Managing Conflict by Moving from "No" to "Yes"

Conflict is something that most of us experience from time-to-time in our lives but many of us don't know how to deal with that conflict. Conflict can occur in the workplace, at home, among friends, in politics and just about anywhere else. Understanding the nature of conflict and how to overcome obstacles can help you getting what you want and diffuse explosive situations.

Those who learn to manage conflict find that they live in a much more receptive environment to their ideas and needs. They minimize the negative effects of conflict and enhance new opportunities. Understanding and knowing how to manage conflict can lead to all types of new pathways that were once closed.  The presentation created by the business instructor Bill Davis.

Webinar: Moving A Classroom-Based Course To Online Or Hybrid

April 23, 3:00-4:30 (Eastern)
online webinar

Online learning is a growing trend. As such, instructors need to be prepared to develop an online course that increases student engagement and learning. How do you decide which delivery mode is best suited for your course? Face-to-face, online, or hybrid? What are the benefits of online or hybrid courses? What are the best practices for developing and delivering online or hybrid courses?

This webinar will answer some of the more frequently asked questions for those thinking about creating a successful online learning environment. Participants will be able to articulate the benefits of all delivery methods in an effort to select the best platform for their specific courses.

- Understand the growing trend in online learning
- Articulate the benefits of online or hybrid delivery methods
- Describe best practices for developing and delivering an online or hybrid course
- Identify tools for assessing whether a course fits comfortably into a face-to-face, online, or hybrid delivery mode

Web address: http://www.innovativeeducators.org/product_p/2138.htm

Dean of University of Oklahoma Honors College Discusses Higher Edu Change

A recent video dean David Ray of the University of Oklahoma Honors College discusses the value of higher education and how that education will need to change to encourage greater skill development in students. He talked for nearly 20 minutes on TEDxOU to discuss the changes in higher education, how that education is viewed by students and faculty, and where it should move. 

The discussion includes information on past recessions and when the economy recovers most employers began to hire again. More modern recessions, including the Great Recession, have seen a jobless recovery. This means that it took 12 or more months for employers to start hiring and this in turn created a shift in the type of jobs and skills employers are looking for. 

This shift has created a need to encourage more rigorous academic standards. Students read about half the amount they did in the past and engage in college much less. There is a lack of motivation from students while the job skill requirements are increasing. Students may be graduating from the unchanged academic system not being prepared for the working world. More radical change is needed to make it work again.

Technology affords some changes and benefits in education. Content rich information that helps students understand and apply concepts is important. However, these content rich formats need to include reading and writing as part of the coursework. Without the skill to write well it is difficult for students to formalize concepts and express them accurately. 

Because of a lack of motivation MOOCs have not done as well as originally thought. Free classes mixed with an instant culture and lack of motivation means that 90% of students either fail or drop out. There are 10% of students that are highly motivated and they are willing to learn on their own and use the MOOC system to enhance that learning. 

The speaker offers a suggestion for engineers and scientists in the audience to go read about Iliad. For those with Liberal Arts Degrees they should take a MOOC on math to develop their skills. This type of humanities balanced with analytical skills helps people understand the development of greater lives and societies.

Webinar: A Campus-Wide Approach To Improving Higher Order Thinking Skills

When: Tuesday, February 25, 1:00-2:30 EST
Type: Online Webinar
Host: Innovative Educators
http://www.innovativeeducators.org/product_p/2105.htm

Overview:
One of the most exciting innovations in higher education in the past few years has been the development of High Impact Practices. Building on platforms such as service learning, internships, and other active and collaborative learning experiences, researchers such as George Kuh have articulated pedagogical guidance for making an impact on educational experiences inside and outside of the classroom. These practices have been demonstrated by decades of research to improve student learning and success. They have also been linked to the development of Higher Order Thinking Skills. In an age in which higher education is transitioning from models that stress knowledge acquisition to an emphasis on critical thinking, reasoning skills, and information literacy, these programs provide practical ways to pursue these important goals.

Kind of Learning:
-Demands that students devote considerable amounts of time and effort to purposeful tasks
-Puts students in circumstances that essentially demand they interact with faculty and peers about substantive matters
-Increases the likelihood that students will experience diversity through contact with people who are different than themselves
-Gives students frequent feedback about their performance
-Provides opportunities for students to see how subjects work in different settings, on and off the campus
-Connects students personally and professionally to others through opportunities for active, collaborative learning

In fact, students who participate in these experiences often outperform their peers who do not participate - even when these peers are better prepared academically and at significantly less risk for attrition. Participants will leave this webinar with an action plan in order to begin building high impact experiences on their campuses.

Webinar Objectives:
-Learn to apply the six attributes of effective high impact practices to a variety of curricular and co-curricular programs
-Identify strategies for collaborating with internal and external constituents to build a culture of impact
-Create models for encouraging faculty to implement high impact practices into their courses
-Leave with an action plan in order to begin building high impact experiences on their campuses

British Report Highlights the Advantages of International Education

Education is going global and the economics are in place to make this happen. According to a study in 2013 by the British Government entitled International Education: Global Growth and Prosperity the field of international education is a growing trend that contributes significantly to the economic strength of the UK. Online education is a partner in ensuring that UK stays a leader in the educational market overseas.  

The educational sectors are expected to grow in the future. Growth in primary and secondary education internationally is also growing. A majority of emerging societies are focused on increasing students in higher education to improve their economies.  Universities will find their products in dire need in the future.

Exportation of the British educational system is worth about £17.5bn dollars annually. Such wealth is contributing to their economic development and now that financing is considered sustainable additional educational opportunities will be available. Britain exports higher education through bringing students to the country to study and exporting educational services.

Tuition paid by international students is around £3.9bn in tuition fees and £6.3bn in living expenses. The trend is expected to grow 15-20% over the next 5 years. This creates an incentive for them to continue improving upon their educational system.

They were able to find a balance in their visa system to help ensure that qualified applicants could make it into their educational systems while helping to ensure potential problems and visa abuse are reduced. The goal is to help qualified students come to the U.K. and stay to contribute to the economy.

Some of this growth is due to the fostering of educational technology. This includes the concept of distance education. The government will continue to support the development of educational technology and distance learning to help ensure that an adequate draw of students is available.

Britain appears to understand the concept of higher education as a potential system for not only increasing national wealth, exporting cultural norms but also raising poverty around the world. The American distance learning system could do the same and at a significantly higher level. This would help bypass the needs of visas and the gridlock revolving around immigration reform.

They have targeted China, India, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Colombia, Turkey, Mexico, Indonesia and the Gulf as potential places where higher education has strong possibilities. Online education has the potential to go right into these areas without heavy outlays of campuses or sunk costs. Most of the students will be paying cash or findings alternative methods of financing that helps to create a ripe market without a heavy load on U.S. student loans.

The U.S. has an opportunity to hedge its traditional educational system with that of online distance learning. The demographics of the country are changing, people are in need of updating their skills, and developing countries are yearning for higher education. The potential advantages of online education are muted by traditionalist perspectives. This doesn’t mean the system can’t be improved or developed to a higher state but it does mean that many of the criticisms are counter-intuitive to the rising trends within the market. Online education has the potential to use new technologies to reach people from nearly every corner of the earth and thereby transform the learning process and potential strength of the American educational philosophy.

That still leaves the economic impact question open. Certainly online education doesn’t have residency requirements. However, it can act as a primer to encouraging students to immigrate to the U.S., conduct business with U.S. companies, or accept some of America’s most precious values of equality. Most importantly it provides international innovation opportunities and more willing participants in creating stronger global business opportunities.

You may find lots of interesting information in the report…HERE

The Development of Business Education in History

Cecil Bohanon reviews the themes of business education from 1900 to 1930 to see which issues were resolved at this time in history. The research evaluated curriculum content, professional nature of business and business schools, social responsibility of corporate managers, and the desire to integrate business curriculum. These entry-level business school concepts continue today in a more complex form.

The very first business and commerce colleges started in the 19^th century lead by The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1883. Business communities, who wanted their sons to learn about business with a liberal education, started the very first colleges. To the business community it was a way of formalizing a period of apprenticeship.  At this time in history, many families ran a business to maintain their needs and it was expected their sons would start their own or take over the family business.

Either most of the bright high school students went directly into business or they went to college to learn specific skills. These students did not have much desire to graduate with a degree and simply took the classes that furthered their business interests. College administrators felt that they could improve retention by offering degrees in business. They implemented programs that moved from trade school to formal education.

It took a couple of decades before professors began to feel as though business was a worthwhile subject for study. At the time, a liberal education was seen as the ideal standard of education. The very first business oriented curriculum included economics and sociology as part of their offerings. Economics provided the financial training and sociology offered the human elements training. Commerce was seen as the key course set that moved trade schools to business schools.

Social responsibility eventually made its way into the overall process of business education. Ethics were present before the 1930’s but focused on social responsibility to shareholders. The damaging aspect of not following the law could result in punitive economic actions. Ethics was based in how to make the most money in one’s career regardless of the wider social obligations.

Once colleges were established, the concept of curriculum integration became more important. Students could receive an excellent education in class silos but did not have proper frameworks for integrating these concepts into a more cohesive framework. As the concept of integrate developed so did the practices of relating classes to each other.  Courses that are more general were built on the fundaments of economics, accounting and statistics.

Business colleges have come a long way. In today’s world, a higher level of fundamental, business and liberal education has become common place. Social responsibility has moved beyond making only money to include one’s responsibilities to society. Courses are more technical and include other elements in response to the changing complexity of the business environment. The report does not indicate this concept, but it would seem that the next development of business colleges beyond technological trajectories will be the creation of integrated frameworks for understanding complex environmental factors as well as creative/innovation development methodologies.

Bohanon, C. (2008). Persistent Themes in College of Business. Journal of Education for Business, 83 (4).