Course Purpose and Approach

Course Purpose This course is designed to help students apply the principles of Business Process Management (BPM) to improve the organizations in which they work (or will work) Another aim of the course is to develop lifelong learning ability in students: lifelong learning requires that you identify your own learning gaps and then find ways to fill those gaps This is how most people undertake their professional development activities after school is over To achieve this, the course will use more of a student-centered approach. With student-centered learning, students take more responsibility for their own learning The professor is a resource the students may draw on as needed to enhance learning or clarify key points This requires a change in behavior for both the professor and the learners BA 553: Business Process Management2

Teaching and Leadership Student-centered teaching requires the professor to change from a lecturer to a leader/facilitator of learning activities Some traits of good leaders also describe good teachers: Honest/transparent Focused Passionate / inspiring / enthusiastic Respectful Has personal integrity Compassionate Encouraging engagement / participation Positive/supportive Fair minded and caring Clear in communications Open to change / willing to admit mistakes BA 553: Business Process Management3

Active Learning Active learning is a “model of instruction that focuses the responsibility of learning on learners” 1 Studies indicate that students learn better if, instead of just listening to a lecture, they read, write, discuss, solve problems, and are engaged in such higher-order thinking tasks as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation In order for the professor to stop lecturing and enable discussions, the students must review the materials prior to class This is also known as a flipped class, where the teacher is a resource and change agent, facilitating seeking and growth, as the students form self-sufficient learning communities This approach also requires you to understand the type of learner you are – what helps you learn, what hinders your learning BA 553: Business Process Management4 “Active Learning” Available at: Accessed 12 January

Participating in an Active Learning Course Read the syllabus and course guidelines carefully, listen to the faculty presentation on the first day of class, and ask questions to be sure you understand the course format You are expected to participate at some meaningful level in class discussions Each student will also lead at least one class discussion. The professor will provide guidance for students on how to lead discussions If you are uneasy about this requirement and tempted to drop, please stick around for two or three discussions. You will probably find them less frightening than you anticipate BA 553: Business Process Management5

Learning Styles An understanding of learning styles can help learners identify activities that will most effectively increase their learning An individual’s learning style is the approach that works best to increase his or her learning and comprehension This starts with the individual learner identifying his or her learning style The “Index of Learning Styles” is one tool for assessing learning style BA 553: Business Process Management6

Learning and Continuous Improvement Continuous improvement involves collecting information on what’s working and what isn’t, and making changes My goal is to continually improve this course You can help me with that: Please track the hours you spend on my class for the next week, starting immediately after class is finished Bring a sheet of paper with the number of hours to the next class You don’t need to put your name on the paper The information you provide will have absolutely NO impact on your grade in this course The information will only be used to help me modify the assignments, if needed BA 553: Business Process Management7