-wide, life-deep, and lifelong learning. 3-Dimensional Learning.
10 Tayloresque factory model: Rule by compliance, control, command. Authoritarian, hierarchical. Management based upon fear.
10 New model: Lead by helping and by providing vision and support, making it possible for teachers and students to take pride in their work together and to have joy in the processes and products of continuous improvement. (In Japan this is called kaizen.)
11 Centralized control over resources, curriculums, teaching methods, length of class periods, etc.
11 Site-based management of resources, curriculums, teaching methods, length of class periods, etc.
12 External validation of truth and the "one right answer" for every question asked by teacher, text, test.
12 External and internal truths are discovered through teachers' and students' questioning together.
13 Testing as the primary means of assessing results of the learning process.
13 Testing, when appropriate, to help modify (improve) the teaching-learning process. Other modes include process portfolios, exhibitions, performances, etc.
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Old paradigm of teaching and testing
New paradigm of continuous learning and improvement
14 Instruction is set up to generate (right) answers.
14 Instruction is set up to generate better and better questions, followed by student inquiry into some of the areas of those questions. Student performances demonstrate improve understanding of the nature of the questions and some of the ways they might be solved. Teachers are
15 Teachers are expected to know everything about their subjects. They give students data and information; students memorize it, then forget most of it.
15 experts in their field. But more importantly, they are the most enthusiastic and dedicated learners in the classroom. Students learn from teachers, other students, the community and other sources, and incorporate these learnings into their lives, applying their insights as appropriate to real-life challenges.
Teaching to learning paradigm shift The Learning Paradigm A paradigm shift is taking place every where in the world in higher education. In its briefest form, the paradigm that has governed our B-School is this: A B-School is an institution that exists to provide instruction. Subtly but profoundly we are shifting to a new paradigm: A B-School is an institution that exists to produce learning. This shift changes everything. It is both needed and wanted. The Learning Paradigm frames learning holistically, recognizing that the chief agent in the process is the learner. Thus, students must be active discoverers and constructors of their own knowledge. In the Learning Paradigm, knowledge consists of frameworks or wholes that are created or constructed by the learner. Knowledge is not seen as cumulative and linear, like a wall of bricks, but as a nesting and interacting of frameworks. Learning is revealed when those frameworks are used to understand and act.
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In the Learning Paradigm, learning environments and activities are learnercentered and learner-controlled. They may even be "teacherless." While teachers will have designed the learning experiences and environments students use-often through teamwork with each other and other staff-they need not be present for or participate in every structured learn activity.
The prominent changes needed in teaching methods are: i)
Interactive Teaching The two way flow of information will always be more fruitful than a traditional way of teaching. Interactive teaching is the best techniques of understanding the subject.
ii)
Learning through real life cases They will lead to better understanding of subject than merely teaching the text. The applied nature of text always leads to the thorough understanding of the subject.
iii) Continuous education The tasks of Institute just not end at educating the students once for a life time. Institute should educate their students on continuous basis. Life long education should be made available to all, at all places and all times. The student access centres should be built up all over the world. These centres will facilitate in providing a copy of related material as well as copies of information databases in CD-ROM format also.
iv) Learning support through the Web This has lead to a significant interest in the implementation of the internet based teaching through the virtual classrooms. The interaction between spatially separated learners can be organized in the following ways:
a)
Interaction between teachers and students
b) Work on assignment alone or collaboratively with other students. c)
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Internet Relay Chat (ITC) is a method by which students and teacher can communicate synchronically on different 'channel' and from different locations.
v)
Global Study tours Global study tours should be made part and parcel of the course, the leading business school in India and abroad send the groups of students to take a review of business environment in various parts of the world. In the recent news the California University sent a group of students to India to study the Indian Business environment.
Very recently the University of Mumbai sent groups of Principals and Directors from various colleges and institutes to UK, USA, Australia and Newzeland on study tours to interact with their counter parts abroad. These study tours will lead to better understanding of business environment around the globe.
3.
Teaching Faculty
Globalization also demands, preparing teaching faculty to take up challenges of tomorrow. The faculty must be international in composition to a very significant degree. Employment of teaching faculty on the basis of nationality is just not enough.
If we want to internationalize the management education, faculty of international composition must be recruited. This will not only result in knowing diversity in culture but also about various issues across the national boundaries
The prominent changes need to be made are i)
Core Faculty A lot of development and value addition of management students take place only in classrooms. Therefore, a critical component of core faculty is must for running a successful Management Programme. A team of dedicated and committed core faculty enables the Head of the management institution to effectively run, evaluate, improve and monitor the Programme. Paradoxically, both in universities and privately managed institutions, the situation is far from encouraging.
ii)
Visiting Faculty The purpose of inviting professional and practicing managers from industry and senior academics from management institutions is to bring the real life situation to classroom exposing students to practical
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day to day problems which the managers were facing in running the affairs of corporate world and to develop a deep theoretical insight among them. Moreover, the intention is also to build the image of the institute in industry and enhance the industry academics interaction which will ultimately facilitate arranging summer training, final placement of students and sometimes even to know the requirements of industry in terms of syllabus and courses being taught in business school etc.
4.
Research and Innovation
Management education system should be highly vibrant, dynamic system which is constantly experimenting, innovating and evolving. It should have the confidence to experiment and the ability to nurture innovations to success. Innovation requires autonomy and strong internal institutional mechanisms to protect quality. Any live system evolves in constant 'search' for a better 'fit with the changing environment.
Research in Decision Sciences is crucial for improving the practice and teaching of management. It is a mater of fact that quantity and quality of research undertaken by Business Schools has been largely inadequate. Research is a crucial activity for promoting all round development of the institution and exchanging the quality of academic processes.
It conveys an important message to the students, future industry leaders that research is thus a key educational strategy to be adopted across the entire management education system. Research carried out should not be restricted to national boundary. The research on various issues of international aspects is need of the time. Joint research programmes with leading foreign institutes or agencies can be a good option for this. Also organizing the seminars, conferences, workshops on various issues of international aspects will facilitate in
a)
research on various issues of national and international interest
b)
platform for exchanging information of international issues around the globe and
c)
an opportunity to know about foreign cultures, consumption pattern etc.,
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5.
Industry- Institute Linkages
In the changing times the need for better Industry-Institute linkages is compelling. If education has to keep pace with the technological and job market changes, it has to take proper steps to develop industry institute interface. And if industries strive to become cost effective and efficient they will also have to ask help from the universities / Institutes.
In partnership with industry can be found common goals, shared initiatives, and the mutual eagerness to create, integrate and spread new knowledge. In this mission the human resources have to be involved. Process of educational reconstruction and transformation is a people's movement and when people are involved nothing can fail.
Together a strengthened society can emerge, a better future and relevant education can flourish and happy productive individuals can thrive. The institute-industry tie up is beneficial not only for the education centers i.e. the institutes and the work centres i.e. the industries but also the student and the worker i.e. the individual. It is a symbiotic relation where the three viz. institute, student and industry depend on each other and are benefited mutually by this interdependence.
6.
Foreign Collaborations
Foreign collaborations with leading Universities / B-Schools help in improving course material, technology transfer, and joint research programmes in addition to generating additional resources. This also gives boost to faculty exchange programme which in turn leads to international composition of teaching faculty.
Globalization also offers new challenges as well as opportunities to the universities around the world in general and management education in India in particular. To successfully operate in a borderless world, management institutes have to maintain high quality standards, gain a multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary perspective, ability to work in different cultures, strategic planning, developing up-to-date infrastructure facilities, and acquire the ability to internationalize their curriculum and courses and ensure greater mobility to staff across the borders that would enrich academic life and experience.
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Future challenges of Decision Sciences Today's instructors are finding that their "tried and true" teaching methods are no longer effectively reaching today's students. Instruction must respond to students' changing learning needs and this response can be accomplished with continuous improvement through teaching innovations.
1. Learning Environments and Learning Preferences The new learning environments for this Net Generation should be active, collaborative, experiential, team based and a self- paced. The NetGen student prefers to learn at his own pace. They like and are comfortable with an online environment for testing, lectures and assignments. They are informal learners, preferring "any time any place" learning to traditional classroom. Class time is most effective for these students when it involves interaction, demonstration and social networking.
2. Student- Paced learning Students prefer accessibility of information on their own terms. Not only should you be posting all of your course materials online, you should also post them in portable formats. 3. Peer-to-peer learning Why do you think they are always asking you if they can "work together" on an assignment? They like to brainstorm and spend considerable time in online discussions boards and blogs. In fact some of the most popular learning environments today involve the use of Wikis (on -line editable web encyclopaedias) and blogs. This is a culture that is very social and thrives in on-line communities.
For larger projects in class, such as marketing, research survey, promotional plan, service analysis or strategic marketing plan put your students into groups. Just be sure that peer evaluations can be used to reduce the "free rider" effect of groups.
4. Engagement and Experience Gaming and simulations are also comfortable modes of learning for today's students. Games have the true potential to excite students through 16
competition, exploration, preparation, chance encounters and the thrill of the unknown. Participating in games and simulations perceive them to be fun and a useful learning activity. 5. Things that matter - Student's Skill Students need to be "sold" on what you are making them to do for a class, so be a marketer and sell! Students value skill-building with applications so as you teach them how to use software, simulations or other tools to complete an assignment, remind them to put that skill on their resume. Students particularly find real projects to be useful resume builders; these projects can act as a substitute internship and also have a tangible outcome an employer could see. Students often see even more value in doing these consulting projects for non-for-profit organizations as a way of serving the community. Being able to double-count a project both for volunteer service work and for marketing skills is more valuable to a student for their own internal motivations as well as their resume.
6. Learner Expectations Students must be engaged using the three H's: 1) Head 2) Heart and 3) Hands. Most NetGen students do not question the instructor's knowledge on the subject - to the contrary- they expect the instructor to be an expert in the topic ("head") and be able to pass that knowledge on to them. NetGen students also need to feel that the instructor has a heart and cares for the students, including responsiveness and the empathy for them and their problems. It also includes an enthusiasm for the topic and teaching in general. Finally, good teaching skills are necessary. Use of the "hands" to convey ideas at the right level, in a clear and systematic manner, which stimulates their interests and learning, is vital.
Implementation and Innovation The NetGen learner is here to stay and a new type of learner will be here tomorrow. As instructors, we need to acknowledge and adapt to new learning styles, lest they "tune us out" and find the material irrelevant. Today's student is more technology savvy than ever before and their comfort with the digital environment presents some challenges for teachers who are often less than comfortable with this new paradigm. If you have not already done so, begin looking at your course delivery methods and incorporate some of the technologies and methods discuused.
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A key factor is finding multiple solutions for learning. Engage yourself in teaching blogs, read journal articles about marketing teaching innovations and interact with peers at conferences to exchange teaching ideas. Think about a single class that involves brainstorming, peer exchange, debate, concept mapping, case involvement and an authentic project. The multidimensional approach is the path to success.
There are several learning outcomes that remain over time such as communication skills, critical thinking, problem solving and collaboration. The major change factor involves how these concepts and ideas are communicated to the students. Business School is the place to allow students to learn and explore new ideas and topics as they prepare for a future that has never been more uncertain, but also one that has never had as many possibilities. Teaching is a process of continuous improvement , not one finding a single teaching method and staying with it forever, so you should also continue to engage and explore the possibilities in innovative marketing education.
Conclusions The present state of affairs of our management education demands immediate attention if the drift and decay is to be avoided. The educational culture of the 21st century warrants new reform packages and an altogether fresh approach in tune with global futuristic trends in management education. The fast expanding domains of knowledge, owing to increasing pace of information explosion, necessitates radical changes involving newer options of academic renewal. The need of the hour is for greater introspection on innovative methodologies of teaching and research in our B-Schools, the emphasis should be on improving the quality in all aspects-right from the intake of students till they are placed.
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