Annual CEEMAN Conference discusses use of technology in management education

The 22nd CEEMAN Conference was held in the Danubius Health Spa Resort on Margit sziget from 24-27 September. The event, co-organised by the ESSCA School of Management, came to the Hungarian capital for the second time, and hosted several international business school leaders. The conference’s main theme this year was “When, Why and How is Technology Reshaping Management Education?”.  Apart from a focused two-day session of roundtable discussions and workshops, participants could also get a taste of the colourful historical and cultural life of Budapest.
CEEMAN is an international association for management development in dynamic societies (founded in 1993), whose main goal originally was to assist business schools and management development institutions in the Central and Eastern European area. The organisation, however, has become so popular with other international institutions that it has outgrown its territory over the past decade, and now it counts more than 210 members from all over the world: from Europe, America, Africa and Asia.
The conference is hosted every year by a different member institution and is CEEMAN’s most important event of the year, as it provides a platform for discussion of relevant problems and development in management education. CEEMAN’s objectives include, inter alia, the improvement of management education, the promotion of global competitiveness, sustainable development and social responsibility, the establishment of a network for institution leaders and a representation of the interests of its members.
The conference this year was hosted by the ESSCA School of Management, a prestigious French school of management, at its Hungarian site. Since its establishment in Angers in 1909, ESSCA has become very active in international relations and became enriched by one national (Paris, 1993) and two international campuses (Budapest 1993, Shanghai 2007).
“The topic of the conference is a very relevant one in today’s education in general, as technology is gradually changing our macro environment,” says Dr. Zsuzsa Deli-Gray, director of the Hungarian site of ESSCA. “Therefore, traditional ways of teaching should be extended with new, innovative tools and methods so that our students can stay competitive in the labour market.
“This year’s CEEMAN Conference hosted several roundtable discussions and workshops for leaders of management institutions to help them discuss their challenges and problems regarding technological restructuring, to suggest established practices and to share ideas for overcoming difficulties.”
Deli-Gray said the main question of the conference on when, why and how technology is reshaping management education was approached by both academic and practising business experts. She also explained that the main topic of the conference was divided into four subtopics for the workshop discussions: questions regarding MOOC (Massive Open Online Course), the online and blended programs, the gamification and simulations as well as the learning management systems.
MOOC is a teaching method of the 21st century, with which students can access content, receive feedback and get evaluation via the internet. Using new technologies, MOOC allows distance education to reach a whole new level; however, its proportionate introduction in classes has to be handled with caution and, thus, leads to further discussions in the conference. The wide range offer of the online and blended programs in many countries explains why discussions explored the future of the traditional teaching methods. The inclusion of games can be a useful method of practical education for management. On the other hand, like MOOC, their integration has to be a carefully planned process. Finally, talks on learning management systems explored the already tested software applications of the e-learning programs.
In the four days of organised activities, 150 directors and management educators participated in the meetings, out of which 30 were Hungarian. The event also provided room for entertainment in the evenings in the form of music, dance and traditional Hungarian meals surrounded by the picturesque sights of Budapest.