Enhancing Teaching Effectiveness Using Experiential Techniques: Model Development and Empirical Evaluation.

In U.S. colleges and universities, much attention has been focused on the need to improve teaching quality and to involve students in the learning process. At the same time, many faculty members are faced with growing class sizes and with time pressures due to research demands. One useful technique is to divide the class into small groups and assign each group a project as part of the course work. Group projects force the individual student to become am active learner and cam also serve as am introductiom to project teams and self-directed work groups found in many businesses. These organizations have found that work teams must be trained to function effectively as a unit. An increasingly popular nethod of team building is experiential education, particularly outdoor adventure activities. Evaluations of such training programs suggest that program effectiveness depends on how the process of experiential training is integrated with specific organizational goals. This paper outlines a project that would design and evaluate experiential training methods to enhance the effectiveness of student groups. The first phase of the project involves the development of experiential activities appropriate for classroom use, development of a format for evaluation of group behaviors and outcomes, identification of appropriate classes for study, and development of a standard format for using experiential activities in the classroom. Later phases will involve pilot testing, modification as needed, and large scale implementation across different classes and instructors. (SV) ***************************-W**************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** 61" "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS HAS GRANTED BY 04 44.9,10/ TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)" DIPARTIREPIT OP INDUCATION Oft= tal Educoons1Postome sod Itoptoomem EDUCNIIONAL RESOURCES INPORMATIOPI CENTER (ERO &WWI has Oven teptoduced mooted howl me mum orosroatton orgetmOrto 11 CI Moot changes Pillwe beee made to anotow reproduction wed, Pomo& woo or *woos Mod to Ms deco mem do no necipsordy tootesertt oftelal OEM posiloo or poltcY ENHANCING TEACHING EFFECTIVENESS USING EXPERIENTIAL TECHNIQUES: MODEL DEVELOPMENT AND EMPIRICAL EVALUATION Richard J. Wagner Assistant Professor of Management Department of Management University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Whitewater, Wisconsin 53190 (414) 472-5478 Dale Scharinger Professor of Management Department of Management University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Whitewater, Wisconsin 53190 (414) 472-3182 James Sisak Lecturer, Production/Operations Management Department of Management University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Whitewater, Wisconsin 53190 (414) 472-5441 Paper presented to The Midwest Region of the Academy of Management St. Charles, IL. (April 22-25, 1992) Please address all correspondence to Dr. Richard J. Wagner, Department of Management, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater