Identifying characteristics of a good MBA program, foremost, raises the
question what we deem as a good MBA program. Of course, excellent
faculty should reside within the business school, but developing an MBA
program means having a vision on management and management education.
Especially regarding the part relating to management education and
management learning (the organization of education) has been paid
considerable attention to in contemporary literature.
The field of management is of an eclective, integrative, and
interdisciplinary nature, which results in the need for complex
educational structures. Management learning by moving through different
contexts, in my opinion, is definitely an essential requirement for
developing a good MBA program. Organizing a good MBA program, a.o.,
means contacting and contracting with different parties that have been
identified as relevant from the objectives the business school aims to
achieve. In particular, concerning the learning/educational process,
these objectives include the provision of management education
1. through open, interactive, explorative, and mainly constructivist
learning environments;
2. in which management knowledge, skills, and experiences are
continuously generated and reflected on by engaging in and coupling
different contexts;
3. in which learners primarily have the responsibility of their own
learning process and progress while at the same time guided by a coach
on the sideline;
4. in which learning through the participation in different communities
is stimulated and underpinned by the assumption that participation of
different actors and networks (Mode 2 production of knowledge) is an
essential condition for management learning;
5. and which is facilitated by a broad resource base consisting of both
traditional business school resources, primarily regarding physical
off-line facilities, and new learning technologies.
Regards,
Lars Moratis
Rotterdam School of Management
Don McCormick wrote:
>
> At 5:42 AM -0400 10/9/01, Charles Wankel wrote:
> >From: yang zhou [mailto:
azimaouk@yahoo.co.uk]
> >
> >First of all, I'd like to suggest you to think about
> >who are your future MBA learners, i.e., what's your
> >market? The curriculum for fresh graduates and for
> >those with work experience should be different. If you
> >are going to take people with at least 3 years'
> >experience, you may need add more flavour of practice.
> >Also, are you going to make the course 1 year or 2
> >years?
>
> We will get to those questions soon. Right now I am interested in
> seeing what programs other people regard as good and how they have
> come to that conclusion. It sounds like market focus is one of your
> criteria for a good program.
>
> You point out the difference between a program that targets fresh
> graduates and students with at least three years experience. Do you
> know of an MBA program that you believe does a good job of serving
> either market? If so, what is it about that program that leads you to
> that conclusion?
>
> Similarly, do you know of a program that you think does a good job in
> one year or in two years?
>
> Sincerely
>
> Don
>
> --
> Don McCormick, Ph.D
> Associate Professor
> School of Business
> University of Redlands
> 1200 E. Colton Avenue
> Redlands, CA 92373-0999
> (909) 748-6249
don_mccormick@redlands.edu
> http://newton.uor.edu/FacultyFolder/DMcCormick