Online MBA courses 'no longer second-rate'

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It used to be that online courses were considered second rate; perhaps because
the top ranking institutions stayed aloof from the market for so long.

But that’s all changed: with some of the world’s best business schools now
offering online MBA programmes (among others) the stigma is gone and, in
terms of student experience, online technology’s fast pace of development
means student experience has improved enormously.

As with almost anything based around technology, it’s a process of continuous
improvement: the way universities and students use technology is always
evolving, making now a very exciting time to be working and studying in this
area.

>> How an MBA can boost your employability

Indeed, there is a debate currently raging in higher education about just how
much technology could, or should, be allowed to impact course delivery.

There are heavyweights on both sides of the discussion. For example, Clayton
Christensen, professor of business administration at Harvard Business
School, believes that eventually the whole education system will be
transformed by technology with almost all learning taking place online.

Others, such as Professor Michael Porter, also from Harvard Business School,
feel online learning will complement or enhance rather than replace in-class
teaching.

While the debate touches all areas of higher education, the practical
application of technology does seem to be particularly intense in business
education.

>> IN PICTURES: Europe's top 10 business schools

It’s clear from my own experience both at Imperial College Business School,
which has just launched its online Global MBA, and at the University of
Maryland, that technology has successfully closed the gap in terms of
student experience and course quality between online and in-class MBA
programmes.

Teaching online is not new; it’s been around for at least 20 years at a number
of second and third tier universities. Today, however, two of the leading
online platforms, EdX and Coursera, are products of Harvard/MIT and Stanford
respectively.

And the prestigious Georgia Institute of Technology has decided to teach a
master of science in software engineering online, in partnership with
Udacity, which has proved wildly successful.

Students considering the merits of an online MBA vis-à-vis an in-class course
should bear a few things in mind. Is there a good career service for online
students?

What opportunities are there to meet each other and network throughout the
programme? Is there similar support for networking after the course and,
crucially, is the syllabus delivered through rich, multimedia content?

In the past, online courses have suffered from simply consisting of rather
stale video recordings of lectures. However, the best courses from leading
universities are engaging and interactive, made up of a mix of video, audio
and group assignments.

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quiz?

For our part, over the last few years the business school’s education
technology unit has issued new students with iPads and eliminated all paper
from the course – exams are taken and graded online; course materials and
collateral all exist in electronic format.

But the area where technology continues to have the most impact is access to
courses and the quality of those programmes.

For a significant and growing segment of the student population – working
professionals that can’t afford to quit their jobs and come into campus for
a long period – online learning has been a revelation.

This is also true for students who are located in different countries but who
want to receive a UK education due it its world-class reputation, which is
why we have partnered with global education expert Study Group on
international recruitment.

There are challenges to online learning, of course. For many MBA students
networking and relationship building is a big part of the course.

Here we take a novel approach using LinkedIn, social media and video to help
students network with each other and ensure an element of lifelong education
by making the business school an active part of these communities. And,
although the Global MBA is primarily online, students do come to campus at
least three times during the programme.

Furthermore, just because the course is online, technology means students
don’t need to miss out on being integrated with the rest of the student
population. We, and others, work hard to ensure that online alumni are added
to the career service office and we even arrange networking events
throughout the world.

>> MBA applications: Join the classroom that
never closes

If how far technology can penetrate education is still up for debate, there’s
one thing that isn’t: online learning has an exciting present and a huge
future. It’s already shattered the barriers of geography, professional/life
commitments and, in some cases, costs that once prevented hundreds of
thousands of people every year from getting a world class education.

Might we be wondering in 20 years’ time how we ever got by at all without
online learning?

Professor G. Anandalingam is Dean of Imperial College Business School

Article references
www.telegraph.co.uk