TEL Experience – Sharing by Prof Kumaran Rajaram Nanyang Business School, Division of Strategy, Management & Organisation RKumaran@ntu.edu.sg

He jumped on the bandwagon of Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) to redesign his course, BE2601 from ‘Principles of Management’ to ‘Management Principles, Skills & Competencies’, using the flipped classroom pedagogical model.

“What can we do to make our students more engaged, get them to think deeply and critically and learn from their peers?” In the flipped classroom model, students access course material outside class, usually online, and thereafter apply the acquired knowledge with their peers in class, under the guidance of the Professor. Why this approach?

  • Millennials have very short attention spans, as supported by research, and that if one cannot engage millennials in learning, one will lose them.
  • Constantly seeking creative ways to make learning more active, effective and exciting, I make use of animations and micro learning to engage students for their e-Lectures which they should complete outside the classroom.

TEL Experience – Sharing by Dr. Kumaran Rajaram from Nanyang Business School

Student feedback on flipped classroom experience

“I have learnt a lot during this module and enjoyed the engaging flipped classroom concept.”

“As a student of BE2601, I honestly enjoyed this module very much and I think you’ve designed it really well; the 3-hour seminar is neither too lecture heavy nor boring – breaks and interactive elements are well incorporated.”

“I appreciate the lecturer sharing real-life examples in class, which is ultimately what we are looking for – how to apply our knowledge in the real-world context.”

The Survey Findings

“Students get involved in the learning rather than having the instructor up on the stage talking. This is where learning happens.”

  • I empower students by making my classes student-centric and letting students be the main drivers of their own learning.
  • The success of my journey with TEL is further affirmed with student feedback such as “[w]e get to have more discussion time and this allows us to learn from one another as we get to hear what other people think” and “[t]he confrontation of those opinions builds the knowledge. You can challenge what material you are learning and possibly take it to a higher level”.

“What are we doing this course for? We are training managers for the future, as leaders.”

  • I achieve applied learning by letting students perform activities in small groups and thereafter facilitating a class discussion. Students are encouraged to comment on other groups’ deliverables while I moderate the session.

“On top of a firm foundation of sound pedagogy, TEL capitalises on the affordances of technology to create a 21st century Learning Environment that caters to the learning needs of digital natives of today.”

References

  • Rajaram, K. (2016, August 5-9). Teaching in the Rough, Academy of Management (AOM) Meeting 2016, Professional Development Workshop (PDW), Anaheim, California, United States.
  • Rajaram, K. (2016, December). TEL Experience – Sharing by Prof Kumaran Rajaram from Nanyang Business School, Issue 84.