Tetyana Tarnavska, PhD, Associate Professor, scientific
adviser
National University of Life and Environmental Sciences
of Ukraine
Education
has gone through more than a century of evolution from writing on stones to
online lessons. So far as the process of acceleration reaches us, the entirely
traditional methods of education are becoming increasingly insufficient and
boring. Training simulators and simulation software replace the habitual
problem solving and theory.
The
conceptual foundation of “active learning” was formulated in the early 20th
century by American philosopher and educator John Dewey. He claimed that the traditional
system of education based on the acquisition and assimilation of knowledge must
be opposed to learning-by-doing meaning that human might get new information
from his own practice and personal experience.
Despite
of the fact that understanding of the necessity of imitation games and
simulators has come from time immemorial, their implementation in education has
been started recently.
Imitation
promotes the development of wide range of practical skills. For example, individual
training instead of training in commands helps to develop communication and social
interaction skills and habits, and acquire leadership skills. It provides
acquiring basic skills, not just supporting and expansion of the skills that
have been already acquired; learning the situation from inside and ability to
respond quickly in real time [1].
One of
the most popular types of imitation models is the role games which are designed
to demonstrate the behavior models in typical professional situations or in the
workplace. This makes it possible to prepare students for a variety of professional
situations, learn through personal experience by specially organized and
regulated different kind of training cases. The main task of this method is not
just educating to react to situations, but also gaining the emotional
experience and learning to explain, to find a common language. It is becoming increasingly
important in today's world of technology.
A well-recognized
innovation is a case study method bringing interesting, real-world situations
into the classroom study of different subjects, in particular marketing.
Fortunately, it is gaining popularity in Ukraine too. In base of the case study
method lies the concrete educational situations that were specially designed on
the base of fact materials with the aim to subsequent analysis during the studying
classes. During the case study students learn to act as a team, to analyze and
to make management decisions. Thanks to this method, students are already aware
about what problems might encounter to them r and in advance may eliminate some
errors in the work and modeling the plan of action [2].
As we
discuss cases with our fellow students, we learn that decision making is often
a confrontational activity involving people with different points of view. Most
important, we learn how to work toward consensus while tolerating legitimate
differences of opinion. Decision making is what marketers must be able to do
very well. Their decisions directly influence revenues, costs, and profits of
the company. If you want to succeed in your career, you must learn to be a good
decision maker and learn how to “(1) make decision making easier, (2) improve
the analytical quality of decisions, (3) reduce the time required to make
decisions, and (4) increase the frequency of correct decisions” [3].
It
should be admitted that one of the most significant and important simulation
methods is project developing. This method consists in introducing the students
the company’s area of activity and solving the problems that could arise. This
form, as well as the role-games, is aimed at student’s learning how to work in
the society, in the community, the ability to negotiate and defend their point
of view.
In
recent years, a method of drawing up a project for a particular company or industry
within the framework of MBA has also become very popular. While a group of
students is working on a project, they have to make a detailed analysis of the
situation, to develop the recommendations, to present and to discuss them with
the top management of the company. But, unfortunately, these programs are
implemented in short supply. Large Ukrainian and international companies
increasingly prefer graduating student to train them for further employment so
case study and project methods are very effective to this purpose.
Computer
simulators are less effective because of the limit of interaction with other
people, but at the same time you can focus all the attention on the problem and
reduce the risk of loss of funds to a minimum in case of error [4, 2 p.29].
In
today's world simulation training programs are available to any student
on-line, but not all educational institutions fully understand their
effectiveness.
There
are doubts about the effectiveness of the use of innovative methods in teaching
students who desire working in a large global corporation such as Kraft Foods,
Unilever, L'Oreal or DANONE.
Bibliography
1. Лаврентьев Г.В.,
Лаврентьева Н.Б., Неудахина Н.А., Инновационные обучающие технологии в профессиональной
подготовке специалистов. Барнаул: Изд-во Алт. ун-та, 2004, 233 с.
2. Долгоруков А. Метод case-study как современная технология
профессионально-ориентированного обучения [Электронный ресурс]. – Режим доступа : http://evolkov.net/case/case.study.html
3. Introduction to the
Case-Study Method (Adapted from: Seperich, G.J, M.J. Woolverton, J. G.
Beierlein and D. E. Hahn, eds., Cases in Agribusiness Management, Gorsuch
Scarisbrick, Publishers, Scottsdale, AZ 1996) http://www.uiweb.uidaho.edu/ag/agecon/391/casestudmeth.html
4. Шоптенко В. Инновации в бизнес-образованиии //
Менеджер по персоналу. – 2008. – № 2. –
С. 24–36. [Электронный ресурс] – Режим доступа : http://www.hrm.ru/innovacii-v-biznes-obrazovanii