Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/55943
Financial Times Global Alliance Partners We would like to acknowledge the global perspective that the schools listed below have given to their students for the coming academic year. In these extraordinary times, reliable worldwide news and intelligence are essential to the learning process. Today's successful global executives are forewarned and forearmed with the information that the FT provides.These schools are putting their students in the same league.Thank you! • Minnesota State University, Mankato • Villanova University • Babson College • Drexel University • Thunderbird School of Global Management • United States Naval War College • University of Alberta sider it important that our MBA faculty teach most of our blended programs. Our methodology is based primarily on the case method, and we focus strongly on interaction and group-facilitated learning. We believe our asynchronous online discussions— which usually last several days—go into issues more deeply than a one-hour classroom discussion might, because students and professors can think about the contributions everyone else has made before crafting thoughtful responses. In programs like the IE/Brown Executive MBA, several discussions will be held in parallel, which creates further linkages across topics. Our faculty are skilled at driving online discussions and col- laborations to help students achieve key learning objectives. These interactions are supported by digital learning tools from Blackboard and Adobe Connect that allow students to partici- pate in videoconferences, send instant messages, access online documents, and communicate via VoIP technologies. We chose these platforms because they are user-friendly, widely used, and frequently updated. Professors can also mix in other technologies, such as simulators or wikis. We believe these digital tools build strong communities across borders and time zones—even stronger than the communities that can be created in a face-to-face class- room. However, it's not the technology itself we focus on, but the way this technology aligns with our curriculum and our faculty. The Way Forward Each business school needs to create its own "footprint" in terms of the business education it delivers. For most of us, that means adopting important new learning technologies, updating our curricula to keep them relevant, continuing to add practical value to our local business communities, and always maintaining our academic rigor. One of our greatest challenges today is helping our fac- ulty accept the idea of a learning environment that happens partially online and embraces constant student interaction. IE has a whole area dedicated to learning innovation, and we work closely with professors to make sure their tradi- tional classes are replicated as well as possible online. The process is ongoing, and professors may attend seminars and receive other kinds of support throughout the year. As the business world becomes increasingly complex and demanding, business education must become more respon- sive. I believe the time will come when an MBA will cease being a possible stop for a manager on a career route and instead become an integral part of the day-to-day journey. Business schools will have to make that journey with those young executives—and blended learning programs provide the best vehicles for traveling in style. ■ z Paris de l'Etraz is associate dean of blended programs and professor of entrepreneurship at IE Business School in Madrid, Spain. BizEd NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 39