After a couple of weeks of teaching case-based classes, I am astounded by the progress of student learning. With every class, our discussions become richer; more students begin to raise their hands and contribute beyond case facts. Compared to the first few days of class—where students found it difficult to make a decision—class has now become a place where heated debates are bound to spark near the end of class when a decision must be made. I am pleased with how passionate the students have become in justifying their thought process and reasoning behind decisions. A few days ago after class, a student approached me expressing her disappointment in her peers’ choice for an option which was different from her decision. She then proceeded to explain why her choice was the most logical given the case context and she backed up her decision with case facts. Watching her justify herself with such passion and conviction made me feel incredibly proud of how vocal the students have become, and how passionate they are for making decisions in order to solve a real company’s problem. Another group of students vocalized their desire to start an Ivey business case club, in which they would be able to practice business cases together in preparation year-round for next summer when Ivey student-lecturers return. It’s very inspiring to see students try something completely foreign to them, and put in effort by preparing well for discussion and contributing their thought process and ideas to their large peer group.
I hadn’t realized exactly how well the students had progressed in their speech, presentation, and thought process until Glen and I filled in for a teacher in an MBA class. We had high expectations for class discussion, given that many students were business owners themselves and attended evening classes to grow professionally. The MBA students were given the case ahead of time so they could prepare for class the next day. While we had an excellent turnout of students, many were shy and reluctant to contribute. Instead of heated discussions or case fact contributions, the majority of the class was lecture-style teaching, but the students responded well, attentively taking notes. Though that was not the learning goal Glen and I had in mind, this experience made me reflect on our first day of class, and how shy the students were. Most courses at SAUT are lecture-style and students aren’t accustomed to contributing their thoughts and ideas to the class discussion. I’m sure with time, practice and routine the MBA students would be able to contribute effectively to class discussions to enhance the learning of others; for the time being, I could not be more proud with the progress made by our undergraduate students in the richness of our discussion and their willingness to speak in front of their peers.