Business School Teaching Methods
These teaching methods are
self reported. Obviously, Wharton will get you to do a lot of group study with
your Learning Team. Schools with flexible curriculums such as Chicago will
obviously give you more flexibility to custom tailor the teaching methods to
your individual preferences.
Here are our thoughts on some of these teaching methods:
Case Study
The cases will likely be assigned ahead of time to allow
the students a chance to read through the materials and be prepared with their
analyses for the class discussion. The professor will then lead the class
discussion and encourage debate between the students. This method is heavily
emphasized at Harvard Business School and there is a large following of MBA
students and graduates who believe this is the best way to learn in business
school.
Lecture
The professor simply stands in front of the class and does
the majority of the talking. This method is self reported as being used in the
majority of the teaching at only two schools: Carnegie Mellon GSIA and the Yale
School of Management.
Proponents of the lecture method point out that business
school case studies do not present a realistic picture of a "real
world" case study. Hence, they argue, MBA programs should stick to their
traditional strengths of teaching the theories and concepts that students can
apply when they re-enter the work force. They also point out the very limited
opportunities for students to gain the theory and concepts explanations in the
business sector.
Experiential Learning
Experiential learning involves the application of theory
to a real-world business problem. Proponents of this approach believe that it
gives the students a "nuts and bolts" training approach to management
as well as invaluable networking amongst the management of the company where
they are applying their knowledge.
Group Projects
Do you remember how bad group projects were in undergrad when you and maybe
one or two other group members carried the rest of the team? Well, the good news
is that, particularly at the top schools, you will encounter a significantly
smaller number of slackers.
When you are able to form
your own study groups:
Embrace diversity. You don't want a group full of
accountants or bankers. One banker, one accountant, one engineer, etc. makes the
strongest group.
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