Monday, September 17th, 2007
This is an unashamed plug for two really innovative courses; one on each side of the Atlantic. The first is the Executive Programme in Work-Based Learning Leadership run jointly by Wharton Business School and the Graduate School of Education at the Universit of Pennsylvania.
It is an innovative and ground-breaking doctoral programme that combines the rigours of management content with a solid learning focus and perspective. It is based on a ‘dumbell’ structure: two intensive week long Wharton based blocks in Philadelphia joined by e learning and on line networking form each block. Totally work-based, the assignments and the eventual thesis are taken back into the worksplace and focus on individual work-related research and practice. What is more it is a 24 – 30 month programme. Intense, yes but delivered in a very concentrated timescale which reflects the needs of the praticipants. I taught on the first week-long block and was as impressed by the quality of students, as I was by the quality of the Faculty. It was a great experience for everyone concerned.
The second is the MA in Creative Media Practice at the Univeristy of Bournmouth. It is an on line programme but the content is negotiated and based on exploration and discussion rather than formal chunks of e learning. It is aimed at experienced media professionals in a wide variety of jobs and working in a range of media. This engagement with the cohort, as much as anything makes it a great programme. If you talk to any of the students who are currently on the programme they will tell you what a great, challenging experience it is. It desereves to be better known and better acknowledged as a core piece of media industry training.
Why do I single out these two programmes: because learning should be exciting and innovative and potentially life-changing experience and these two programmes exemplify this in spades.