Reflections of Teaching Evidence-Based Management - Center for ...

(Barends, 2010; Thomas et al., 2011). The evaluation phase involves reflectionon the EBMgt process as applied to a practical opportunity or problem.Reflective evaluation is an opportunity to use systematic approaches to gatherevaluation-relevant local evidence and stakeholder perspectives. One approachwe have taught in class to support students’ EBMgt practice can actually be usedto evaluate the progress made and needed improvements within EBMgt courses.Modeled after the After Action Review (AAR) used in the US Army (Garvin,2000), it reflects the process improvement approach investigated in projectresearch (Cho & Egan, 2010; Darling & Parry, 2000). After discussing theevidence on the importance of task and process feedback, we show the Harvardfilm (Put the Learning Organization to Work: Learning After Doing) and then useit to engage in a mini-after action review midway through the course. Studentsform small groups to identify features of the class that should be continued, wherethey recommend change or improvement, and lessons learned (in this case, abouteffective learning processes for EBMgt). Groups then report-out through aspokesperson to provide psychological safety in voicing criticisms. Following thenext group assignment, students participate in an AAR in their study groupsduring class time and then share their lessons learned with the class. At the end ofthe class we do a full-blown AAR. One major idea from final AARs to date is theimportance of more cases and more explicit framework for organizing evidenceand business information.At the last class, students also complete an assessment (now also given asa pre-test on the first day of class) to indicate how they rate themselves on1036