“I am passionate about experimenting with new and interesting ways to teach a course,” Prof Gary Pan from the School of Accountancy declares. His role as Academic Director of the SMU-X initiative gives him space to do just that, as the Singapore Management University (SMU) rolls out more of these modules to challenge students.
Traditional passive learning is thrown out the window in SMU-X courses. “X stands for many things,” SMU President, Professor Arnoud De Meyer explains: “eXperimentation, eXperiential, eXcitement, cross-interaction, collaboration and the unknown.” Prof Pan is making sure these are being smoothly integrated into the undergraduate curriculum, merging learning across the different school disciplines, and always with a strong industry relevance.
Not only are his colleagues on board, they are quite as excited about the possibilities as he is. With new industries, business models and technologies emerging every day and consumer behaviours constantly evolving, the scope is tremendous.
The core of Prof Pan’s approach is meeting industry demands. This, he avers, requires students to embrace multidisciplinarity. “I am a believer of interdisciplinary teaching because business issues these days are extremely complex, with issues that cannot be resolved by looking from just one angle, or by using knowledge and skill sets that you develop in one particular discipline.”
Prof Pan co-teaches an Accounting Analytics Practicum course with Prof Venky Shakararaman of the School of Information Systems, using a unique syllabus not found in any other accounting programme. “Our courses stem from the user’s perspective, rather than the developer’s perspective,” explains Prof Pan.
A recent project brought students from the Accountancy, Business Management and Information Systems disciplines together to partner luxury retailer DFS, supporting accounting operations across the 11 countries DFS has a presence in. The exposure to actual problems and constraints in the workplace helped “accelerate the students’ learning,” Prof Pan says. The two professors actively mentored the undergraduates, providing guidance and technical knowledge, while students harnessed the industry expertise to bolster their understanding. As a student acknowledged, “I have learnt a lot, solving problems and taking charge of my own learning at the same time. It was very rewarding.”
Prof Pan enjoys working closely with his students, seeing them as “co-creators, planners and managers” who offer fresh perspectives on issues. The interest he takes in his students and his focus on delivering content with “strong practical implications” has earned him numerous accolades, including the Most Outstanding Faculty and Most Distinguished Teacher awards. More important to him, though, is seeing how his efforts have shaped the way his students work.
Being able to collaborate with not just their peers from the different schools in SMU but government, private sector and corporate organisations on projects with real-life impact has created a buzz amongst the undergraduates. They come away more mature, with more professional manners, more adaptable mindsets, and with confidence to take on new, unexpected challenges.
“Our students are able to understand and quickly respond to big shifts,” Prof Pan believes. “They develop the ability to learn and relearn, to stay relevant to business and the wider community.”
It’s just the X-factor he’s looking for.
