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TOOLS OF THE TRADE New Programs In Analytics SE RG EY N IVE NS/TH I N KSTOCK LAST FALL, TWO business schools launched programs in business analytics to address the growing demand for Big Data workers who are skilled in using a wide range of information to predict trends and solve problems. The University of Iowa's Tippie College of Business in Iowa City launched its major in business analytics and information systems (BAIS) to address the shortage at the undergraduate level. The BAIS program will combine topics from computer science, industrial engineering, mathematics, and statistics to teach students to take a more sophisticated approach to using data to solve business problems, says Jeffrey Ohlmann, associate professor of management sciences. The W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University in Tempe also launched its nine-month master of science in business analytics program as a joint effort with ASU's information system and supply chain management departments. The new programs aim to stem the predicted shortage of Big Data workers, says Michael Goul, chair of the Carey School's information systems department. "It's estimated 4.4 million data analysts will be needed worldwide by 2015," he says, "so it's a big area of career growth." BLT Brings Interactivity To Recorded Lectures To deliver online courses, professors often rely on a mix of recorded and live lectures. But creating recorded lectures that are engaging and interactive can be a challenge. 2U, an online learning platform, has developed a tool to address this problem. Its Bi-Directional LearnUsing 2U's Bi-Directional Learning Tool, ing Tool (BLT) integrates professors direct questions to online students during a pre-recorded lecture. real-time video communication into recorded Each week, online students watch content to deliver more interactive several BLT lectures before attending online learning experiences. a live course, where their submitted 2U is now integrating BLT into all responses can be discussed further. courses provided through Semester "We create each BLT lecture with the Online, a consortium of universities live class in mind," says Ian Van Tuyl, that offer for-credit online undergraduchief content officer for 2U. "It's a way ate courses through the 2U platform. for professors to know that their stuStudents from member schools can dents have deeply engaged with the enroll in any Semester Online course, material before coming to the live class." with credits transferred back to their BLT is based on software that home institutions. Online enrollment for 2U created for a course delivered by each course is capped at 20 students. Washington University School of Law in (See "Semester Online Offers UnderSt. Louis. Because law professors rely grads Choice, Flexibility" on page 62 heavily on the Socratic method, which of BizEd's May/June 2013 issue.) involves asking students direct quesEach BLT-supported lecture is tions, the challenge was to replicate recorded as a roundtable discussion that approach in an online setting, Van that includes the professor and two Tuyl says. Once it was clear that the students interacting in a face-to-face software worked in a law school discussetting. The camera angle places the sion, 2U exported it to other courses. professor directly across the table Of 21 courses now delivered from the online student. At intervals through Semester Online, five are busiduring the lecture, the professor looks ness courses, offered by the Kenanto the camera to ask online students Flagler School of Business at the direct questions, which they respond University of North Carolina at Chapel to either via video recordings or typed Hill. For information about Semester answers. At the end of the lecture, students submit their responses for the Online's consortium and courses, visit professor and other students to review. www.semesteronline.org. BizEd January/February 2014 61