In honor of 10 years of PREMIUM, we look back on what a decade of PREMIUM has meant for our alumni, coaches, mentors, clients and trainers.
We would like to introduce you to key2advance, a valued partner of PREMIUM’s client network with a long history of valuable contribution. Mona Shair-Wloch, the managing director of key2advance, founded this training and coaching consultancy almost 13 years ago.
She describes key2advance as “a network of 25 trainers, coaches, career advisors, and facilitators. We work, on the one hand, with universities and schools during transition phases, and that’s also how we are involved with PREMIUM. On the other hand, we also work in the corporate and non-profit sector where we offer training in leadership, high-performance and resilience, to name a few. Next to being managing director, I also provide many of the workshops myself.’
Let’s dive into this article to learn more about the important role of key2advance as a client in the PREMIUM programme!
What is your most special PREMIUM memory so far?
‘I have been working as a Public Speaking trainer for the PREMIUM programme for quite some years already but I’m very fond of one particular memory.
Two years ago, I was invited to give a keynote speech during PREMIUM’s Closing Event. My speech was about self-coaching and intrinsic motivation, which is all about doing something because you want to and not because of any external rewards.
We had a great exercise related to intrinsic motivation where the students discovered how powerful a positive inner dialogue can be for reaching your goals. There may have been some chili peppers involved! The students were then requested to write down one small step that they could take today to get closer to their goals.
After this session, a student called Martin came to talk to me. He showed me his piece of paper with his ‘one step to come closer to your goal’ and on this piece of paper was written: ‘talk to Mona’. He wanted to inquire whether we took interns at key2advance. Soon, we scheduled a Skype call and it was during these initial calls that we came up with the idea to develop the Next Generation Leadership Academy. Although we were already looking into such a programme, we lacked the resources to push it forward. We needed a Content Developer and Martin eventually took on this role.
After this experience with Martin, we thought it would be great to have more PREMIUM students involved in the programme. Thanks to him, we applied for the role of client in the PREMIUM programme.
I like this story because it shows how a beautiful story can develop from a series of events. It started with me as a trainer at UNU-MERIT and it ended with our newest academy and 6 current PREMIUM students helping us to improve it.’
How did your company initially get involved in the PREMIUM programme? What impression did you have of PREMIUM?
‘I initially became affiliated with UM for the first time when I gave a workshop to students at UNU-MERIT. Through this, I was contacted and asked by the coordinators of the PREMIUM programme to give Public Speaking workshops to students. We have been collaborating for more than 5 years since then.
My first impression of PREMIUM was that the programme was always coordinated professionally: well organized, very on top of things, straightforward, and smooth coordination. I must say I really enjoy training and working with PREMIUM students!
PREMIUM students are so motivated and extroverted because they want to perform and make an impact. You can already see leadership qualities here from the get-go. When I give my Public Speaking workshop to PREMIUM students, they always seem comfortable with standing in front of an audience and sharing their thoughts and ideas. I have always enjoyed the diversity of talents among the PREMIUM students immensely.’
Can you explain why your company continues to participate in the PREMIUM programme in the role of the client (or workshop provider)?
‘The real question is: why not? We like the programme’s concept, so we want to continue supporting it. Our participation in the programme gives us a sense of meaning: we are impacting the lives of young academics who want to make a difference in the world.
Also, PREMIUM is a good partner. The programme has a clear structure and it is so well organized that we only have to focus on the content rather than the organization. We also get the chance to work with such passionate students and they keep on impressing us repeatedly.
We also try to give back to students as much as possible: we are currently giving them coaching sessions and welcoming them to take part in an expensive programme of key2advance for free.
I would love to keep on participating in the PREMIUM programme in the role of client. I believe we can always find new and exciting projects that can contribute to a student’s learning and development journey.’
What qualities do you search for in an ideal PREMIUM project team?
‘When looking for a student team we have a few key values at key2advance that we keep in mind. Firstly, caring about self-development and supporting others is something we would like to see in students. Secondly, we look for a professional attitude. You need to deliver on time and take your job seriously. Lastly, we value students who are proactive with sharing ideas and challenging us.
During PREMIUM’s Kick-Off event, we noticed these elements in our students, even though it was conducted online. The students knew how to present themselves, they let the others speak as well, and they were very mindful of the time. This was great.’
Given the fact that key2advance creates a platform for the Next Generation Leadership: why do you believe that PREMIUM students are the future leaders?
‘A leader is someone always ready to go that extra mile. A student doing a MA programme already experiences a lot of demands. If you are willing to go the extra mile and do PREMIUM as well, then you are willing to challenge yourself and look beyond your comfort zone.’
In your opinion, why do you believe more organizations should join PREMIUM in the role of the client?
‘If a company has a concrete project and someone supervising it as well, then PREMIUM is the perfect ground to attract new talent. Most companies do not have the time to look through hundreds of applications. It is an absolute luxury to be able to work with and select from a pool of motivated people, who have already been pre-selected and supported by an Honours programme.
What’s more, during PREMIUM the students are already trained on how to best work together, to present well, and how to manage a project. It is almost like the HR and the learning and development trajectory is outsourced, and you get this great talent to work with you!
Even though we mostly work on a freelance basis, I would absolutely be open to working with PREMIUM students even after they have graduated. If there is a need we have, and we see someone that is very professional, then there are definitely options.’
What does your company gain from being a PREMIUM client?
‘Given the fact that we work with the Next Generation Leaders Academy and we believe that PREMIUM students are the next generation leaders, it is great to get their perspective and input. It helps us to see if we are on schedule and on target.
The PREMIUM students are almost like ambassadors for the next generation leaders, which we are trying to reach. Therefore, the PREMIUM students are not just supporting us, but they are providing us with a very useful perspective.’
Mona and Martin:
Are you interested to learn more about key2advance? Head over to their website for more information!
Special thanks to:
Mona Shair-Wloch, Founder & Managing Director key2advance
Martin van de Pas, Content Developer & Trainer key2advance
Natasha Schön, Content Developer & Brand Strategist key2advance
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Step 3: Align means and ends
This exercise provides a first introduction to PBL and the seven-step approach.
As collaboration is an important aspect of PBL, the topic of the first task they discuss is group development and group dynamics – reflecting the situation they are actually facing.
By making group work the subject of study and discussion, it becomes easier to talk about the real-life experiences and expectation student have. This way, a more personal reflection on learning is combined with a first glance at doing and using research, making a critical discussion of the literature a logical next step during the post discussion.
After the session, we also evaluate this first discussion, using questions such as:
–> Can you describe what happened during the discussion?
–> Was this what you expected of a PBL discussion?
–> What went well? And what could be improved?
Stage 1: Mapping teaching & learning styles – Stage 3: Align means and ends
At DKE, we identified a set of key features that define our Project Centered approach to learning. We then created a playful approach for our introduction, revolving around one essential aspect of PCL: team work.
At the start of the 2020-2021 academic year, DKE students took part in an alternate reality game, a Covid-proof interactive event designed for the introduction days of the academic year of 2020-2021. Students were confronted with various strange situations. Those who logged in early to their faculty introduction programme encountered unexpected footage: before the virtual welcome address, men and women in black could be seen combing the lecture halls and escorting speakers in and out.
Through a series of online puzzles disguised as group assignments – a hallmark of the project-centred learning method of the programme – students uncovered a wild plot as they raced through puzzles, collaborating within and outside of their group through Zoom, Google Docs, Whatsapp and UM’s custom-built social media platform.
Through the game, students are actively exploring and practicing many aspects of Project Centered Learning:
–> It was not clear in advance where it was going (the plot only became clear along the way: kidnapping, bomb, villain, etc.)
–> After an introductory presentation in groups of 6-8ish (online, Zoom), with a supervisor we started with two assignments – varying from a quiz (clear assignments) to a fake broken webpage (very vague, much self-direction needed)
–> Division of roles in groups stimulated by the supervisor (who takes minutes, who coordinates with other groups, etc.)
–> Assignments all had double bottom / hints to solve the bigger plot > extra effort from students was needed to bring it to a successful conclusion (problem solving) instead of just doing the assignment stupidly
–> Group dynamics were made challenging as each group had to send someone away to an assignment on location (and keep in touch as well).
–> All groups then had to work together, organize / exchange information to solve the big problem.
Stage 3: Align means and ends
At the Maastricht Sustainability Institute, teaching and learning in the master takes place in a ‘flipped classroom’ format. Small groups of 5 to 6 students first work independently on learning objectives, and subsequently report back in a plenary meeting with around 20 students. This puts a strong emphasis on the self-directed and collaborative aspects of learning. To prepare for this, at the beginning of the programme, students do an exercise in group work. They also draw up a Team Charter that describes how they will collaborate.
Stage 5: How are we doing?
This activity aims to get students to reflect on their experiences with PBL, especially those that have been less positive, thinking first about what caused the disappointment, then possible solutions. The activity involves a 10-15-minute individual reflection activity, followed by some 30 minutes of small group discussion of causes and solutions to problems. The tutor’s role (not described in the exercise) is to monitor the discussion and ensure suggestions are collected in a useable form.
Stage 4: Keeping up the spirit
At the MSc Learning and Development in Organisations, learning is based on the principles of constructive, contextual, collaborative and self-directed learning. The constructive and collaborative aspects of learning in particular, are seen as very similar to learning and working in a professional context. In the coaching that is an integral part of this programme, reflection on what is learned and how it is learned become two sides of the same coin. Goal setting and self-evaluation by students concerns the development of competencies and the way in which these are acquired through learning.
Stage 2: Mind the gap to previous experiences
We used a flipped format to deliver PBL information during Introduction days. We set up a canvas course dedicated to Introduction days were students could find all sort of information, including websites, contact information and student manuals related to their selected study programme. Within this canvas site, we added an Introduction days schedule with embedded welcome videos and/or documents. In the week prior to Introduction Days, participants received an email (via Canvas announcements) asking them to go over the event’s schedule on Canvas and watch a ~40 min video with a detailed explanation on how PBL works. During Introduction days the panel was organized as follows:
— Panel chair briefly summarized the main concepts related to PBL
— The tutors/coordinators and current students panelists introduced themselves and shared (informally) their thoughts and experience with PBL
— The chair opened the room for questions from new students
Unlike previous years that used a simple PBL presentation (passive listening), the flipped approach allowed us to provide the factual information before hand and opt for a more active PBM meeting for optimal engagement of participants during the event. Participants asked many questions, often building up from answers provided by the panel. Having a diverse panel answering questions was an added bonus, as the participants quickly realized that different coordinators/tutors might approach PBL differently, depending on the content and focus of the course. The current student perspective was very valuable as they provided examples of how they prepare for PBL and act as chairs or scribes. In Period 2 we asked the new students to provide feedback about Introduction Days and they commented quite favorably about the active PBL panel.
Stage 1: Mapping Teaching & Learning Styles
This activity is designed to get students to compare their expectations of teacher and student roles, with the hope of revealing underlying cultural perceptions so that all are aware of them and they can be addressed. When grouping the students, try to select diverse nationality groups. Time stage A so that students discuss their (national) cultural expectations before learning in detail about PBL. Carry out stage B after they have received some input about what PBL is.