Abstract:

MBA programs are often considered the flagship of business schools. Whether one year or two-year programs, the goal is to equip students with the skills necessary to become successful business leaders. During their program, in addition to important theories and principles, students should also acquire relevant exposure to business problems. Managerial Analytics, often part of the curriculum, is a good example where practice is absolutely necessary. The inclusion of experiential learning activities in academic programs, is gaining in popularity. The course under study has been modified to include an experiential learning activity consisting in a consulting project for real organizations and it contributes to the final grade in the course. This paper focuses on the comparative impact of different resources and activities, including a consultation project to the development of higher-order thinking and team building skills. Results show that the experiential learning project is more effective at developing most of those skills.

Keywords:

Experiential learning, higher-order thinking skills, team-building skills.