Yammer, matrixed teams, and collaboration: increasing student engagement Al Warner
Penn State Erie
2014 Southern Management Association meeting
Foundation
� Prior approach � Case based, single industry focus. � Completely individual work.
� Motivation: Case method develops � Higher level cognitive skills through
discussions, argument, and resolution. � Managerial skills in organizing to solve
problem and in solution of the case problem itself.
� Case study = active or experiential learning practice (Mesny, 2013).
Case method critique
� Case use as second hand experience (McCarthy & McCarthy, 2006)
� Too safe or abstract for real engagement (Kosnik, Tingle, & Blanton, 2013)
� Not always “active” when instructors control the discussion (Mesny, 2013)
� …and I wasn’t getting outcomes I wanted – discussion, analytic thinking, better writing. Students seemed increasingly disengaged, perfunctory
CoI adapted
� Community of Inquiry (CoI): Dewey’s notion that inquiry/learning is social activity
� CoI is online learning concept of three elements:
� Cognitive presence – degree to which learners construct meaning through discourse/reflection
� Trigger, exploration, integration, resolution
� Social presence – affective expression, open communication, group cohesion
� Teaching presence – design, management of cognitive and social processes
Swan, Garrison & Richardson (2009); Garrison, Anderson & Archer (2010)
New approach
� Frame: add to portfolio of professional skills in problem solving, research, communication
� Encourage group problem solving, sourcing and critique of potential evidence sources via Yammer platform
� Eventually share writing as public document others could use with attribution
Work and coordination
� Class organized as � Paper writing teams to deliver complete industry and firm analyses
� Topic groups (ABC) to research and qualify relevant problems, identify sources, vet quality
� Students move between paper and topic groups
� Students � Collaborate at topic level � Deliver 2 page papers on each topical area for assessment
� As team, have developed complete coverage of topic
� Integrate into group paper
Class organization
US Brewing Industry US Air carrier Industry
Team 1 A B C
Team 2 A B C
Team 3 A B C
Team 4 A B C
Team 2 A B C
Team 1 A B C
Team 3 A B C
Team 4 A B C
Class organization
MBA: Oil and Gas E&P Industry
Team 1 A B C D E
Team 2 A B C D
Team 3 A B C D E
Team 4 A B C D
Class organization
Any Industry
Team 1 A B C
Team 2 A B C
Team 3 A B C
Team 4 A B C
topic
paper
Course topics
� Industry definition (team) � PEST
� A: Political � B: Economic � C: Sociocultural OR technological (vary by industry)
� Five Forces B2E (2 each for A B C) � Five Forces Supplier, Buyer, Rivalry, Substitutes � Industry performance (individual and team) � Competitor analysis (team) � Strategic choice � Dynamics and change � All integrated into team final paper
Class Structure
� In class: brief summary of topical information
� BYOD work in topic groups in class
� Essential element: work outside of classroom in Yammer
Collaboration examples
� PEST analysis � Each topical group worked on factors by
developing questions (e.g., what counts as a P issue?), identifying sources, and showing effect on industry
� Developed better, more relevant questions or issues
� Forced better reporting on sources: why is this source good? What is the relevant information? How do you use/interpret it?
Collaboration examples
� Industry performance � Each student took on profit analysis of
single firm over 5 year period
� Each industry group collated these into single document
� Established average profitability, superior performers which was used in subsequent work
� Forced convergence toward common reporting and uploading formats
� Raised excellent questions on accounting reporting
Outcomes and concerns
� Wins:
� Much better papers at individual level (10%+ higher scores on average vs prior classes, same topics)
� Much more dynamic classroom and high engagement throughout (class + Yammer)
� Concerns:
� Gains did not extend to group paper (integration issues)
� Some backlash over being “forced” to work on class outside scheduled class meeting times
� Yammer participation was not consistent across class
� Not all students have good technology