Innovating corporate governance teaching through online scenario-based learning

Abstract

Recent high profile corporate collapses and failures in the management and accountability of directors have led to wide scale reviewing of corporate governance standards. Increased efforts are being made to improve corporate accountability and to prevent management failure (Clarke, 2004). One project being implemented at The University of Adelaide Business School has the aim of mitigating future failures of management and corporate governance through the innovative teaching of corporate governance to current students who will be future corporate officers. Online situational learning is set to change the teaching of corporate governance through the development of online course component innovations. Ultimately, such technology has the potential to transform modern teaching. While traditional methods of teaching corporate governance focus on conveying information to students, it is clear that innovation in online methods have the capability to encourage critical thinking and understanding. Thus, the potential is for an interactive approach to learning about corporate governance, instead of the more traditional passive approach to information transfer. This paper explores the use of innovative online exercises involving actual corporate governance problems which will teach students how to deal with real business issues and will require them to apply information and rules they have learnt in order to respond to the scenarios given. This paper proposes and outlines the methodological details of a corporate governance online scenario-based learning trial set for 2009. The scenarios will include the use of images, audio and video to better contextualise the situation. Careful attention will be given to student final assessment results and course evaluations in order to ascertain the effectiveness of this innovative approach to learning. Online roleplay simulations (eSims) which incorporate scenarios are also discussed.