Imagine that you are sitting in the snow at a remote location and punching the keys of your tablet, or concentrating on an assignment in between changing nappies of the little one at home or sitting on the deck of a yacht and finishing an assignment. Chances are that you are among those enrolled in an online MBA program.
The advent of the internet and rapid advancements in communication technology have made it possible for students, professors and business schools to break free from the confines of the classroom or campus and take the program at a global level.
Thus, it is no surprise the first batch of the Global Online MBA 2015-17 at the Imperial College of Business, who have recently completed the program include at least four new mothers
“As this was the first class of the program, it was essential to set a high standard from the beginning. Creating a strong sense of global community among students and faculty was very important to the programme’s success,”
On the occasion, Dr David Lefevre, who initially led the Global Online MBA as Program Director, in a blog post describes the inaugural cohort of 67 students, represented by 30 nationalities, as true pioneers.
“As this was the first class of the program, it was essential to set a high standard from the beginning. Creating a strong sense of global community among students and faculty was very important to the programme’s success,” he says.
Dr Lefevre was also involved in the building up of The Hub, a purpose-built virtual learning platform. Designed and developed over a number of years by Imperial’s Education Technology Unit, it is simple to use. The Hub provides students convenient access to all program materials, connects them with their peers and tutors besides the facility to track individual progress throughout the course. It could also be accessed on a variety of devices regardless of the location.
The biggest challenge was to design a program that effectively replicated the essential components of an on-campus MBA program while maintaining the quality of the experience, and also in a formal flexible enough to study around work, family and other commitments, he says.
“The Hub technology enabled us to do this and also revealed a number of advantages to the online format such as enabling us to provide more feedback to students and creating a greater sense of connectivity between staff and students. The Hub kept us connected at all times regardless of our location,” he adds.
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“The program provided such flexibility that I know of four women within the cohort who became new mothers whilst maintaining their required study level. I’m particularly excited to congratulate these people on what seems like a superpower to find time and energy to do it all,” Dr Lefevre says.
Students also formed tight bonds at the on-campus induction week which continued throughout the following two years. The cohort came together for a group dinner at London’s iconic National Portrait Gallery during induction week. At the beginning of the program, they were divided into small syndicated groups based on residential time-zones and an even mix of gender and industry background to ensure diversity.
“During their second year, the groups are separated by the electives. WhatsApp, Facebook and The Hub are the main channels for communication. The Facebook group became a special space to share life events such as weddings, new babies and holiday’s skiing in the Alps,” Dr Lefevre points out.
“Our graduates have paved the way for future cohorts to follow and have set a high standard of collaboration both inside and outside the classroom. Our London-based students would often form study groups and make use of the South Kensington campus library.
“It was also great to see students from all over the globe choose to study the optional on-campus electives. It was a pleasure to hear that students had banded together around the Regional Exam Centres supporting each other before exams and celebrating together after,” he adds.
“It’s no wonder this Global Online MBA class had the highest satisfaction score out of the entire Business School programmes running over the same time period,” Dr Lefevre says.
David Park, one of the students, says, “The main benefit is the ability to earn an Imperial College MBA from my home in Los Angeles! With the rapid advances in online education technology along with Imperial’s excellent online learning platform, The Hub, online learning today can be high quality, affordable, and fun…”
Asrif Yusoff, another participant, says, “Outside of the classroom, I think the most valuable learning from the MBA experience is the collaborations that have taken place within our syndicate groups.” April Morina found that working within the cohort on team projects allowed her to experience, and experiment with, different leadership styles in an academic setting. “I have learnt a tremendous amount from my teammates, and have also found that I can call on any of them for their opinions on workplace challenges,” she adds.
Avi Aronovitz talks about time management. “Taking on the Global Online MBA, and the need to spend 15 hours a week on it, on average, is a definite catalyst for improving one’s time-management skills in the workplace and in all aspects of life.”(Image Source:shutterstock.com)
