Tag: Online MBA

The validity and worth of an online MBA program are constantly being discussed and debated these days. Prospective students are full of questions and concerns as they delve into higher education. How does an online program measure up to an in-person, full-time experience? Can an MBA prepare students for the ever-changing hybrid world of work we now find ourselves in?

For students, the differences between online and in-person education options can seem giant. But in reality, the credibility and content of these two modes of learning are very similar. So how can prospective students decide which method is the right fit?

What makes an online MBA program different?

Over the past decade, online education has risen in popularity, and this rise has accelerated rapidly over the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic when moving in-person programs online was the only way to ensure people could attend and learn without disruption. In a remarkable turn of events, the pivot from in-person programs to online delivery provided all students and instructors with a firsthand introduction to the flexibility, accessibility and affordability that technology can bring to the learning experience.

Online programs also match the way our workplaces are changing. If we are increasingly working in hybrid or remote workplaces, a course of study that gives a comparable experience might be the best way to learn.

But we also live in a world run (at the moment) by people who attended college in person and on campus; the people who teach MBA programs most certainly did. What this means is that the learning experience is still catching up with technology, creating opportunities for online students to mold their courses into what they need.

If you’re switching careers and looking to maximize your opportunities with traditional campus recruiters or someone looking for the social stimulation of in-person networking in the traditional MBA experience, a full-time program on campus might be the logical choice for you. By studying full-time and not working, you can invest large chunks of time into attending recruiting events and seminars in your chosen sector, learning the language and the culture of the industry, and preparing to enter the world of work without the pressure of actually being in it already.

For others, though — especially those looking forward to a hybrid workplace culture that’s reliant on technology — an online program may serve you better. The skills of relationship-building online, remote collaboration, video presentation, independent research, and adaptability will all be invaluable for a successful career in today’s world.

How does an online MBA program meet the needs of today?

What are the benefits of an online program when it comes to students getting the best MBA experience? Can an online course of study trump a full-time campus experience in 2022? The short answer is a resounding yes for a handful of reasons:

We’re moving into an online experience in many realms.

The world of business will never return to its pre-pandemic form. There’s no reason your education should be orthogonal to the world, which is very much online. Many domains still require an in-person element — live theater, for example, or dentistry — but work and school are not in that category.

The online program has a digital emphasis.

The online program at Washington University’s Olin Business School provides a laboratory space that connects your learning and work. In this world we’re in, where the employment environment is increasingly a technology-enhanced experience and employers are desperately seeking people to help them make the most of new technologies, the Olin Business School Online MBA gives students an unmatched opportunity to see the full potential of digitalization, a chance to work with colleagues using these tools, and innovative ways to experiment with them in a context different from work. Students work out a virtual persona in the context of the program and practice ways to further advance in their careers and help their companies, all in a safe digital learning space.

The digital experience is refining constantly.

Traditional learning experiences take a long time to change, but the online experience is much nimbler and is shifting all the time. Olin is capturing tons of data about how people learn and what people want and need from a course. The program is in the early stages of tracking engagement, refining materials, and bringing the best of new technologies into the program. Because of this, the Online MBA has a huge amount of untapped potential to customize an MBA experience to the individual student.

Students can get a more diverse experience.

Online study levels the playing field, opening up the MBA experience to a wider range of students geographically, culturally and academically. The ability to tailor content and experience to the individual student’s needs provides a more personalized development path and a more meritocratic environment in which all students succeed. Students also get to learn in the presence of more people who have a wider diversity of backgrounds, interests and ages, as well as learn from an increased roster of teachers, too.

A digital MBA program is, at its best, a state-of-the-art sandbox—a space where students can play with new work tools, new technologies and their own goals before heading into the experience of a hybrid, shifting workplace. Olin Business School is innovating the digital MBA experience with all its resources and care to empower every student to craft a learning experience that suits them and the way they want to work in the future.

The Online MBA program at Olin is a transformative journey meticulously designed to accommodate the needs of students balancing their professional obligations with their academic ambitions. Olin’s dynamic program offers the versatility to learn from any location worldwide, empowering students to immediately apply newly acquired knowledge and skills to their current roles.

The Online MBA curriculum continues evolving to address the digital transformation technologies students will encounter. While doing so, it maintains the same convenience and flexibility without compromising the quality of the learning experience. Throughout the program, students collaborate to develop crucial skills necessary for success in today’s dynamic business landscape. Keeping pace with emerging industry trends, the Online MBA curriculum equips students with the latest tools and frameworks to excel and stay competitive.

It’s time to experience the power of a program designed to elevate careers to the next level and focus on learning outcomes that last a lifetime.

How does the Online MBA work at Olin?

Choosing an MBA program is a pivotal decision—one that should be both fulfilling and empowering. This is why Olin designed the Online MBA to be more than just an academic journey; it’s an experience that balances academic rigor, flexibility and community engagement, creating a comprehensive learning environment that is both challenging and supportive.

The OMBA’s evolving curriculum is thoughtfully designed, taking into account the demands of the modern business landscape. This ensures the program is not merely theoretical but practically applicable to students’ existing careers or the ones they’re striving toward. The program encompass a broad spectrum of subjects, including fundamental business principles, emerging trends and innovative business practices.

The cohort model is the key to the program’s evolution, fostering a diverse and collaborative online MBA community. As part of cohorts, students join a collective of like-minded professionals where they will learn, grow and succeed together. This model encourages students to learn from each other’s diverse experiences, perspectives and skills. The relationships students build within their cohorts often extend beyond the program, forming a robust network of business professionals that can significantly influence career trajectories.

Olin’s dedicated team of tutors and advisors supports students’ academic journeys. They provide personalized guidance throughout the program, assisting students in understanding complex concepts, developing effective study strategies and navigating any challenges. With this blend of academic rigor, supportive community and wealth of resources, students will always feel encouraged and equipped to succeed.

Innovating education: Integrating digital and on-campus experiences

As the future of MBA education becomes increasingly digital, Olin is at the forefront of this shift. The OMBA is designed to be 100% online, giving students the flexibility to complete coursework anytime, anywhere. Olin’s proprietary learning management system, learn.WashU, was created with the sole purpose of enabling students to complete their MBA programs with unparalleled flexibility. Through interactive classrooms, robust research tools and personalization features, students have access to an online MBA education that doesn’t sacrifice an engaging, seamless learning experience.

Acknowledging the importance of in-person interactions and on-campus experiences, the program has advanced to incorporate an optional blend of on-campus and online experiences, catering to diverse student needs. Students can enjoy the flexibility of online coursework and the option to take elective courses on-campus with Olin’s Professional MBA students if they wish.

These options enable students to broaden their networks across both programs, connecting with a diverse array of professionals, peers and faculty members. This hybrid model brings the best of both educational worlds, fostering a balanced, enriching and connected learning experience. Olin’s “Chill Chat Series: Network Nights,” in particular, serve as vibrant platforms for idea sharing, relationship building and community fostering that extend beyond the classroom.

Developing leaders for the digital future

The program is constantly evolving, committed to molding leaders to leverage technology strategically. As a result, the Online MBA is not merely a program focused on technical skills; it’s a transformative experience. It prepares students to navigate and manage significant changes in our ways of living, working and connecting.

With the contemporary workplace transitioning towards remote and blended environments, the Online MBA is an optimal choice for refining leadership abilities. Students in the Online MBA program collaborate in teams, fostering an engaging and interactive environment that closely mirrors traditional classroom settings. Through this teamwork, students hone their leadership skills and are well-prepared for success in today’s ever-evolving workforce.

The business world gradually shifts toward digital landscapes. As such, the Online MBA program is committed to equipping students with the necessary tools and insights to navigate this evolving landscape effectively and ethically. Olin is excited about the possibilities the future holds for the Online MBA program—one that adapts to the needs of the students and market trends. Olin’s commitment to providing an enriching, flexible and empowering educational experience remains unwavering.

Pictured above: Sophia Richards at her computer during the inaugural class of Olin’s Online MBA program.

Artificial intelligence already is having a seismic effect on business communications, thanks to the availability of ChatGPT and other AI tools. So, time is of the essence in getting MBA students up to speed on the potential—and the challenges—posed by this rapidly evolving technology.

Enter Generative AI for Communicators, a six-week course offered as part of WashU Olin’s Online MBA curriculum. Staci Thomas, professor of practice in management communications, said she developed the class to explain underlying models that direct AI tools, as well as how they are used in business communications.

“We wanted to take a realistic approach to the course and tell students how these models work,” Thomas said. “They need to understand the flaws and the biases while also understanding the potential.”

To prepare to launch the class, Thomas took several courses in AI, but she doesn’t see herself as an expert. “Rather than saying I know everything, I act as a facilitator and collaborate with people to create a course that covers all the different angles.”

She brings in experts in the use of generative AI in business communications, including industry professionals who already use it. Thomas worked with Olin Professor Salih Tutun, an AI expert, on the technical content and Seth Carnahan, an associate professor of strategy, on ethical issues related to AI.

“There’s an ethics element to every module,” Thomas said. “AI is rife with ethical issues.” She noted that the data set on which the models are based can be pulled from a variety of sources of varying quality. “So it’s pulling both from academic journals and from, say, Reddit.” The models can also mimic the biases of the humans who train them.

Despite these challenges, Thomas said the technology is already a vital business tool.

“I believe we have to embrace it,” she said. “As we talk to business professionals, they’re using it every day. We’re doing our students a disservice if we don’t show them how to use it well.”

An AI-powered assistant: Meet Synthia

To help illustrate the potential uses of AI technology, Thomas worked with the team at Olin’s Center for Digital Education, which provides e-learning support for the OMBA program, to craft a special virtual environment for the course.

AI was used to create background images and even a robot “teaching assistant” named Synthia.

“The robot was animated so that it could move and interact with Staci on the video,” said Jorge Delgado, a video production specialist with the CDE.

The script for Synthia’s dialogue was created in ChatGPT. Verity Woody, a multimedia developer at the CDE, said they used an AI tool called Speechify to convert the text to audio and design Synthia’s voice.

“You can make the voice as robotic or humanlike as you want,” she said. “I wanted to make it sound like she was a robot, but not a ‘beep-boop’ metallic-sounding robot.”

Despite the significant use of AI, Thomas said the team’s creative input was vital.

“We say we built it using AI, but it took humans to actually do it,” she said. “We talked about context, history, the understanding of the program and the students. There were critical questions these guys asked me throughout the development to make it work. It was undeniably a team effort.”

Those conversations allowed Delgado and Woody to work with AI tools while also considering their impact.

Woody said she sees the utility of AI. But she worries about the impact on human artists whose work could be appropriated without compensation or credit. “Like a lot of things, it can be used for good or for not-so-good things,” she said. “I hope we get regulations (to protect artists), but I think there can be a harmonious relationship with AI.”

Since AI technology is already so widely available, Delgado said professionals need to adapt to using it, while ensuring they’re doing so ethically.

“One interviewee (in the course) said something that really stuck with me: ‘It’s not that AI is going to take your job; it’s the people who can utilize AI to its full capacity who are going to take your job.’ It’s out there. If you don’t use it, you’re missing out on opportunities,” he said.

As AI continues to evolve and impact the business world, Thomas sees the potential to incorporate it into future courses. “I don’t think this should be the only course we have on AI—it’s a starter course. We’re putting a stake in the ground with this.”

AI tools used to create the Generative AI for Communicators course:

ChatGPT 3.5 & 4 (with plugins) and Google Bard	language-processing chatbots that can generate humanlike text.
Bing AI	an AI-powered search engine and chatbot
Midjourney	a program that creates images from natural language descriptions
Speechify	an AI voice studio that translates text into voice files

Pictured: Staci Thomas, professor of practice in management communications, and Synthia.

What makes a great MBA program? Famous faculty? Dynamic students? A state-of-the-art library of learning resources? When students are figuring out what to look for in an MBA program, they need a mixture of qualities and features that will signal that they’ve uncovered a great, high-quality online experience.

At Olin Business School, we’ve discovered a lot about what makes a successful program. It boils down to a handful of key elements. These elements encompass great faculty, great students, great support and great technology. Each of these elements feeds back to the others. A diverse group of students enriches the faculty’s teaching and draws world-class educators to the campus. A great support team aids the digital surface of an online program. And so on.

The PRINCE and PRINCESS model

Are you wondering how to choose an online MBA program? When sifting through online MBA program requirements, there are a few key elements to look out for. These elements contribute to a student’s experience of an MBA and combine to boost the overall value of this kind of learning.

P is for Personal

A great online program connects a student to the faculty. Faculty members are so present and involved in the student’s ideas that they feel like friends by the end of the program. An MBA that uses video regularly to film faculty and connect cohorts together will succeed in making their program more immersive and social.

R is for Rich

In a dynamic program, students aren’t sitting in front of their screens hour after hour, watching PowerPoint presentations and screencasts. The ideal program will give you a variety of media and interactions to experience. You will meet a variety of faculty members and practitioners, and you will complete a variety of challenging tasks. This is the foundation of a rich experience.

I is for Interactive

Learning business is not a spectator sport. You may be sitting in your bedroom or your study, but you will actively be engaging with course materials and interacting with fellow students, faculty, quizzes and discussions. A complete range of interactive learning methods and modules helps students engage thoughtfully with their own ideas.

N is for Networking

A great program helps a student build a working network of friends, mentors and collaborators—people who will support and join that student’s business ventures into the future. In an online MBA, students work in groups with people who come from a very broad geographical and cultural reach, establishing this diverse mix of friends and helpers.

C is for Communication

Communication is a vital element of any program but especially an online one. From live Zoom sessions to lectures to time for questions, an online MBA needs to carefully bring together spontaneous, “in the room” discussions and give students an opportunity to think and respond with their best ideas.

E is for Engagement

Engagement is what should naturally follow from all of the above elements. Get communication, networking, interactivity, rich variety and personalization in place, and the MBA program can’t help but entice and engage its students.

Two more points to add

There are two further points we can add to really drive home our MBA’s effectiveness and turn this PRINCE into a PRINCESS:

S is for Smart

In today’s world, “smart” no longer refers to aptness; to succeed in the world of business requires an education in data and digital technology. A smart MBA uses the power of data and digital tools to make the program more intuitive and engaging. Technology allows faculty to check in on students who haven’t used the platform or haven’t been engaged, and it allows them to ask how they can help in a personalized and direct way.

S is for Simple

The final letter of our model refers to the simplicity it takes to make a learning program clear and easy to use, while still challenging students academically and professionally. We aim for our technology and materials to provide clear water through which our students can learn to swim.

Are online MBA programs credible? Absolutely. An online MBA is a different animal from an in-person, on-campus program, even though it will be based on the same foundational courses and components. A great online program needs to be dedicated to making a continued, significant investment in a center of digital education. Done correctly, online learning provides an engaging, supportive education while breaking down the traditional barriers that have held back our education system for so long. And that’s where Olin shines.

We are entering a new era in education. Learners of all ages have experienced a significant life change over these past few years, and their expectations for a traditional university environment have been blown apart.

As such, it is more important than ever for MBA programs to be able to evolve. The pandemic has changed the way we all work, the way careers look and the ways in which businesses operate. For students to be prepared to enter the new world of work, all levels of schooling will need to drastically adjust the online learning environments and resources that are being created.

Dynamism has always been a vital part of an MBA program, whether online or on campus, but people are increasingly realizing the power and potential of a great online MBA experience. By including many types of support and with faculty collaborating to produce comprehensive materials, digital technology can power an even more personal and engaging learning experience for students.

How is an online MBA program meeting students where they’re at?

Accredited online MBA programs are best suited to serve students in this unique time due to the very platform they’re based on—fully virtual classrooms. Online programs are more suitable for a wider variety of students by offering the same fundamentals, learning modules, teaching quality and admissions standards while still being flexible. This ensures that people with different scheduling, financial and accessibility needs have access to higher education.

One wonderful thing about a more flexible program is the range of students it attracts. The online MBA draws a diverse population of students—different backgrounds, languages, industry experiences, religions, etc.—and the program becomes richer because of this diversity. It also means that great instructors are drawn to the program, too.

At Olin, our online MBA has a support network that acts like a scaffold, providing a firm foundation so all learners and instructors can progress through the program together. Instructional designers work with production specialists to create great, supportive materials. The digital publishing team follows that up with digital textbooks that evolve to meet how students are actually learning. Then, eLearning Support Assistants are there to help students in real-time as they navigate their education experience.

Additionally, our courses are produced and accessible through our Center for Digital Education and our proprietary learning platform, learn.WashU. The Center for Digital Education provides staff support through dedicated studio facilities that can record large quantities of high-quality digital materials. The learn.WashU platform gives students a reliable and engaging virtual environment, like a digital campus. Platform resources are individualized for students to offer personal guidance, while access to data means feedback and adjustments can happen immediately.

How is the online MBA evolving to meet student needs?

As the future of business leadership shifts and reforms, an online MBA program is only as good as its ability to evolve. Here’s what we’re doing at Olin to ensure we continue to be the best place for students to develop MBA leadership skills:

Using feedback to grow

Students’ needs and expectations are in flux, so it’s important that providers are constantly listening to students’ thoughts and concerns. We have multiple evaluation mechanisms so that, even within a term, we can make adjustments to the way we teach, organize and communicate. We use qualitative feedback to help us make a learning experience that evolves through data-driven feedback.

Preparing students for a hybrid world

The world of work demands a lot from today’s graduates, and at the forefront of Olin’s mission is to prepare students to enter this world. How to apply for digital-first jobs and succeed. How to communicate the potential of digitalization to employers. How to help others to innovate their processes. These are the MBA leadership skills that we’re nurturing in our students so that they can become the future of business leadership.

Drilling down into MBA fundamentals

Our focus on digital experiences and learning does not mean we’re forgetting about the foundations of MBA skills development. The core principles of MBA learning form the structure of our program, but at the same time, we live and breathe a digital approach so that all of our courses and conversations are colored by the needs of the data-driven business landscape that surrounds us—including AI, cloud infrastructure, and the challenges of remote and hybrid operations.

By focusing our program on dynamic online learning, we deliberately and actively prepare MBA students for a business world that is changing all the time. By offering a safe but ambitious digital-first environment, we show our cohorts that anything is possible in this new world.