DIGITAL LEARNING
“Education for many people is still too expensive and AI can deliver high-quality courses at a lower cost,” he remarks. “However, MBAs are luxury goods; an AI MBA is probably not going to happen because MBAs tend to be low-volume, bespoke programmes. The power of AI is in the democratisation of education and low cost-access.” AI could, however, be used by business schools to change the way they use data dramatically. With machine learning, it’s possible to analyse integrated data sets from admissions, degree programmes and career outcomes and obtain incredibly powerful insights. For example, schools would be able to know which students at their school are getting the best jobs and then use that information to tweak degree programmes. They would also have the capacity to anticipate a dip in their MBA ranking five years in advance by analysing the student candidate pool. “AI will have a greater impact on the non-teaching part of business education, such as automation around recruitment, job placement and programme administration”, asserts Lefevre. “But it’s still going to take a while to get there.” Advice on moving forward For many business schools, the big question is what type of digital programmes to oer. At Edhec, we answered this question by looking at our core academic strengths – finance, business strategy, entrepreneurship and sustainability – and created online programmes that could benefit from our expertise. We also thought about digital pedagogy and how we could encourage students to work together online. In his consulting work, Barniville says school administrators often ask him what types of digital programmes they should oer, but he advises them to start by asking why learners would be interested in getting a degree or certificate from them in the first place. “Digital education is pushing the concept of brand even further; potential students have a huge diversity of choice because they don’t have to shop locally.” Barniville encourages business school leaders to focus on creating the right educational product for their target demographic. He dissuades them from getting too caught up in digital tools and the race to implement them. Before we launched Edhec Online, we took time to speak with other schools forging ahead in the digital sphere and we learned a lot about the latest technical tools and gadgets. Ultimately, we partnered with edtech innovators that we knew could provide our students with the tools they would need to succeed; these include virtual learning expeditions and AI quizzes to stimulate learning. In a world where new technologies are coming onto the market daily, it’s important not to get overwhelmed. Instead, Lefevre advises keeping a cool head about digital innovation. “All tech advocates have amazing tales to tell and they really believe in their products, but most of what they throw at you is probably a waste of time and students’ money,” observes Lefevre. “But you do need to engage with these new technologies because if you don’t do so now, it will be impossible to catch up.”
BIOGRAPHIES
Benoit Arnaud is dean of programmes at Edhec Business School and the executive director of Edhec Online. He oversees the development and management of the school’s portfolio of academic programmes, including undergraduate courses (bachelor’s degree), pre-experience programmes (master’s in management and MSc), MBAs, executive education and the continuing expansion of Edhec Online
David Lefevre is a professor of practice in digital innovation at Imperial College Business School and the chairman and co-founder of Insendi. He is a serial entrepreneur and serves on the board of trustees of the British Council
Nick Barniville is the founder of Gomera Tech, an edtech strategy and implementation partner for universities. He previously served as associate dean of programmes at ESMT Berlin
Ambition APRIL 2023 | 21
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