Torrence E. Sparkman is the winner of the Best Dissertation Award of the Special Interest Group (SIG) Workplace Learning  (WPL) of the American Educational Research Assocation (AERA). The title of his disseration is: Understanding the Leadership Development Experiences of Executive Church Denomination Leaders: A Phenomenological Approach. Dr Sparkman received his PhD from the Graduate College of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2012. His Doctoral Committee consisted of Professor K. Peter Kuchinke, Chair, Associate Professor Russell F. Korte, Associate Professor Assata Zerai and Professor David D. Daniels III. These findings of the research ‘…suggest that leadership development experiences for executive church leaders should include ministry venture creation, the use of relevant and real cases, and mentoring relationships’.

 

 

The AERA SIG Workplace Learning will have a Panel discussion with industry representatives in Philadelphia. This is the first time that this Special Interest Group organises an event outside the conference location as an off-site session.

Panel Discussion Participants:
Joseph P. Welsh, Esq. CEO of the Collegiate Consortium for Workforce and Economic Development (Moderator for the Panel)

Mike Giantomaso, Senior VP of Human Resources for Aker Philadelphia Shipbuilding

Dan Rhoads, President & CEO at Rhoads Industries

Jerry Parker, President of Delaware County Community College

Steve Hart, Assistant Vice President, Human Resources, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia

Katherine Rondeau-Fiore, Organizational Learning & Development Professional, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia

Martin Mulder, Professor and Head of the Chair Group of Education and Competence Studies at Wageningen University, the Netherlands (AERA Workplace Learning SIG)

Susanne Weber, Professor, Institute for Human Resource Education, University of Munich, Germany (AERA Workplace Learning SIG)

James Bartlett, Associate Professor, Workforce and Human Resource Education, North Carolina State University (AERA Workplace Learning SIG)

Different workplaces provide different opportunities for learning. This was clearly demonstrated in a study of Lans et al (2008), amongst 25 small-business owners. They create their own learning environment. Support, guidance, external interaction, internal communication, task characteristics and business opportunities are factors which make a difference in their learning.

Lans, T., Biemans, H., Verstegen, J. & Mulder, M. (2008). The Influence of the Work Environment on Entrepreneurial Learning of Small-business Owners. Management Learning, 39, 5, 597–613.