An Experiential-Cognitive Methodology in the First Course in Management: Some Preliminary Results

"The first course in management, commonly called the “Principles Course,” exists in nearly all schools with programs in business. As many of its teachers will attest, it is one of the most difficult courses to design and to teach effectively. It is difficult to “package” the complex and multidisciplinary body of knowledge of management into a one-semester course. Students are forced to learn the concepts, terminology, and perspectives of managerial action simultaneously. Furthermore, some of the analytical perspectives introduced in the first course, such as systems thinking, are new and alien to the beginning student. The first course in management is usually a required core course, which often leads to “monster” classes, a high percentage of non- management majors, and pervasive problems of student motivation and interest. Furthermore, the first course in management is usually a “service course” to the rest of the Campus, and many first-course students lack even minimal exposure to organizational and business topics. As a result of these problems, the first course is frequently avoided by the faculty. However, we feel that while the first course is a challenging one, it can also be a highly rewarding endeavor. The remainder of the paper will present our teaching methodology and some experimental results.