Teaching in the Rough

TIR · PDW
Teaching in the Rough
Annual Meeting 2026 — Philadelphia
Date Awaiting AOM Meeting Schedule
Time Awaiting AOM Meeting Schedule
Location Awaiting AOM Meeting Schedule
Contact tylerburch@isu.edu
Pre-registration Not required
Teaching in the Rough session at AOM
Event video coming soon
Overview

This is our "developing classroom activities and exercises" PDW, in which you will have the opportunity to learn about interactive, classroom-tested activities that you can put to use right away in your synchronous and asynchronous classes.

The session will be held in-person during the Annual Meeting. Pre-registration is not required — simply turn up and bring a colleague.

Facilitators
Coordinator
Tyler Burch
Idaho State University
Session Facilitators
Please see the AOM Meeting Schedule for the most up-to-date listing of session facilitators.
Testimonials
Participant reflections
Click a name to expand and view their feedback.
Participant 1 – Jennifer L. Eury +
1. Overall experience
I attended the "Teaching in the Rough" session. Overall, it was a positive experience. I had the opportunity to not only learn about a wide range of classroom exercises and activities, but also engage in dialogue and share best practices with other instructors attending the session.
2. Three things liked most
1) I enjoyed the roundtable format, and the opportunity to rotate from table to table. 2) I valued the wide range of exercises and activities shared during the session. 3) I appreciated the opportunity to leave the session with concrete teaching ideas that could be implemented into my classes.
3. Most valuable skill / advice / tip
I especially enjoyed learning about the Management Topic Expert Exercise, shared by Tyler Burch, Idaho State University. Through his exercise, he challenges students to take ownership for course topics in a new and interesting way. He also provided attendees with class examples, as well as a copy of his assignment evaluation. Very informative and helpful!
4. Suggestion for first-time participants
I encourage future participants to take full advantage of the opportunity to engage with instructors around the world, who employ a variety of interactive exercises and activities in the classroom. So many of us are eager to find new ways to engage and inspire our students, and this PDW provides you with a new set of tools for your teaching portfolio to do so.
Jennifer L. Eury, Ph.D.
Honor and Integrity Director
Smeal College of Business, The Pennsylvania State University
Participant 2 – Heather Ranson +
1. Overall experience
I am a newish member to AoM and the conference in 2016 in Anaheim was only the second one I attended. I was very overwhelmed at the whole experience as colleagues from my school were busy meeting with co-authors and interviewing and I was on my own most of the time. The MOC session was one of the highlights of my AoM experience. The hosts were really well organized and very friendly. I felt right at home in this session. More than that, I felt like I had something to contribute and I learned some things as well. It was wonderful to spend time with like-minded professors with a variety of interests and backgrounds.
2. Three things liked most
The best part of this session was the variety of topics on offer and the second best part was that I could attend more than one topic. The round robin format allowed for multiple, short sessions where I could hear about a teaching technique, ask all my questions and move on to another one. It was brilliant! The atmosphere was also very collegial — warm and welcoming throughout.
3. Most valuable skill / advice / tip
I attended a session on design thinking where the facilitators created "shortcuts" to get students practising design thinking techniques in the classroom. I loved the shortcut and especially the way I could control it so students are forced to think outside of their own demographic — an issue I encounter frequently when students self-select as the target market for everything.
4. Suggestion for first-time participants
My best suggestion for a newcomer is to come with an open mind and be ready to learn. It is amazing how flexible learning tools can be, and how you can adapt someone else's case or instructional tool to fit your class, your timetable and your content.
Heather Ranson
Assistant Teaching Professor and Associate Director, CSSI
Peter B. Gustavson School of Business, University of Victoria
Participant 3 – Tyler Burch +
1. Overall experience
I attended the Teaching in the Rough session most recently in Anaheim. The session was one of the most worthwhile I went to while at the conference in terms of the usefulness of the information discussed. It allowed me to connect with and learn from colleagues about specific teaching skills and ideas within management cognition as well as management topics in general. Participants and discussants ranged from large R1 research institutions to smaller private universities. I walked away with multiple, actionable ideas on how to improve my own teaching as well as an expanded professional network of people I can draw on going forward.
2. Three things liked most
First, I really appreciated the collegial atmosphere. All discussants and organizers came across as extremely approachable and open to follow up outside of the session. Second, many of the activities were turn-key in nature — participants often walked away with a step-by-step guide on how to execute a particular activity. Third, it was fun: participants were often able to get involved while they learned by trying out the experiential activity themselves.
3. Most valuable skill / advice / tip
I am currently teaching a leadership skill development class in which students do role plays in leadership scenarios. This method of teaching was completely new to me at the time of the conference. Speaking with one of the discussants after his presentation, I found out about role-play related resources that have been very helpful in developing my teaching approach further.
4. Suggestion for first-time participants
Come with an idea of what type of teaching topic you most want advice on, and review the activity descriptions ahead of time. The format does not allow sufficient time to attend every activity, so prioritise those most relevant to you. That said, even if a teaching activity does not fit your style or subject, there is always something to take away that, with some adaptation, can be applied to your own teaching context.
Tyler C. Burch, PhD
Assistant Professor of Management
Department of Management & Marketing, Idaho State University
Participant 4 – Kumaran Rajaram +
1. Overall experience
It was a fruitful and worthwhile experience attending the "Teaching in the Rough" session.
2. Three things liked most
Firstly, it provides an opportunity to learn firsthand about new innovations and exemplary teaching and learning practices adopted globally and across varying cultural contexts. Secondly, it allows you to engage directly with the facilitator on their tacit experiences and key learning lessons. Thirdly, it provides a platform to reflect, exchange ideas and challenge practices with like-minded individuals.
3. Most valuable skill / advice / tip
To empathise with learners from varying social, cultural and contextual situations.
4. Suggestion for first-time participants
Come with an open mind — ready to unlearn and relearn.
Kumaran Rajaram, PhD (Distinction)
Senior Lecturer, Division of Leadership, Management and Organization, Nanyang Business School
Nanyang Technological University — Singapore
Who should attend

Anyone who teaches — experienced or new — is invited to attend and bring a colleague. No pre-registration is required.

Whether you are looking for fresh classroom activities, want to share something that already works well in your own teaching, or simply want to connect with fellow educators, this session is for you.

For more information, please contact Tyler Burch at tylerburch@isu.edu.

Gallery
Teaching in the Rough session Teaching in the Rough session