On December 14, the International Symposium on Action Learning in China was successfully held in Shanghai. The symposium was co-sponsored by ECUST School of Business and Shanghai Management Science Society and joined in by over 50 foreign and domestic business schools and well-known enterprises. Prof. Yu Jianguo, vice president of ECUST, addressed the symposium.

The theme of the symposium is business schools’ educational reform of and enterprises’ management innovation. The symposium invited top scholars in the field of Action Learning from the US and Europe, representatives from enterprises and Chinese business schools, to share the latest achievements in theory and practice in Action Learning. The business schools and enterprises held discussion on how to efficiently use Action Learning to promote the educational reform of business schools and the management innovation of Chinese local enterprises.

The symposium invited many high-profile guests, including Prof. Tong Yunheng, secretary-general of China National MBA Education Supervisory Committee, Prof. Wang Fanghua, director of Faculty Development Sub-committee of China National MBA Education Supervisory Committee, etc. The leaders from 35 business schools shared their practical experience in MBA/EMBA educational reform. In addition, the symposium also invited international experts to introduce the latest development of Action Learning in the world and share their practical experience in this field. The foreign experts invited to the symposium included Prof. Donna Vick, director of the Revans Center Global and Research Supervisor for Manchester Business School’s Global MBA, and Prof. Kiran Trehan, professor of Leadership and Enterprise Development at Birmingham University and co-editor of Action Learning: Research & Practice, The first international journal dedicated to the advancement of knowledge and practice through action learning. 

Prof. Donna Vick made an in-depth introduction to the theories and methodologies of Action Learning, which were first put forward by Prof. Revans from University of Manchester.

Prof. Kiran Trehan made a speech entitled “Advancing the theory and practices of Action Learning in Education and Business”.

The theories and methodologies of Action Learning can not only be adapted to the educational reform of business schools, but also promote the efficiency of enterprises’ management innovation.

The symposium is divided into two parts: the keynote speeches in the morning and the parallel sessions in the afternoon that were composed of the business school forum and the enterprise forum.

The enterprise forum was held in the form of a study group instead of the traditional speech-delivering way. Hosted by Prof. Gao Song, the discussion focused on two issues: “Action Learning and Enterprises’ Reform” and “Action Learning and Cultivation of Leadership”. The discussion was heated and benefited each of the guests.

The business school forum was composed of the Dean Forum and the sharing of Teaching Practice of Action Learning in Practical Course.

The Action Learning course of ECUST School of Business emphasizes on students’ self-management ability and their experiential Learning. The course is student-centered. Students are encouraged to “Learn in Action, Act in Learning”.

With ECUST continuing to promote Action Learning, the new management education mode will probably influence the traditional teaching mode in a deeper level and comprehensively enhance the overall qualities of EMBA/MBA students.