The use of technology in business schools has made graduate-level education more attainable. The executive MBA is designed as a learning model for people with busy lives and for many, this means managing full-time work, full-time parenting and full-time school. Everyday technologies which allow us to communicate with work, home and school make the EMBA practical and achievable education. Just consider all the resources at our disposal: wireless mobile computers, hot-zoned classrooms, virtual private networks, PDAs, WI-FI, mobile phones and CTV. All have become part of the student’s repertoire and academic setting.
EMBA programs vary in their use of technology. Click-and-brick programs integrate class lectures and course delivery through intermediaries such as CCTV, DVD and computer-facilitated virtual meetings. Duke University is a good example of building the learning model around the use of technology: it enables students from all over the world to access lectures and it facilitates joint projects as classes are bridged to sister schools.
Whether in class or on the road, students can stay connected to the classroom and their classmates. Take Sandy, a pharmaceutical marketing professional from New York who is also a full-time mother and MBA student. While getting the children ready for school, she looks at the prior evening’s e-mail exchanges and posts a question to the professor. After dropping the children at school she heads to the office where she uses her cell phone to call classmates and confirm the evening meeting. At lunch time she logs onto the class’s private virtual network and reviews the professor’s response. There, she has on online chat with him, then saves the conversation to a digital file which she then forwards to the group, printing out a copy for the evening discussion.
Jeff, who lives in Boston, is a banker and member of the group. His unexpected business trip to the West coast means he’ll miss the usual group meeting by conference call. He is scheduled to fly home on Thursday knowing he has to complete a section of the paper and slides for the Friday presentation. In LA he reviews Sandy’s chat record, a summary of the group discussion and completes his section of the assignment on the flight home. At the airport, he uses his wireless computer to send his work to Sandy for review. As the semester’s leader, Sandy consolidates the work and disseminates a draft by e-mail to the group. The group convenes on campus an hour before class to rehearse and polish the paper before presentation.
Augmenting the classroom with technology is not typical for all EMBA programs nor is it appropriate for all students. Critics complain that virtual classes dilute the educational experience of the EMBA as Shelley Boyce, CEO of MedRisk and a Wharton EMBA graduate, explains: “Much of my learning experience was generated by my classmates and trading these interactions for computers is a mistake.” Student expression, informal student and professorial discussions and even face-to-face networking are hallmarks of the learning experience and these are lost when technology replaces the classroom.
The executive MBA is a fully credited, rigorous education offered by more than 200 schools around the world. Each year, more than 5,000 working professionals graduate with an MBA through the executive MBA program. The flexible learning schedule and use of technology in a balanced manner makes the executive MBA education as rewarding as it is attainable. If you plan on pursuing this type of education, consider your learning style and find a program that can meet the balance of technology and classroom experience that suits you.
About the author
Jason A. Price, MS, MBA, is Director of
EMBA World, a New York City-based organization dedicated to helping employees and employers understand options concerning graduate level business education and in particular the executive MBA. He is author of
The Executive MBA: An Insider’s Guide for Working Professionals in Pursuit of Graduate Business Education. He can be reached at
Jason@embaworld.com.