Teamwork and problem-solving skills have frequently been identified by business leaders as being key competencies; thus, teaching methods such as problem-based learning and team-based learning have been developed. However, the focus of these methods has been on teaching one skill or the other. A key argument for teaching the skills concurrently is that the ability to solve an unstructured real-world problem within teams is what is needed outside the classroom and that this requires the use of both sets of skills simultaneously. Thus, the authors describe the design and implementation of a group problem-solving skills course for undergraduates, in which they engage in real creative problem-solving work together over a semester while learning and developing skills appropriate to their current stages in the team development and problem-solving processes. This method offers the potential to address criticisms by business leaders that new graduates often are technically proficient yet ill prepared to solve everyday organizational problems.

Contract grading allows students to make important choices about what, how, and when to learn, thereby facilitating the development of a partnership learning environment in which students are likely to retain more information, make better use of information, and be more highly motivated to learn than in teacher-directed learning environments. This article argues the central role of contract grading in postmodern pedagogy and discusses in depth how to implement contract grading efficiently and effectively. It also addresses a significant benefit of using contract grading: Students learn multiple fundamental management concepts and skills experientially by engaging in the contract grading process.

This paper discusses the joint implications of the operant and strategic contingencies models of power for understanding and decreasing resistance to change in organizations. In particular, resistance is

ABSTRACT

Few learning experiences give students immediate feedback on ethical and unethical behaviors and provide opportunities to repeatedly practice effective behaviors. This article describes how the authors have used challenge course activities to stimulate students to observe their own and others’ ethical and unethical behaviors. Specifically, these exercises are used to (a) increase student engagement; (b) illustrate how culture emerges, particularly ethical or unethical norms; (c) generate discussion of pressures that lead to unethical behavior; (d) offer suggestions for creating groups with ethical norms; (e) develop students’ abilities to apply concepts and analyze behavior; and (f) increase student retention of organizational ethics concepts.