Qualitative Research Methods for Responsible Management Education

Business administration is one of the most studied subjects at (Lower Saxony) universities. Business administration is undergoing a transformation - transversal topics such as digitalization, sustainability and entrepreneurship harbor operational opportunities and challenges, but must be able to be appropriately grasped and assessed in their complexities and effects. Qualitative research methods are particularly suitable for exploring associated new and previously unknown organization- and management-based phenomena. The teaching of appropriate methodological skills to prospective managers and entrepreneurs must be the goal of modern, responsible business administration.

However, qualitative research methods are often insufficiently taught in business studies, as the discipline is a "calculating" science. The provision of Open Educational Resources (OER) for the teaching of qualitative research methods skills thus closes a gap that exists at many universities and affects a large number of students.

The goal of the project is the qualitative processing and OER publication of existing teaching materials at Leuphana with the help of subject and method experts, the expansion of the materials through the research and preparation of further publicly accessible teaching resources that are intended to support the self-study of students, as well as the utilization and provision of the material collections for other universities and study programs on the twillo portal of the state of Lower Saxony.

The project is embedded in LOST - the Leuphana Organization STudies Group -, a research community in management and organization research focused on qualitative research methods, and is linked to associated research center at the Faculty of Management and Technology. The community is located at the Leuphana University of Lüneburg and brings together experts in the field from German-speaking countries (e.g. TU Dresden, University of Hamburg, JKU Linz) in regular meetings and workshops to exchange ideas on current research topics and methodological developments.

The already existing teaching materials on various qualitative research methods were developed by different LOST members in a collaborative process. Therefore, LOST members will also be involved in the further development and evaluation of the materials. Quality assurance of the materials will be ensured, for example, with the help of peer feedback loops within the LOST group.

Two collections of materials are to be prepared according to the OER guidelines and the requirement of transferability to other university contexts, and made available on the twillo portal: One suitable for teaching at the Bachelor's level (Foundations of Qualitative Research Methods), and one that builds on this to deepen methodological knowledge and is suitable for teaching at the Master's level (Advanced Qualitative Research Methods). At the same time, accompanying material for self-study, which is publicly available, is to be compiled and also made accessible on the twillo portal within the material collections.

At the end of the project, the material collections will be presented in a one-day multiplier workshop at Leuphana University and the reuse of the materials at other universities will be encouraged.