Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/337193
52 July/August 2014 BizEd technology BY TRICIA BISOUX ON APRIL 6, the symposium "Tapping the Potential of Technology" convened more than 50 educators and executives at INSEAD's Singa- pore campus to discuss how technology might transform educational delivery in emerging markets. The symposium was sponsored by the Global Business School Network, a consortium dedicated to helping business schools in emerg- ing markets develop faculty, design programs, and build capacity. As panelists described their experiences with and predictions for the potential of online technologies in emerging markets, one question prevailed: How will schools bring educational opportunities to those who need them most? "A GRAND EXPERIMENT" Educators from several schools described their programs' approaches to online course delivery: ■ Soumitra Dutta, dean of the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, described Cor- nell's partnership with Queen's School of Busi- ness in Canada. The Cornell-Queen's Executive MBA program connects students in 27 different cities across Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. in a single a learn- ing experience. Students meet face to face with profes- sors on either the Cornell or Queen's campus for one- third of the program. Then, they return to their home cities to work together in small groups. Faculty teach students from studios in Canada or New York, not only lecturing but also asking questions directly to individual students or teams. Faculty can see student teams on individual screens; students meet in tech-enabled rooms where cameras move to the person who is speaking. This approach has important strategic implications for the school. "We're using this model to expand to more markets in Latin America," Dutta said. "We're engaged in a grand experiment to see how technology can infuse through everything we do." ■ Tomas Hult, director of the International Business Center at Michigan State University's Eli Broad College of Business in East Lansing, talked about the college's partnership with Tampa-based Bisk Education, which specializes in helping schools design online learning modules for working adults. Since August 2012, the col- lege and Bisk have worked together to develop 19 two- credit courses featuring recorded lectures of no more than 18 minutes each. Bisk assesses each market to help the college determine where demand is greatest and fore- cast possible enrollments. Hult explained that the school spent US$1.3 million to develop these courses; today, the courses are accessed by executives around the world and generate about $500,000 in monthly revenue. ■ Walter Baets, director of the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business in South Africa, Tapping Tech's Potential Educators gather to discuss the implications of online technologies in emerging markets, and the daunting—but necessary—task of using them to their fullest potential. Panelists present on the topic "Models of Management Education for the 21st Century" at GBSN's April tech summit in Singapore. They included (at front, left to right) Balagopal Vissa of INSEAD, moderator Christopher Chia of the National University of Singapore, Soumitra Dutta of Cornell University, and Walter Baets of the University of Cape Town.