Using Controversy as a Teaching Tool
I speak with Mathieu Bouchard and discuss how experiential learning can help first-year business students move beyond passive listening and connect classroom concepts to professional life. At the University of Ottawa’s Telfer School of Management, professor Mathieu Bouchard shares lessons from teaching large classes and explains why engagement matters for students and instructors alike. He keeps lectures varied, limits uninterrupted speaking, uses concise slides and visuals, and builds predictable routines alongside occasional surprises.
One example turns current controversy—local data center development—into a role-play where students represent community members, industry, and government, then consider competing interests and trade-offs. Bouchard also describes the Praxer business simulation, where teams make weekly decisions and examine their effects on company performance together in class. For new instructors, his advice is practical: learn available teaching tools, observe experienced educators, and seek mentorship. The takeaway is that learning comes from active participation, varied formats, and thoughtful facilitation.