Mark Rash | markrash@vt.edu | October 6, 2009
6-2. You have been asked by your school administration to design a distance learning course for a subject that you are teaching. You will be working with another teacher from a nearby county to design a lesson for students in both of your classes. Applying what you have learned in this chapter, create a lesson plan for this distance learning course, keeping in mind the requirements of students in both locations. Use the ASSURE model as a guide.
Overall distance learning course: Essentials of Business Management
Title of this specific lesson: Building an Effective Team
The learners are undergraduate students enrolled in a business-focused area of study, generally in pursuit of an Associate Degree in Business Administration. They are adult learners, primarily between the ages of 18 and 30, although a small number of students are over 30.
The learners have general knowledge of business fundamentals, including types of businesses, organizational structure, culture, ethical and legal responsibilities, and organizational behavior. The learners can describe the role of a manager, identify accepted ways of making effective business decisions, communicate effectively with team members, and create a basic strategic plan given a business scenario.
The learners were instructed to read chapter 15 of the textbook prior to coming to class. This will provide information needed to be successful in this lesson.
Many of the learners are directly (or nearly directly) out of high school and all have community college experience, thus they are likely most comfortable with, and therefore prefer, direct instruction. Some of the prerequisite courses allowed learners to be more central in the learning process, especially through group-based learning, so it is also likely that these recent experiences have led the learners to desire group-based learning as well. Additionally, other lessons within this course have discussed topics such as group dynamics, causing the learners to develop a group-based mindset in support of today's team-based workplace.
The learners are experienced with distance learning courses, including on the Web and by interactive television. Because of prior experiences in the school, the learners are accustomed to interacting with instructors and students at remote locations.
In addition to the school's standards, the learners will be held to the business curriculum standards established by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), which include basic information technology skills, communication skills, reflective thinking skills, and group and individual dynamics within a business organization (AACSB, 2007, January 31, p.15).
Instructional Objective: Given a hypothetical business scenario in which a manager must lead a team that effectively meets the goals of the fictitious organization and the team management competency checklist, undergraduate business students in Essentials of Business Management will:
All of the organization's hypothetical objectives must be addressed and the plan must align with at least four of the five categories for successful team management identified in the lesson materials.
The materials for this lesson include the Management textbook, 9th edition, by Stephen Robbins and Mary Coulter, chapter 15 (Understanding Groups and Teams). Additionally, I have created a handout of a competency checklist in which five specific categories are broken down for the learners to assess the effectiveness of their team strategies. This will be provided to the learners both in softcopy format via email and in hardcopy. The facilitator at the remote site will print and distribute the checklist to the distance students.
The textbook authors are extremely valuable resources and subject matter experts, and one of the authors has agreed to join the class by teleconference to lead a discussion on managing teams. The author will also co-facilitate the session by introducing the instructional objective and explaining its key deliverables. The teleconference will be used to connect the local and remote sites, as well as the author.
In terms of technology, both the local and remote site will require a conference phone suitable for large group discussions via teleconference. I have already booked a technology lab at the local school for this purpose and I have arranged for the media specialist at the neighboring county's school to do the same.
I will begin by dialing into the teleconference bridge provided by the local telephone company and providing the dial-in information to the author and remote site. Once all parties have connected, I will perform a couple of sound checks to ensure everyone can hear and can be heard. I will also briefly explain how to mute the conference phone, how to properly ask a question from the remote site, and how to end the call at the end of the session. I will explain to the students the purpose of the teleconference and how it will help address the objectives of the lesson. Finally, I will ask the author to introduce himself.
I will begin the lesson content by leading a quick discussion of the key points in chapter 15 of the textbook. I will invite the author to discuss the manager dilemma provided at the beginning of the chapter, which serves as a bit of background for the key activities and objectives of this lesson. When I ask questions of the group, I will be sure to include individuals on the phone as well as those physically present in the room with me.
I will explain the hypothetical business scenario and the objectives that the fictituous organization has established.
The discussion portions of the lesson are intended to be just that - discussions. As such, the format of the lesson will certainly contain some lecture content by both the author and myself; however, the learners will also be asked questions throughout the process to ensure comprehension.
Once I have explained the business scenario and exactly what the learners are expected to do, I will have the learners use their textbook materials and handouts to decide on an appropriate structure for their teams, explain their rationale, designate roles and responsibilities for their team members, and explain their overall strategies for accomplishing the organization's objectives spelled out in the scenario. I will then call on select learners at both the remote and local site and have them briefly discuss their strategies and rationale. The textbook author will participate in any resulting discussion as necessary.
I will assess student comprehension by asking questions or prompting discussions throughout the lesson. Those students selected to "present" their information to the virtual class will be evaluated in the form of a discussion with the entire group and the textbook author, who is a subject matter expert. Finally, every student will submit his/her completed work for formal evaluation.
If learner outcomes do not align with the objectives established by the AACSB (2007, January 31) or the learners do not exhibit the behaviors outlined in the instructional objective, I will revisit the lesson to ensure the proper content is covered and that all entry skills have been identified and accounted for. I will discuss the lesson and outcomes with the facilitator at the remote site to see if there are suggestions or comments as to how to make the lesson more effective. I may also contact the textbook author for input.
After the lesson, I will provide the learners with an online survey that they can use to evaluate the class, the lesson content, my instructional practices, the teleconference, the textbook, and the discussion with the author of the textbook. If any negative comments or scores are received, I will take that opportunity to revisit the lesson structure, strategy, and technology and make revisions as necessary.
References
AACSB. (2007, January 31). Eligibility procedures and accreditation standards for business accreditation. Retrieved October 8, 2009, from http://www.aacsb.edu/Accreditation/process/documents/AACSB_STANDARDS_Revised_Jan07.pdf
Robbins, S. P., & Coulter, M. (2007). In J. Shelstadt (Ed.), Management (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.