Carmel McMahon Associate Dean International 20 April 2011

1. Carmel McMahon Associate Dean International 20 April 2011

2. Some facts….. • Triple accredited Business School • Major provider of business & management education to world class companies e.g. Rolls Royce, European Airbus, DHL, IBM…. • 43,000 students • 70 academic staff • 800 tutors/associate lecturers • Strategic partnerships and alliances • Education institutions in Europe, Asia, Africa • Educational Publishers • British Council • British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

3. Mission Our world class learning approach, underpinned by leading edge research, takes business, management and legal education into the very heart of professional practice, thereby building a worldwide learning community. 3

4. “building a worldwide learning community” • “world class learning approach”

5. “Building a worldwide learning community” International presence & partnership network

6. International presence • 45% of students are studying outside the UK • Students in over 70 countries • Team of Associate Lecturers based outside the UK • Growing international partner network for teaching and research

7. Key teaching partners

8. Romania CODECS Collaborative and Direct Teaching Russia & neighbouring countries IIM LINK Collaborative and Direct Teaching Slovakia & Czech Republic OMI Collaborative and Direct Teaching Bulgaria NBU Accreditation & validation + licensing collaboration Germany Berufsakademie Licensing collaboration Japan NetLearning OU Hong Kong Licensing collaboration Ethiopia Direct Teaching ARAB OU 7 Countries: Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Oman,Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Egypt, Licensing & OUVS Accreditation South Africa UNISA SBL Licensing collaboration eDegree Uganda, Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe & Zambia International Teaching Presence Partnerships Partnership Offices Countries with larger student populations The Open University Business School also directly supports smaller numbers of independent students in over 70 other countries Ghana 8

9. Калининград Мурманск Таллин Рига Вильнюс Санкт-Петербург Минск Архангельск Череповец Смоленск Дубна Ярославль Тирасполь Брянск Москва Владимир Киев Обнинск Иваново Тула Муром Курск Жуковский Одесса Н. Новгород Рязань Белгород Норильск Саров Воронеж Мариуполь Нягань Казань Ростов-на-Дону Пенза Новороссийск Ноябрьск Набережные Челны Новочеркасск Краснодар Нижний Тагил Геленджик Волгодонск Ульяновск Пермь Туапсе Саратов Якутск Уфа Тихорецк Сочи Екатеринбург Самара Волгоград Майкоп Озерск Ставрополь Челябинск Петропавловск-Камчатский Тюмень Курган Магнитогорск Северск Омск Костанай Томск Ереван Новосибирск Красноярск Комсомольск-на-Амуре Барнаул Южно-Сахалинск Чита Иркутск Улан-Удэ Владивосток LINK REGIONAL CENTRES

11. Closed Nuclear Cities Partnerships • Staff at Nuclear Research Institutes took OU Certificate in Management, Diploma in Management, MBA • Funded by UK government • Part of G8 commitment against spread of weapons of mass destruction • Aimed at: • promote alternative, self sustaining & non weapons related employment • Facilitating the commercialization of closed cities

12. “Our world class learning approach” Practice-based approach to management & business education

13. Values We are transforming management thinking We have taken down the boundaries between the academic and working world with our pioneering and practice-based approach: what is taught one day can be put into action immediately, what is learnt is embedded in practice. Our research and teaching truly challenge the way professionals and organisations work and learn around the world: we learn from professionals while professionals learn from us. 13

14. Distinctive approach to learning “High touch” teaching: materials “given life” and localised by Associate Lecturers with practical experience Module Team-produced, pedagogically-informed materials that generate the learning experience Immediate opportunity for student to apply knowledge — practice-based learning: student-student & student-work colleagues Professional logistics & infrastructure for quality delivery at scale – drawing on wider OU facilities • Based on OU “Supported Open Learning” • the Practice-Based variant has been developed as particularly apt for professional education 14

15. Practice-based learning 15

16. Practice-based learning • Practice-based, action learning, highlights real business situations • Materials and assignments connect with real business challenges, link academic theory & experience • New skills and knowledge immediately applicable to workplace • Opportunities for learners to engage in discussion with each other & with faculty • Local & Global networks • Underpinning logistics and infrastructure system ensuring efficient operation at scale and reach

17. Tutor Support • Students allocated to small Tutor groups • Tuition support from experienced managers/business educators working part time as “Associate Lecturer/Tutor” • Grade and provide detailed individual feedback on assignments • Facilitate tutorials • Moderate online discussion forums • Provide individual support

18. Tutorial & Residential School Programme • Opportunity to: • Work with other learners • Engage in a shared learning experience • Learner centred approach encourages students to: • engage with and process course materials for themselves • exchange ideas and experiences • develop ability to articulate their view • Online or “face to face” • Local & Global

19. Sample activity from module 1. Given an activity: “Think about an area, activity or person over which you exercise control as a manager. How effective is this control? If there are problems, what is contributing to the difficulty?” 2. student then given some information about control loop model 3. asked to map their control situation onto the control loop model and given some prompting questions to help with this 5. then asked to review their first response to see if the use of the model has given new insights & to discuss with fellow students 6. then reflect on the benefit of using a model: - a simple model can help structure thinking, though it will not necessarily provide an answer

20. Assignment question part 1 Your manager is concerned that your organisation’s control systems may not be fully effective and should perhaps be re-designed. S/he has asked you for a report which (a) Explores how an organisation’s management control system can, in general terms, affect its performance. (b) Analyses your own organisation’s control system, comparing and contrasting it with that of another organisation (from their tutor group) (c) Recommends actions that your organisation might take to improve its control systems, and identifies any areas thatneed further analysis.

21. Assignment question part 2 Reflect on what you have read in the course on control and on its implications for your own practice as a manager. Describe how your thinking about the control that you exercise over your own work and that of others has altered as a result of your study and analysis. Outline changes that you might make to your own management practice as a result of this. “Reflective Practitioner”

22. ‘I am now reorganising our health projects to address the quality gap and maintain govt funding ’ (Male MBA, Ethiopia, 38 years old,) ‘ I have reorganised my factory following the module principles’. (Male MBA student Russia, General Manager of an international cigarette packaging firm , 34 years) ‘I have more contact with and support from my OU tutor than I would if I was studying at a local university ’ (Male BABS student, 32 years old, assistant manager.) ‘The course has opened my mind to the business world; after only 4 weeks I am already putting my learning to practical use’. (BABS, Female, Zimbabwe, office manager, 29 years) ‘At company presentations I started copying my tutor’s approach and asking “where is your evidence, how do you know this?” Co. was so impressed they adopted my template and I was promoted’ (MBA Ireland, Female, 39 years old,) ‘This diagram of a thing seems to be magical. Whenever I black out on a solution for a particular problem I start scribbling to plot a solution on an appropriate framework to get a jumpstart in dealing with the problem’ (MBA, Male, Area Manager Germany) ‘”I have grown up so much as a manager over the last three months, have got more responsibility at work‘ (MBA Russia, Male, 34 years old, working for Korean Telecomms Co.) ‘I cancelled our bonus system……’. (MBA Russia Male,38 years old, owner of a medical devices company) What the students say……….

23. Your views & comments How might this model of practice based learning work in your institutions?