A major aspect of the Ubuntu Management Education Initiative is the Ivey elective course 4525 International Business Environment Studies: Service Learning in Africa. It is unique in that it involves both a credit course and an international service learning field trip of at least 4 weeks.
The course educates Ivey students on the economic, political, technological and social context for business and entrepreneurship in 5 countries (Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Ghana), through cases, discussions and readings largely reinforcing foundational skills from our first year program.
Ivey students also learn about the elements of international service learning, its philosophical foundations and commitments to serving with (not for) and the role of personal reflection in learning. The course also trains students to switch roles – from case learner to case teacher and writer.
Classes are intensive and offered during a 1 week period during late April each year and involving 9 blocks of 4 hour classes on consecutive days. Subsequently, during the month of May, Ivey students go into the field – in teams of 3 they visit a partner business schools to deliver a course on ‘Business Decision Making with Cases’ to interested African students.
The course is designed to achieve three reciprocally related goals:
- Advance Ivey students’ education about the African business context and state of business education along with mastery of business fundamentals.
- Develop Africa student skills in business analysis, judgment and communication skills through case based education to supplement their lecture based learning.
- Capacity building for case based education at African Business Schools which can contribute as a solution to human capital development that has lagged across much of sub-Saharan Africa.
Watch how prior Ivey students have taken advantage of this amazing opportunity.
