Australian Graduate School of Management

The course Corporate Valuation within the full time MBA Program at the AGSM is a face-to-face program, which uses WebCT as a supportive learning environment. It makes use of one of the more innovative tools available within WebCT, namely the Student Presentation Tool. The purpose of this environment is to enhance the student centred learning experience.

The Student Presentation Tool within WebCT creates a space within the online environment where students can upload and exchange files, in a manner that results in the creation of a presentation, which can be viewed by the other members of their class. Their assessment, completed in a group of four to six students, is a series of tasks resulting in an overall valuation of a company of their choice.

The outcome of the exercise is for students to gain an in-depth understanding of the process of valuing a company. The students’ focus on one company could result in a narrow view of the issues faced in valuation. The use of the WebCT environment creates the opportunity for students to view the work being completed by their peers on different companies. This provides a wider view on the valuation process.

This tool was initially implemented in the AGSM’s MBA program based in Hong Kong. In this program the face-to-face component is delivered over an intensive ten-day period therefore not allowing for students to learn from each other’s feedback. With the use of WebCT this important aspect of learning can be incorporated into the program. Based on the success of the Hong Kong teaching and learning experience the same tool was incorporated into the AGSM’s local MBA program.

The subject content was almost identical, however the WebCT environments for the two different programs were customised as can be seen in the use of the well-known symbol of the Chinese dragons in the Hong Kong site, in this case representing competition.

Professor Doug Foster, a full time academic in the AGSM’s Finance cluster, developed the content and structure of this course. The Educational Development Unit at the AGSM provided training and support to Professor Foster and the students.