learning - Academic Conferences Limited

Priming for Modules: A Case Study Evaluation of ‘Pre-
Workshop’ Online Resources for an Executive MBA Course
Glenn Duckworth
Bristol Business School/e-Learning Development Unit, The University of the
West of England, Bristol, UK
glenn.duckworth@uwe.ac.uk
Abstract: This case study looks at a series of 'pre-workshop' resources and tasks developed for the Executive
MBA (EMBA) at the University of the West of England (UWE). Students on the EMBA course at UWE are
generally in full time employment and therefore do not have the opportunity to follow a traditional semester - or
year - long module structure. For each module on the EMBA programme, the taught classroom based component
runs as a five day intensive block. It is therefore very important for the students to get to grips with concepts and
terminology for each module as quickly as possible so that the time spent in class can be used for high level
discussions and debates as well as the more traditional lecture formats. This is common of a variety of executive
education and CPD courses across the sector. A set of online resources were developed for a range of modules
on the EMBA course and delivered online. Their aim was to ‘prime’ the students for the modules in advance of
the classroom based components. As well as providing readings, the resources provided a range of online
interactive exercises to introduce the topics covered on the module and to help the students assess their level of
learning. Student evaluations were conducted on three modules to assess the usefulness of these pre-workshop
resources. These took the form of surveys with likert-type questions and more open ended questions, as well as
informal group discussions. Views of the academic staff teaching on the modules were also sought. For all three
modules evaluated, the pre-workshop resources were seen as being a very valuable resource. There were fears
that students would not complete the exercises and readings before the classroom based sessions began, but
the majority of them did so. They reported that the exercises helped them to structure their learning and that they
felt more confident and prepared for the first day of classroom based teaching. Lecturers also felt that the
resources and exercises were useful – they felt that they were able to engage with students at a higher level from
day one of the classroom based sessions. This case study will look at the evaluations in more detail and go on to
assess whether a ‘pre-workshop’ component may be of use on a variety of other executive and CPD intensive
courses.
Keywords: priming, pre-workshop activities, online learning, interactive exercises
1. Introduction
This paper is concerned with intensive courses - also known as block, compressed or time-shortened
courses – and in particular a programme developed for the part-time Executive MBA (EMBA) at the
University of the West of England (UK). Sets of online learning resources were developed to
complement the more traditional classroom based learning and teaching. They were provided in
advance of the classroom based sessions and became known as ‘pre-workshop activities’. They were
developed with the intention of ‘priming’ students to the subject matter before beginning the intensive
block of classroom based teaching. Post-workshop activities were also provided – generally with a
focus on the assignment submission.
The paper will take the form of a case study examining the views of students and lecturers as to how
useful these online priming activities were seen as being. It will draw together evaluations of the preworkshop
activities used on three modules on the EMBA programme. It will also examine the views of
module leaders relating to the usefulness of these activities.
There has been debate about the efficacy of intensive courses for many years, although research on
the topic has been somewhat patchy. As Kasworm (2001) put it, “While there is recent significant
growth of accelerated degree programs, there is little empirical research regarding the quality and
impact of accelerated degrees on adult learning” (cited in Davies 2006). According to Davies (2006)
“a considerable amount of the literature … appears to exist in academic areas where skill acquisition
is paramount, rather than discursive, conceptual learning. This point may be critical in assessing the
value of intensive teaching in various subjects.”
Where research into this topic does exist, the findings have been somewhat mixed. Many studies
have found that compressed courses compare favourably with traditional semester - or year - long
courses. Daniel (2000) in a review of relevant literature suggested that intensive courses offer as
effective a learning experience as do traditional courses – and in fact they may sometimes lead to
superior outcomes (although she did go on to question methodologies used in many such studies).
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