This paper presents findings of a study that evaluated the instructional effectiveness of a probl... more This paper presents findings of a study that evaluated the instructional effectiveness of a problem‐based learning module constructed around a computer simulation, Making Change Happen™. The Leading Organizational Change (LOC) course sought to enable students in a graduate management program in Thailand to learn to lead complex changes in organizations. This research compared student evaluation data collected from 1696 students who studied the LOC class over a seven‐year period with evaluations of other courses that employed problem‐based learning and courses that used a variety of instructional methods. The results revealed that students’ ratings of the LOC course were both consistently high in absolute terms, and significantly higher than the comparison courses. The learning design employed in the LOC course facilitates students’ action‐directed learning, enhances student engagement, and uses assessment methods that support student learning. While the study did not directly assess learning outcomes, the results suggest that the problem‐based, simulation‐centered approach employed in the LOC course successfully responds to key critiques leveled at education in the professions in general, and management education in particular.
This paper presents findings of a study that evaluated the instructional effectiveness of a probl... more This paper presents findings of a study that evaluated the instructional effectiveness of a problem‐based learning module constructed around a computer simulation, Making Change Happen™. The Leading Organizational Change (LOC) course sought to enable students in a graduate management program in Thailand to learn to lead complex changes in organizations. This research compared student evaluation data collected from 1696 students who studied the LOC class over a seven‐year period with evaluations of other courses that employed problem‐based learning and courses that used a variety of instructional methods. The results revealed that students’ ratings of the LOC course were both consistently high in absolute terms, and significantly higher than the comparison courses. The learning design employed in the LOC course facilitates students’ action‐directed learning, enhances student engagement, and uses assessment methods that support student learning. While the study did not directly assess learning outcomes, the results suggest that the problem‐based, simulation‐centered approach employed in the LOC course successfully responds to key critiques leveled at education in the professions in general, and management education in particular.
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