Experiencing the transformational potential of tech

This semester alone, almost 1600 Bachelor of Commerce students have participated in experiential learning through the Business School’s Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) in one of the University’s makerspaces, Kura Matahuna Unleash Space, and Te Ahi Hangarau 5G lab.

Kura Matahuna Unleash Space is at 20 Symonds Street. Te Ahi Hangarau is located in the Sir Owen G Glenn Building, first opening in 2022 as part of the Business School’s technology complex, which also includes a financial trading lab. Since then, a whopping 10,000 people have had a learning experience in Te Ahi Hangarau via curricular or extracurricular programming.

These are mind-blowing metrics, especially considering the integration of technology training into the Bachelor of Commerce programme has been a relatively recent development. Hands-on makerspace experience first featured in a Business School course in 2021 with a team assignment for B112 - Managing Sustainable Growth.

Since then, tech training and assessment has been incorporated into a range of courses, meaning every single Bachelor of Commerce student engages with makerspaces to produce digital or physical artefacts using makerspace tools, for example an assignment where marketing students are tasked with making packaging prototypes.

The vision behind the integration was to ensure every student experienced the transformational potential of technology during their studies, explains Andrew Eberhard, the current Associate Dean of Professional Programmes and former Associate Dean Technology.

Given the highly interdisciplinary nature of business, it made sense to include a technology training component in course design, says Business 112 Course Director Dr Parizad Mulla. Assessments are designed to be hands-on, bringing together the theoretical and disciplinary threads of the course.

“For many students this will be their first attempt at design thinking and using the tools in the space, so we really emphasise the iterative nature of the process. We want them to try things, seek feedback loops and embark on a learning journey that is as important as the final destination. It gives them a broader and more applied understanding, and so is reflective of a shift towards increasingly authentic assessment.”

Each semester Dr Mulla creates an assignment - a hypothetical design brief – and incorporates relevant course content into it. She then works with CIE’s Technology and Prototyping Manager Sean Kelly and Technology and Prototyping Adviser Trevor McGurk and their team, who train students on the equipment and advise them on what is and isn’t viable.

“Some students may 3D print, others might laser cut or use any of the other tools in the Makerspace. The key thing is that they experiment with design and fabrication with the applicable course concepts - for example branding, concurrent design and sustainability in mind.”

Eberhard believes that experiential learning will become a core part of business education, not an add-on.

“When students see that they can prototype, test and refine an idea themselves, they start thinking differently about what’s possible. Those skills are essential for leading in a world driven by technology and change.”

Eberhard and Dr Mulla both also note an important part of the equation is that students love it. Eberhard says what he most enjoys is the students’ energy and enthusiasm.

“They don’t get daunted by big challenges - rather, they dive straight in and give it everything. Watching them tackle problems with that kind of creativity and drive is genuinely inspiring.”