Business School professor and coordinator of specialization programs Dr André Duhá went to London Business School for a 10-day immersion as part of the International Teachers Program (ITP). The program was promoted by a group of renowned universities and had been designed for business school professors. It was delivered by 39 professionals from different areas, such as Economics, Finance, Management and Organizational Behavior. Participants came from universities from 17 countries, such as China, Turkey, France, UK and Sweden. Duhá was the only professor from a Latin American university in the 2019 edition. The group was joined by another Brazilian, who is a researcher at a Dutch university.
In Duhá’s view, the program was very active, as it employed a learning by doing method. He commended the quality of lecturers, workshops and activities. “Not only did we discuss principles, methods and strategies for teaching and learning, but practiced the things that were discussed in class and in workshops”, he adds.
At the Teaching Labs, Duhá had the chance to teach a class on Leadership, by using methods and techniques that were being presented in the program. He received feedback from peers, professors and mentors. “I also put together a plan, with the support of a coach, to be used in one of my courses next semester at PUCRS. The same coach will advise me in the coming months as I put this plan in practice”, he says.
Here are some topics that were addressed in the program: learning styles, drivers of effective learning, fantastic lectures, inductive teaching, case method teaching, active learning for technical subjects, classroom culture and technology’s role in traditional courses. “The program consisted of the activities developed by the professors as well as an entire afternoon with the London theater company, as we had the chance to learn about body, voice and presence in the classroom.”
ITP
The program is offered in different stages and began around two months ago, with online activities. The on-site immersion, in London, in 2019, served for participants to discuss teaching methodologies and get ready to put in practice the projects in their universities. Duhá will put his project in practice in the course Leadership Challenge. “I’ll be teaching this course in building 15, as it fits right into the innovative teaching methods”, he says. In June, a new on-site session will occur at the London Business School.
Participants had the chance to exchange experiences, practices and information about their home institutions. “I could identify several opportunities to exchange experiences, cases and materials”, Duhá says.
Partnership between PUCRS and Columbus Association
The partnership involving PUCRS with Columbus Association, of which André is a member, earned him the chance to get into the IPT as he was selected for a grant. “The Office for International Cooperation envisioned the possibility of having a representative of PUCRS in the International Teachers Program, as it serves to support business schools from all over the world that seek to achieve excellence teaching. This initiative advances the professional and academic development of Duhá. One of the essential attributions of the Office for International Cooperation is to promote and assist PUCRS’ faculty and students in their application for international opportunities, as they earn the institution more visibility overseas, advance good institutional and academic practices as well as the internationalization of the campus”, Heloísa Delgado, Dean of International Cooperation, says.
