Teaching Experiential Learning: Adoption of an Innovative Course in an MBA Marketing Curriculum

TLDR

Business schools face pressure to innovate courses to satisfy industry demands, yet faculty encounter significant risk and effort barriers to adopting new technologies. This article investigates the adoption of Marketplace, a purely experiential learning course, within an MBA curriculum. The study shows that group dynamics and product characteristics drive successful adoption, and students perceive the simulation course as a viable alternative to lecture-based teaching.

Abstract

Colleges of business administration are under continuing pressure to develop innovative courses to meet demands from the business community. At the same time, faculty members are facing increasing challenges in adopting innovative technologies because of the amount of risk and effort involved. This article examines the adoption of Marketplace, a purely experiential learning course, in an MBA curriculum. The investigation shows that group dynamics and product characteristics were two key factors in the success of the innovation adoption. Findings from an empirical study demonstrate that the students perceived the simulation course as a viable alternative to the lecture-based pedagogy.