Eight Wharton faculty members participate in the Iron Prof Competition
Faculty Knowledge
Developing New Knowledge
Our professors bridge disciplines and tackle real-world problems.Wharton's 25 research centers and initiatives generate cutting-edge research by bringing together professors, executives, and students to focus on subjects including entrepreneurship, social impact management, business ethics, health care economics, real estate, retailing, sports business, and leadership and change management.
These interdisciplinary research centers conduct high-level conferences, support global research, and sponsor other initiatives that translate into new knowledge in the curriculum and in business practice. Many take their engagement further, from societal wealth creation in Africa to leveraging digital content through the Wharton Customer Analytics Initiative (WCAI) to increasing sustainable business practices through the Initiative for Global Environmental Leadership.
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Educating Future Leaders
Wharton's professors bring rigor and real-time knowledge to challenge students to think strategically and prepare them with the analytical skills needed to tackle complex issues — now and into the future.
With students from many industries and countries in the classroom, faculty build knowledge collaboratively with students. In discussions it is not surprising to hear a student offer up their experience to add to, or challenge, a view.
Many students are entrepreneurial or focused on leading change – and the faculty/curriculum integrates experiential learning with classroom knowledge. Students also have opportunities for experiential learning, or to collaborate with professors outside the classroom, taking risks and trying out new ideas with the support of experienced mentors.
Creating an Innovative Curriculum
Wharton thinks learning first. From the “Learning Team” concept to the leadership program, to the specially designed classrooms, the faculty continue to develop the program. Some recent examples of new programs include the Environmental Leadership dual degree and the three-year MBA/JD – the country's first fully integrated three-year program.
Not just case studies, faculty integrate diverse methods such as lectures and hands-on learning – and select the methods that work best for each topic, and those that are most appropriate for the experience level and interests of the class.
With Wharton's Alfred P. West, Jr. Learning Lab, faculty have developed nearly 20 web-enabled simulations, real-time learning experiences, and interactive programs that challenge students to think strategically across multiple business functions.
A few examples:
- OPEQ: Designed to demonstrate negotiation strategies and dynamics, OPEQ creates an increasingly complex set of conditions in which students must interact with their teammates and with the members of other teams.
- OTIS: An Online Trading and Investment Simulator, OTIS uses real data from today's markets to let students act as fund managers and acquire near real-world experience without real-world risk. One of the Learning Lab's early products, OTIS is now used by over 75 other higher-education institutions.
- FutureView: In an era of innovation, how do you market a product that is so new, there is nothing like it on the market? FutureView demonstrates how "information acceleration" can help develop quantitative data to market products with which consumers are unfamiliar.
- Fare Game: In Fare Game, students participate in a mock "fare war" to demonstrate how airlines compete and/or cooperate using fare cuts and hikes. Fare Game offers fast results, real-time calculations and increased student involvement.
