Big Need Not Be Bad: A Case Study of Experiential Leadership Development in Different-Sized Classes

Abstract

Higher education classes have increased in size at a time of significant resource restrictions for universities. At the same time, employers are looking for graduates with relevant competencies and skills. This poses two key challenges: (1) how to design an experiential curriculum that produces significant skill development and (2) how to ensure that this program is scalable and effective in a large class context. In this case study, we describe the curriculum of a postgraduate experiential learning curriculum focused on leadership development, and report its effectiveness in developing leadership competencies in different-sized large classes. This case study demonstrates that effective large class experiential learning and leadership skills development is possible. We found comparable effectiveness across different-sized classes of up to 130 students. These results were achieved by combining experiential learning, intentional change theory, dedicated and experienced faculty coaches, feedback and coaching in small peer groups, and periodic self- and peer-evaluations. We observed that class size may differentially affect the effectiveness of experiential learning for leadership competency development at different stages of a course. Practical implications for course design and delivery are discussed, with a focus on the curriculum design elements that help make large class experiential learning impactful and manageable.

Experiential Pedagogical Model for Teaching Management and Leadership in Higher Education

“…Teaching leadership and management for undergraduate and graduate students at the university is a challenging task because it is said that leadership can be best learned by practicing. Experiential learning that emphasizes learning from experience has been recognized as an effective approach to leadership development (Mitchell & Poutiatine 2001;Doh 2003) and it has been successfully applied in different settings of management and leadership education (Savage et al 2015;Page et al 2021).…”

The 2022 Roethlisberger Award: Experiential Learning and Large Class Size as Themes of the Year

“…It is worth noting the next three highest-ranked articles during the award selection process, not only because these authors also deserve recognition for their contribution to the field, but also because the themes of these papers (i.e., large class size, experiential learning, faculty burnout) mirror those in the award recipient. Experiential learning and large class sizes continued to take center stage in work by Nadine Page, Amanda Nimon-Peters, and Alexander Urquhart (2021) in their article “Big Need Not Be Bad: A Case Study of Experiential Leadership in Development in Different-Sized Classes,” as well as for Christina O’Connor, Kenneth Mullane, and Denise Luethge (2021) in their article “The Management and Coordination of Virtual Teams in Large Classes: Facilitating Experiential Learning.” The first of these specifically addresses leadership development while the second centers on virtual student experiences. The third runner-up was the article titled “Shedding Light on Restorative Spaces and Faculty Well-Being” written by Nicholas Rhew, David Jones, Linda Sama, Sarah Robinson, Victor Friedman, and Mark Egan (2021).…”

Teaching Perspectives on Experiential Learning in Large Classes

“…It showcased a variety of contributions which variously examined how student engagement in large classes can be enhanced through increasing participant diversity (Donovan & Hood, 2021), inviting industry experts to collaborate with faculty on assessment (Lyons & Buckley, 2021), designing unique events that mirror the intensity of an entrepreneurial start-up (Hilliard, 2021) or using multiple sources of feedback that could improve learning outcomes (Black et al, 2021). Other articles demonstrated how the very nature of classes with larger student enrolments could facilitate opportunities for experiential learning that are not replicable in smaller classes (Memar et al, 2021; Page et al, 2021).…”