Pedagogical Platform and Delivery of Teaching

The chosen learning, teaching, and assessment methods are adapted to the programme’s practice-oriented profile. In addition to academic learning, students are expected throughout the programme to reflect on and further develop their own leadership practice.

Throughout the programme, students connect relevant theory to their own experiences and the challenges they face, while also working actively on the development of their own practice. Many of the sessions are interdisciplinary and thematically integrated. Teaching combines syllabus-based material and theory with student-initiated material and projects.

The programme is organised as a session-based study programme. Individual course coordinators may design learning activities and teaching arrangements that are suited to the participants, employers, and the pedagogical approach of the course. The sessions are intended to facilitate relationship-building, knowledge sharing, and inspiration.

The selected learning, teaching, and assessment methods are adapted both to the programme’s practice-oriented character and to the academic level of each course. Throughout the programme, students are expected to reflect on and further develop their own leadership practice. Each course has a clear practical orientation with the aim of ensuring strong relevance to working life, including competencies related to problem-solving, argumentation, relational competence, communication, and critical thinking. Students are also expected to develop an awareness of their own learning style and learning strategies in order to support continuous learning. Different forms of practice-oriented learning are used across the courses.

Examples include leadership development activities, simulation exercises, job rotation, solving real organisational problems, role play, coaching, mentoring, case work, visits to and from external organisations, and theme-based workshops, depending on the course being taught.

The main principle underlying the pedagogical design of the courses is case- and project-based learning rooted in the students’ real-life experiences. In addition to lectures, learning activities may include process-oriented workshops, seminars, and case work in which theory, methods, and practice are integrated whenever possible. Student-active learning is also emphasised through student-driven groups, processes, and projects.

The learning processes described above are based on principles intended both to stimulate insight, develop skills, and train students in handling real-world challenges. The programme seeks to provide students with scientific insight, practical skills, and practice-based knowledge, while also supporting the development of practical wisdom through exposure to challenging situations, interdisciplinary problems, and leadership-relevant skills training.

The programme aims to provide students with experiences of mastery and encourage them to take on demanding responsibilities in working life. Throughout the programme, students are progressively challenged to address increasingly complex tasks, taking into account their individual prerequisites, career development, learning progression, and professional and personal growth.

Learning and Teaching Methods

The learning and teaching methods used in the various courses are adapted to the nature and intended learning outcomes of each individual course. Some courses focus primarily on knowledge acquisition, while others place greater emphasis on the integration of theory and practice, skills development, and the development of general competence. This is reflected in the teaching methods employed.

Lectures

Lectures are used in all courses to ensure a thorough understanding of relevant theories as an important component of the learning outcomes. Teaching is intended to be as dialogue- and discussion-based as possible, where learning is achieved through a combination of individual reflection and discussions with lecturers and fellow students. The aim is to promote a holistic understanding of theories and the scientific foundations of the course. Guest lecturers from working life may be included where relevant in order to strengthen students’ ability to apply knowledge to practical issues.

Seminars

In some courses, seminars are used as a teaching method, particularly for topics requiring deeper insight and reflection. Guest speakers may be invited to present current developments in research-based knowledge and trends within the field. These seminars are combined with dialogue- and discussion-based learning processes in which learning emerges through a combination of new insight, personal reflection, and discussions with guest lecturers, faculty members, and fellow students. The aim is to provide students with updated knowledge in areas characterised by rapid development.

Student Presentations

In several courses, students are required to present research and/or independent work or project reports for discussion in plenary sessions. These may include summaries of syllabus literature and research articles, project work, or assignments completed individually or in groups. Such presentations are intended to train students in communication and in presenting their own analyses and reflections. Active participation in discussions related to these presentations is emphasised. This contributes to skills development in critical analysis, independent assessment, and the ability to communicate insights in a relevant and understandable manner.

Cases and Problem-Based Learning

Teaching alternates between discussion-based learning and development-oriented processes in which students work on assigned or self-defined problems and develop possible solutions. Both instructor-defined and student-initiated material are used. Some topics are introduced through shorter plenary lectures, after which students formulate and work on key issues in groups. Other learning activities are based on challenges students encounter in their own work situations, where they individually and collaboratively develop solutions that are subsequently discussed and presented in plenary sessions.

Project Assignments

In some courses, students complete one or more project assignments or written submissions independently. In certain cases, these projects are discussed in plenary sessions, where results are presented as part of the assessment process. Project reports may be submitted in stages or as complete reports. These assignments are intended primarily to connect students’ own experiences with theory and support the development of their own leadership practice as defined in the learning outcomes.

Workshops

In some courses, students participate in skills training and process-oriented workshops. These activities are intended to help internalise knowledge and experience, create new experiences, and strengthen the connection between theory and practice. Exercises and skills training may also include learning experiments that students carry out independently between sessions.

Feedback, Supervision, and Coaching

In certain courses, students participate in learning processes where they receive feedback on completed work and on their leadership practice. Students may be supervised by fellow students, faculty members, and in some cases mentored or coached by faculty members and/or external contributors.

Independent Work and Self-Study

In general, the programme requires a substantial degree of independent work throughout the course of study. During intensive self-study periods, students receive guidance and support, including the use of digital tools. The programme includes assignments, projects, and processes that place considerable demands on students’ ability to work independently. Students are expected to be self-directed in order to benefit fully from the programme. They must identify what is needed to solve assignments, set their own deadlines, motivate themselves, manage their workload and time effectively, and collaborate and coordinate with others.

The academic content of each course, combined with varied teaching methods, contributes to the achievement of the programme’s overall learning outcomes. Individual courses therefore contribute in different ways to the programme as a whole.

Examination and Assessment Methods

Semester projects and take-home examinations are used as the primary forms of assessment in the programme, often based on real cases or issues drawn from the students’ workplaces and/or previous professional experience. Assessment methods are adapted to the nature of each course and are intended to provide students with varied academic and practical challenges.

The most common forms of assessment are:

Take-Home Examination

Duration ranges from two to four weeks. Examinations may be completed individually or in groups. This form of assessment is intended to provide students with training in the application of theory, collection of empirical material, analysis, and academic writing.

Semester Assignment

Assignments may extend from four weeks to the duration of the semester and may be completed individually or in groups. These assignments are intended to provide advanced training in the application of theory, empirical data collection, analysis, and written communication. They may take different forms, such as written papers, project work, productions, films, campaigns, blogs, or similar outputs. The work must result in a verifiable product. Supervision may be provided during the process.

Portfolio Assessment

Portfolio assessments may extend from three days to the full duration of the course. Portfolio submissions are used in courses where students are expected to reflect on their own learning, increase awareness of their leadership practice, and further develop this practice. All submitted work must be verifiable but may otherwise consist of a wide range of formats and productions. The portfolio consists of several submissions throughout the semester and is assessed collectively after the final submission.

Oral Examination

Oral presentations may in some cases constitute a mandatory requirement for eligibility to sit the final examination, while in other cases they form part of the final assessment. The examination may be based on one or more assignments to be presented orally, as a presentation, as a dialogue with the examiner, or as a combination of these formats.

In experience-based master’s programmes, assignments completed over time, often as take-home assessments, are the most common form of examination. However, in some cases, supervised examinations lasting from one to six hours may also be used, typically in combination with other forms of assessment.

Study program MEW

Executive Master in Leadership