Education Commons^™

Coaching And Experiential Learning In An Mba Leadership Certificate Program, Stephanie Thomason, Kamilla Andersen

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

In turbulent economic times, tuition-driven universities often search for impactful ways to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Differentiators may be particularly important in MBA programs, which are among the more lucrative academic offerings. The present study tracked participant reflections from the coaching component of an MBA leadership certificate program through Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle (concrete experience, reflections, abstract conceptualizations, active experimentation) and the coaches’ roles during the cycle as educators. We paired participants with professional coaches and community leaders so they could create and achieve their goals and action plans. During their time meeting with their coaches (concrete experiences), 70 …