LeBow Staff Join ABSEL Board, Attend Conference

Jim Caruso, LeBow’s associate director for corporate and executive education, was recently elected to the board of the Association for Business Simulation and Experiential Learning (ABSEL). He and Diana Jones, assistant director of LeBow’s Dornsife Office for Experiential Learning, recently attended ABSEL’s annual conference in New Orleans.

As a member of ABSEL’s board, Caruso will help with conference planning, review simulation track papers, as well as co-develop and co-deliver the faculty development pre-conference workshop for the association’s annual conference.

ABSEL is an organization for academics and professionals that develop and promote innovative and effective teaching methods in the disciplines of business, management, and related fields. Members meet at ABSEL’s annual conference to exchange information and network with colleagues working in the design, use, and research of simulations, games, and experiential techniques.

Caruso also presented at the conference on “Using Simulation, 360-degree Feedback, a Balanced Scorecard, and AARs to Assess Individual and Team Performance in Different Delivery Formats.” In the workshop, Caruso described the creative and innovative integration of various assessment tools along with business acumen and leadership content in a graduate management course using an engaging total enterprise team-based simulation. Caruso has been teaching experiential learning-based business courses for 20 years, and describes his approach to business education as highly experiential and systems thinking-focused: “My goal is to develop learners’ critical thinking skills so that they are able to approach business problems from a holistic perspective, enabling them to make the best decision for the context.”

Caruso says, “At the conference, I discovered new options for teaching scenario-based simulations by incorporating Harvard Business School’s Everest leadership simulation throughout the entire course. I picked up new ideas for applying simulation in our courses, both computer-based and role-play simulations. I plan to apply these in my teaching here at LeBow.”

Jones says, “Our involvement with ABSEL can add value to the future of experiential learning at LeBow. Given the College’s strengths in and dedication to these areas, we can contribute a great deal to this organization while highlighting LeBow’s expertise.”