Held every two years, the Teaching Innovation Award celebrates the important role academics play as inspiring educators in the area of international business. Through education we, scholars, make the biggest impact, as we shape the thinking and behavior of (future) international managers. Thus, the award invites to share and celebrate best practices of teaching IB.

At the AIB T&E SIG, we were excited that so many portfolios in the teaching innovation contest 2021 focused on developing responsible managers that aim to commit to all three spheres of sustainability. Applicants impressed us with their innovative teaching tools, course designs, teaching methods, or practices that positively impact students.

Who is the winner 2021?

The Award Winner 2021, Professor Madhu Viswanathan (B.Tech, Mechanical Engineering, IIT, Madras, 1985; Ph.D. (Marketing), University of Minnesota, 1990), is Professor of Marketing, College of Business Administration at Loyola Marymount University in 2019, and Professor Emeritus, Gies College of Business, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

‘Our approach of global virtual immersion evolved in the stream of work on subsistence marketplaces. Global virtual immersion refers to bottom-up learning experiences, such as about poverty, without actually being physically in the field. Bottom-up connotes actual ground level reality rather than the opposite top-down writings and interpretations from other sources. Its aim is to move learners from sympathy to informed empathy and broaden their global horizons, paving the way for learning and through actual immersion, where possible. It is particularly relevant as global contexts are so diverse.’

 

Where to find more on the best practices of teaching IB presented in the contest?

We have gathered a brief descriptions of the teaching innovations in a special issue of the AIB Teaching & Education SIG’s newsletter Vol 3 (available here). In addition, we also share a video with the moments from the award ceremony (available here).

We hope that these insights will inspire you to innovate your teaching and to actively share your teaching innovations with the AIB community!