To deliver Impact Through Education®, our comprehensive, ongoing educational and practical approach to executive development extends well beyond the traditional one- or two-week classroom experience. This continuum includes needs assessment techniques that result in highly targeted program design, technology platforms to engage participants and their managers back in the work environment, brainstorming sessions to discuss barriers to implementation, and voluntary coaching programs.
At the center of these activities is the classroom experience that executives tell us is first-in-class. Leveraging the world's largest and most-cited business school faculty, our programs provide an extraordinary learning environment and network of peers from around the globe. The program’s impact and the peer relationships that develop as a result of participation, extend well beyond the participant’s time in the classroom.
The Wharton Learning Continuum is best understood in the framework of a custom educational solution, but there are elements of it in our open-enrollment programs as well.
Observable Outcomes Definition and Tracking
Observable outcomes are the goals that participants define at the beginning of the program. These are the plans they want to accomplish when they return to work, the skills they wish to acquire or improve, or behaviors they want to change. The key to measuring them is to state them simply and ensure they are observable in common-sense terms. Typically participants determine three to five key observable outcomes during the program, although these outcomes may change over time. Wharton tracks results after the program through regular contact, including online reminders and/or our Virtual Classroom.
Manager's Briefings
Support from managers makes it easier for participants to implement what they learn during a Wharton Executive Education program. Our managers’ briefings help to maximize results by facilitating managerial involvement. For their part, participants must communicate with their manager what they expect to encounter during the program, what impact they hope to achieve, and what barriers they may face in achieving their goals. If a participant and his or her manager agree to participate, the briefings can be delivered in a variety of forms — from e-mails before or after the in-class sessions, to more detailed reports, to sessions in the Virtual Classroom.
Reconvening the Cohort
The shared learning experience and bond created with fellow executives is an important benefit of participating in Wharton programs. When cohorts reconvene at periodic intervals (typically every two to three months), participants discuss progress against goals, and coach each other to overcome challenges and barriers to implementation. The Virtual Classroom and Wharton staff facilitate these post-program sessions. In addition, we offer online office hours so that participants can discuss individual questions with program faculty.
Impact Reports
Impact reports summarize the group's successes and challenges/barriers to achieving observable outcomes. These reports are generated after a cohort reconvenes, or can be created based on the group's reported results. They can be shared with participants, managers, or both, and can be useful in helping participants implement their goals.
Individual Coaching
When appropriate, a business coach can help to integrate what a participant has learned in a program into his or her workplace. Coaching can also assist managers to improve their effectiveness as leaders. We bring together business coaches and executive participants on a case-by-case basis for follow-up activities that reinforce program content and its application on the job.
That's it — the Wharton Learning Continuum. Simple, practical, and focused on impact.