> The Consultants ’ Fair : An active learning pedagogical methodology for large groups

//Abstract INTRODUCTION. This study provides empirical evidence of how active learning methodologies contribute to developing students’ competencies and improving their satisfaction in large classroom settings. The study examines two group-based methodologies: i) «You be the Consultant» (a case study project in which participants analyse an organizational challenge and suggest strategic solutions); and ii) the «Consultants’ Fair» (an active learning methodology to pool the group project). METHODS. We used a longitudinal research design with a sample of 250 students (50 teams). We collected data at two points while students were completing their projects. Students self-assessed their characteristics, competencies, and satisfaction. The dependent variable (team performance) was collected from various sources. RESULTS. Our findings reveal that satisfaction mediates the relationship between individual differences (self-assessed competencies, conscientiousness, and self-efficacy) and team results. Furthermore, qualitative feedback provides evidence of the fast learning curve for competencies. DISCUSSION. The «Consultants’ Fair» promotes practice-based training, in which students are given time to practice their competencies. In terms of class dynamics and due to the learning by teaching methodology, the use of time is more efficient because students practise competencies simultaneously and consecutively. The initial strain of talking in front of an audience disappears gradually as students repeat their speech to their «visitors» consecutively; this is «learning by doing».


Introduction
Have you ever had former students return the following year and ask permission to attend one of your classes?Or have you ever had ninety students waiting outside the classroom thirty minutes before the class is scheduled to start?This happened when the first author was teaching a human resources management (HRM) course; a mandatory, second-year undergraduate class at a business school in a European, non-English-speaking country.These and other experiences led her to analyse what factors could explain such an exciting response among students.
This study examines the «You be the Consultant» project and «Consultants' Fair» pedagogical methods to understand why students were so interested in them.Why were students so committed to these activities?Our hypothesis is that the active learning methodologies used as teaching and learning tools helped to create the right context to develop students' managerial competencies and improve their satisfaction levels in these large classroom settings (75-90 students).
Our study aimed to provide empirical evidence on the contribution of these active learning methods to improve students' competencies and satisfaction.To achieve this, we developed a research model to test that student satisfaction mediates the relationship between individual differences and team results.

The learning experience context
Lectures are the main method of instruction at traditional higher institutions, although practical and applied sessions must be implemented to comply with the Bologna higher education treaty in Europe.Although current learning theories emphasize the need for students to construct their own understanding, the traditional, instructor-based teaching by telling» focus is still the predominant practice (Feden, 2012).Furthermore, when large groups are taught, it becomes essential to apply a more interactive, student-centred focus.Empirical research provides strong evidence of the importance for learners of playing an active role in constructing knowledge.Active learning increases student performance (e.g., Barr & Tagg, 1995;Freeman et al., 2014).Similarly, the active learning strategy has been used to improve students' competencies.
Another contextual characteristic of management studies is the increased tendency to use English as the language of instruction.An increasing number of students are learning through the medium of English, even if it is not their native tongue (Dearden, 2014;Lueg & Lueg, 2015).
Additionally, scholars have found that one of the biggest barriers to effective oral presentations is nervousness and anxiety, known as public-speaking anxiety (Arnaiz & Guillen, 2012;Rolls, 1998).For non-native English students, this anxiety may be even more intense, as they must make even greater efforts to present the material in English.Reducing the size of the audience (from 80 to 5 people) is especially worthwhile, as it diminishes students' stress levels when they give oral presentations (Arnaiz & Guillen, 2012;Dearden, 2014).
To overcome these problems and promote students' learning and understanding, we implement an active, constructive process of teaching and learning (Ritchhart et al., 2011).

Description of the proposed activities
The pedagogical group methodology: "You be the Consultant" and the "Consultants' Fair" "You be the Consultant" and the "Consultants' Fair" are two pedagogical, active learning techniques that create the context for student participation in small groups (generally groups of five).The "Consultants' Fair" is used to pool the teamwork project "You be the Consultant".Thus, the "Fair" is preceded by a 10-week case study performed as a group project.
Students choose an organization with a potential people-based challenge or problem to solve.The project consists of performing a diagnosis, and suggesting organizational solutions (Burgoyne & Mumford, 2001;Wasserman, 1994).To prepare their executive reports (approximately 15-20 pages), students must research, develop and prepare a short case study on the organization's present challenge and their proposed solutions, in keeping with existing human resources management (HRM) and/or organizational behaviour (OB) strategic theories.
The "Consultants' Fair" is where the groups present their case study projects, using posters as visual support.It is organized so that the teams can pool and share their conclusions.Lecturers can divide the "Fair" into a 2-day format or an entire morning (either 2 or 4 hours).The class must be split into two.Half of the groups will be presenters, and the other half will be "visitors".The next day (or the second half of the class), the roles are reversed.
Thus, every consultant group will simultaneously present their work to a peer group.The presenting groups must stand in a small space, as if they are at a stand at a trade fair, with a few chairs for the visitors.The visitors move from stand to stand (in fact, under the posters), and spend approximately 15 minutes listening to the presenters and asking questions about the company in question.Visitors are also asked to assume an active role by providing feedback on the presenters and the poster through a "Visitor's Grid".Each visitor receives several questionnaires that they must fill in for every presentation (see Annex 1 for the form that visitors use for their assessments).This quantitative and qualitative feedback is returned to the team members the day after the "Fair" (see Annex 2 for further information), along with the instructor's grades for both assignments: the "You be the Consultant" company report and the poster for the "Consultants' Fair".
All students must be active, with some presenting and others listening at first, followed by the assessment (Donia, O'Neill & Brutus, 2015).Presenters must give their oral presentations six or seven times consecutively to different small audiences every time.

Effectiveness
The "You be the Consultant" and the "Consultants' Fair" pedagogical techniques promote and allot a specific amount of time for students to practise their core managerial competencies: specifically, teamwork and oral presentation skills.In terms of class dynamics, time is used more efficiently because students practise their competencies simultaneously and consecutively.It also provides "training through practice" for the oral presentation competency.Teams must describe the organizational problem and propose solutions several times, helping them to gradually become more accurate, focused and precise.The initial strain disappears as students repeat their presentations to their consecutive visitors.In so doing, they are clearly "learning by doing" (Ambrose et al., 2010;Biggs, 2011).
Furthermore, the "teaching others" methodology has the highest efficacy ratio in terms of retention (Biggs, 2011).Likewise, the learning methodology reported in this study requires students to be highly involved and active as they perform the "simulation" (they are consultants providing solutions), after previously carrying out research to draft the case study and apply HRM and organizational theories.
Although the contribution of active learning is recognized as improving students' performance (Freeman et al., 2014), our assumption was that it would lead to greater group satisfaction and learning, because students not only build a case study (the written report), but also prepare a poster and present and discuss their solutions with others.Overall, these methods contribute to help students to summarize and make their presentations even more attractive.

Participants and setting
Our sample included 250 undergraduate business administration students (63.6% female and 36.4% male, with a mean age of 20.7) who volunteered to participate in this study as part of their course assignments, but without any extra credit for their final class grades.The 15-week class was mandatory and taught entirely in English in a non-English speaking southern European country.
Students' grades for this class were 50% for individual work (30% corresponding to 4 quizzes and 20% to weekly case studies and assignments), and 50% for team work (20% for the group "You be the Consultant" case study report, 20% for the poster and the "Consultants' Fair" presentation, and 10% for a final integrative case study).Thus, the students' projects included in our study represented 40% of their overall course mark.

Data collection
The research design was longitudinal.We collected qualitative and quantitative data from three undergraduate HRM courses.The field work involved collecting data during Week 5 of the class, when the groups had already been formed.Participants were asked to fill in their job.We used 3 items from the Job Satisfaction Scale (Hackman & Oldham, 1975).All items were scored on a 7-point scale ranging from 1 ('to no extent') to 7 ('to a very great extent').Cronbach's alpha was 0.76.A sample statement is: "I am generally satisfied with the work I did in my team project."Competencies.To measure competencies (the ability to do something well or efficiently when using the English language), we asked students to self-assess five managerial competencies (oral presentations, time management, teamwork, self-confidence, and interpersonal skills) using the competencies scale developed by Baruch and Peiperl (2000).Participants self-evaluated themselves on an 8-point Likert scale ranging from 1 ('very low') to 8 ('extremely high').Cronbach's alpha was 0.87.A sample item is: "Evaluate yourself on these competencies when you use the English language…" Team performance.The dependent variable (team performance) was measured once students had completed their projects and from two independent sources: i) the peer evaluation grid completed during the "Fair"; and ii) the lecturers' grades (based on the poster content and features, and the teams' written executive reports).
Merce Mach, Pilar Saldaña.The Consultants' Fair: An active learning pedagogical methodology for large groups Universitat de Barcelona.Institut de Ciències de l'Educació Procedures 1We recorded all of the visitors' information to provide the students' feedback.We then analysed the web-based survey data using the SPSS v.23 statistical package and the PROCESS macro developed by Hayes (2003), which assesses mediation effects.This macro estimates the model coefficients using an ordinary least squares (OLS) regression-based path analytical framework, and employs the recommended bootstrapping methods (Mackinnon, Lockwood, & Williams, 2004) to probe the significance of the indirect effect.We used a 10,000 bootstrap resample, and a bias-corrected 95% confidence interval (CI) for our analyses (Preacher, Rucker, & Hayes, 2007).Before testing the hypotheses, we also checked the psychometric properties of the measures and their discriminant validity.

The mediating role of job satisfaction
Table 2 shows the influence that the development of competencies had on satisfaction (a= 0.45) and that satisfaction had on the peers' performance evaluation (b= 0.28) and on the lecturer's performance evaluation (b= 4.99).A bias-corrected bootstrapping 95% confidence interval (CI) for the indirect effect (ab= 0.13), based on 10,000 bootstrap samples, was entirely above zero [0.03 to 0.28] for the peers' performance evaluation; and also the 95% CI [0.57, 5.2] for the indirect effect (ab= 2.26) was entirely above zero for the lecturer's performance evaluation.Moreover, there is no evidence that competences influenced performance independently from their effect on satisfaction (c'= 0.01; p= ns.) in both cases.Therefore, satisfaction fully mediated the competencies-performance relationship.
Merce Mach, Pilar Saldaña.The Consultants' Fair: An active learning pedagogical methodology for large groups Universitat de Barcelona.Institut de Ciències de l'Educació Furthermore, as reported in Table 3, other individual characteristics (conscientiousness and self-efficacy) were also predictors of students' satisfaction and the respective team's performance.The 95% CI [0.10,4.4]and CI [0.93,11.6]for the indirect effect (ab= 1.39; and ab= 4.41) were entirely above zero, either for conscientiousness and self-efficacy when it was the lecturer who assessed the final performance of the group.However, when peers performed the assessment, only students' self-efficacy characteristics proved to be antecedent to this mediation (95% CI [0.05, 0.66] for the indirect effect (ab= 0.26) was entirely above zero).Overall, our findings reveal that students' satisfaction mediates the relationship between individual characteristics and the team's performance results.
This study provides empirical evidence of the effects of active learning methodologies on competency development and satisfaction in predicting future team performance.Furthermore, conscientiousness and self-efficacy are also antecedents of this relationship.These findings are consistent with previous empirical research in which conscientiousness facilitates performance (Barrick & Mount, 1991), and predicts satisfaction (Judge, Heller, & Merce Mach, Pilar Saldaña.The Consultants' Fair: An active learning pedagogical methodology for large groups Universitat de Barcelona.Institut de Ciències de l'Educació Mount, 2002;Morgeson, Reider, & Campion, 2005).Furthermore, self-efficacy (Bandura, 1986;Stajkovic & Luthans, 1998) and competencies (Witt & Ferris, 2003) are strong predictors of performance, as well as the job satisfaction-productivity link that has proved to be robust (Judge, Thoresen, Bonon, & Patton, 2001).However, this link could also be reversed; productivity could lead to satisfaction, namely, if you do a good job, you intrinsically feel good about it.

Discussion and conclusions
Our research aimed to examine the use of active learning methodologies in large classroom settings, and how they contribute to student satisfaction and team performance.
The "Consultants' Fair" has several advantages for students, since it is a learning experience that addresses the competencies they need to become effective professionals.However, this method also has several limitations.
When group work is carried out, opportunistic behaviour can appear among some members who do not contribute equally to the group projects (Hall & Buzwell, 2013).That is, some of the members do not work at the same pace or with the same diligence as others, and therefore benefit, in principle, from the others' work.This can be referred to as "free riding" and "social loafing".
This potential problem could have appeared in this specific active learning technique (Bain 2004, Barkley, Major, & Cross, 2014).However, as all students had to participate collectively in the oral presentation, the problem was partially solved, since everyone had the opportunity to contribute in different ways, either by adding to the written report, designing and preparing the posters, and preparing and giving the subsequent oral presentations.
Furthermore, to prevent or overcome social loafing, we used peer and self-assessment questionnaires.Members evaluated their peers and their group's dynamics in terms of quality and work done (Hannan & Silver, 2000).
The fact that students performed their oral presentations several times at the "Consultants' Fair" provided them with intensive on-the-job training through ongoing practice.As a training method, it is highly effective and efficient.In real-life contexts, people will usually only have a Merce Mach, Pilar Saldaña.The Consultants' Fair: An active learning pedagogical methodology for large groups Universitat de Barcelona.Institut de Ciències de l'Educació single opportunity to present and defend their projects.Life can give us many opportunities, but usually not in such a short period of time or in such similar contextual conditions.
These techniques are effective as active teaching and learning methodologies, but, if only one lecturer uses them, the likelihood that they will contribute to developing students' social skills and competencies is reduced.Therefore, it would be advisable for these methodologies to be applied to other disciplines.In this way, students will not only acquire the competencies needed for case study presentations, but will also learn to work on these competencies in other fields of knowledge.
Future research.In addition to enlarging the research study sample to improve its statistical power, other control conditions could be used in the future, and some of the data inputs on the recorded observations of students' oral presentations could be expanded (e.g., the first and the last presentation to assess the increased learning curve).Alternatively, the self-assessment questionnaires could be used to improve the team's project performance.
As a concluding comment, students will be able to learn better if they work in active learning environments that also encourage them to take responsibility for their own learning.
b) The poster supported the material presented.
c) Visual aides were appropriate, helpful, and easy to read.

Substance
a) All important aspects of the project were covered.
b) Relevant and interesting links to course content could be seen.c) Presenters showed good mastery of the topic.The flow of information was clear and logical.

Preparedness
a) All aspects of the presentation were well-prepared.
b) Presenters understood and had a complete grasp of the project/subjects presented.c) Presenters were able to effectively answer questions.

Group Coordination
a) All members collaborated and cooperated.
b) The members appeared to be working together to explain their projects.c) Effective public speeches: eye contact, clear & calm voice, and professional manner.
b) It captured your attention.
c) The members took risks in the presentation.
Total: ___/35 6. Comments: Note: Highlight first a positive issue of the presentation, and then something that could be improved.
Annex 2. "Visitor's Grid" -Students' Assessment at Consultants' Fair During the oral presentation, "visiting"" students were asked to assess the oral presentation and the poster of each "Consultant Group" they visited.All consultant groups were evaluated by different small audiences (every 15 minutes).Therefore, every single visitor group was given 5-7 grids at the beginning of the "Fair" (see Annex 1 for a sample copy of the Grid Questionnaire used by visitors to assess each poster presentation).
" Quantitative Assessment.Visitors assessed each dimension on a 7-point Likert-scale ranging from 1 (poor) to 7 (outstanding).The questionnaire appraised five aspects of the presentation (Organization, Presentation substance, Preparedness, Group coordination & effectiveness, and Poster creativity).All scores were added up at the end, and provided together with qualitative feedback.
Finally, as a validation procedure, students were asked to rank the two best poster presentations.Group members were asked to reach consensus as groups on the two best posters.In the three editions, this ranking was always consistent with the quantitative scores received by the groups (the highest scoring groups and the best papers corresponded to the same teams).
" Qualitative Assessments.The Observation Grid also required students to give qualitative feedback on the presentations.Among all the feedback received by groups, some broad categories emerged: # Some positive feedback categories: -Solutions were provided to deal with the company challenge -The poster was original and clear -The topic and proposed solutions were interesting -The group was professional (it interacted with the audience) -The oral presentation was well performed (body language, eye contact, voice, dynamism, etc.) -The group members were coordinated # Some aspects for improvement: -The layout of the poster elements (clarity, originality, distribution of contents, font size, etc.) -The use of time (duration, different members' participation, etc.) -The presenters' oral skills (if they read or spoke very quickly when they gave the presentations) -The lack of coordination and organization among members -The presenters' English proficiency, etc.
-The excessive amount of information, etc.

Table 1
provides descriptive statistics including means, standard deviations, and correlations for all study variables.

Table 3
Other explanatory variables (significant indirect effects of X on Y)