Integrating experiential learning into Business School programmes
Splash Projects delivers innovative experiential learning programs to develop individuals and teams through real-life projects which also benefit local communities.
Our programmes are ideal for those on MBA/MIM and other business programmes or as part of Executive Education and we have years of proven experience working with world-class business schools.
Participants learn invaluable team, leadership and project management skills whilst improving their self-confidence and personal effectiveness. The experience is life changing, enabling participants to put into practice the learning they are receiving as part of their studies.
Splash Projects has continued to run Covid-safe programmes during the pandemic and our recent experience with the MBA students from IE Business School in Madrid demonstrated first-hand the students desire to move away from online learning and reconnect physically with their fellow students and come together to make a real difference within the local community.
What do we offer Business Schools and Academia?
There are several types of projects to choose from:
- Team Challenges give students the opportunity to develop into a self-aware, highly effective team. They are an invaluable way for a new cohort of students to bond.
- Leadership Challenges build on Team Challenges, giving Business School students the opportunity to hone a wide variety of Leadership and Management skills on a real-life project. Splash experts mentor the student Management Team over the months leading up to the project delivery, allowing the student Management Team practice key skills (including Stakeholder Management, Project Management, Resourcing, Planning, Fundraising, Communications, etc.) in a real-life environment.
- Strategic Management Projects give students the opportunity to work in small teams on a 4-8 week real-life project. Splash will source sets of interesting projects for Business Schools. The projects could take place anywhere (safe) in the world and will have a charity / community impact / SDG focus, so the students will have a strategic impact on an organisation that would otherwise be unable to pay for management consultancy services. Their work can be supported by a Business School tutor and earn students credits towards their overall programme.
- Study / Field trips offer experiential learning expeditions to locations that would otherwise be inaccessible to students. Various activities can be included such as meeting local entrepreneurs, reviewing local business processes, developing business plans and improving infrastructure.
- Rapid Response command tasks provide students with a series of challenges / disaster relief scenarios to work through. Every student will have the chance to lead at some point in the day – testing Strategic Thinking, Communication and Problem Solving skills. Rapid Response command tasks introduce global issues and the Sustainable Development Goals, helping students understand how to contribute to society and make a difference.
In addition to these projects, Splash Projects also provide several services, which can be “bolted” on to our projects or purchased separately, including
- Media Services – including a film of the project experience and internal / external PR, including photographs and copy for press releases, articles for internal magazines and social media.
- Return on Learning workshops – which involve taking learning from a Splash Project back to the lecture room with the aim of improving performance longer term. Participants reflect on behaviours seen during the project and allow for a deep-dive discussion into how the project went in order to learn from mistakes and improve longer term.
- Coaching – during a Splash Project, our academic experts and coaches observe the participants as they work through their challenge. Then, on completion will work (either one-to-one or with small teams of participants) to assist with specific further development. Individuals have demonstrated improved work performance, more effective communication and increased self-confidence. Companies have reported that they have more than recouped their investment.
Tailor-made
- Our projects and services are completely flexible, tailored to your curriculum following consultation with faculty.
- Each will challenge students regardless of age / experience level.
- Our goal is to provide demanding yet fun environments to push each cohort (and individual) past their perceived limits.
If you would like to discuss any of these projects or services with a member of the Splash team or get a quote, please contact us.
Benefits
Central to every Splash project is the idea that a charity or community must benefit and that participants must take the initiative to make it happen.
Our leadership team consists of former instructors from the British Royal School of Military Engineering who have led relief projects and corporate development programmes around the globe.
Under their watchful eye, participants deliver a project that a charity could never have afforded themselves. It could be a playground for deprived children, a wheelchair course for people with disabilities, a garden for terminally-ill patients, anything … the students build whatever the charity needs.
This real-life challenge provides a platform to take students out of their comfort zone and an environment where students can:
- Practice working as a high-performance team
- Try out different leadership styles
- Are tested under VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) conditions
- Require a common team history that can be used back in the classroom
- Gain a better understanding of the course programme objectives and behaviours required in business
- And an experience that will embed Social Responsibility into the DNA of future leaders and demonstrate the importance of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Health & Safety
A team of facilitators from Splash Projects oversees each project (except Strategic Management Projects), ensuring Health and Safety compliance is high on the agenda. We are certified in Health & Safety protocols and are first-aiders.
We have continued working safely throughout the pandemic – link to covid safety film.
All public liability and other appropriate insurances are put in place to provide comprehensive protection.
Testimonials
“It feels so gratifying to actually see our team’s impact on this amazing project. I really appreciate the effort that each of us put. Everyone was just helping each other, and we were all active and ready to get our hands dirty. Thanks to all you guys!” Domenico Mattia Franchini, IE Business School, Madrid
“This was perhaps the most impactful session. It was extremely well-conceived and implemented and was of far greater impact to me than any classroom session I have every been part of. What I felt and learned that day will stick with me forever and is something I can apply immediately in my work.” Student from TIAS, Amsterdam
Click here for further testimonials.
