New technology applied in MBA
teaching A In the world of business they
call it ’the consumerisation of IT’: employees who are used to powerful smart
phones and tablet computers in their personal lives are now demanding similar
tools in their professional ones. Now business schools are also coming to terms
with students who are increasingly tech savvy. Some even see the way they
integrate technology with pedagogy as an opportunity to differentiate themselves
from the B-school pack. B The beauty of MBA courses is
that students can try out new technologies without fear of a serious backlash if
the trials don’t pay off. ’The threat level is just a grade, not a career,’
explains Michael Koenig, the director of MBA operations at the University of
Virginia’s Darden Graduate School of Business, which is among the vanguard of
schools incorporating new technologies in their programmes.
C Yet there are still concerns about whether new technology in the
classroom will enhance the MBA experience or diminish it. Some professors fret
that embracing gadgets for the sake of appearing ’wired’ will detract from the
quality of classroom discussions. That has not deterred schools from
experimenting. Innovations designed to help students manage information more
efficiently, interact with their peers wherever they are and imbibe important
business lessons via virtual simulations are all being tested.
D The pioneers are discovering that some technologies are not yet ready
for prime time. Consider the experience of Darden. In a recent experiment the
school gave a random sample of MBA students Kindle DX e-readers, as well as
standard printed handouts and textbooks for their first-year courses. It then
encouraged them to use the electronic versions instead of the paper
ones. E The students did just that—and many concluded
that the Kindle’s limitations were too great to justify its widespread adoption
on the programme. Switching between text, graphs and charts, they complained,
took far longer than on paper-based alternatives. This made it hard for them to
keep up with fast-paced class discussions. Nevertheless, some schools are toying
with the idea of testing the Apple iPad to see if that has greater
success. F As well as trying out gizmos designed to help
students handle large volumes of content, schools are also using technology that
helps members of study teams to keep in touch with one another. Darden, for
instance, has equipped some classrooms with widescreen TVs and software that
allow students who are off campus to share data and opinions with those who are
on it. ’Our job is to stretch skills as well as minds,’ says Mr. Koenig, who
points out that many executives now need to be able to influence virtual teams
they rarely meet face-to- face. G Duke University’s Fuqua
School of Business has taken this a step further, installing a Cisco
’Telepresence’ system in one of its lecture theatres. Giant plasma screens and
cameras display life-size video images of people in remote locations to an
entire class. The school reckons the new system allows professors seamlessly to
include overseas participants in class discussions, although further refinement
is needed before it can accommodate large numbers of folk joining all at
once. H Schools are also using technology to bring
academic theory to life in other ways. Some institutions use online trading
rooms to give students a taste of how real financial markets work. Other
web-based simulations that enhance the classroom experience are becoming
popular. At Stanford, for instance, James Lattin, a marketing professor, has
worked with the school’s IT team to create a web-based programme that lets
students work in, and run, a sales team touting a disruptive new product. Using
the simulation to teach them about the challenges of sales forecasting has
produced far better results than simply lecturing, he says. —Economist Apple iPad can do better in class discussions than Kindle DX e-readers.