such as Blockchain or artificial intelligence. It’s extremely important to be modular, as it is faster and more nimble. DC: EDHEC is the institution that awards the degree. We all own a small module, and we work in collaboration, but EDHEC is the main institution, so we work very closely with it and adjust the curriculum to make sure changes are made and that there is no overlap between what students are doing in their first year at EDHEC and their second year at UCLA Extension. What innovations have emerged from the Covid-19 pandemic? AB: Travel is important because it allows us to be effective. The pandemic was a challenge, because we had to move everything online which required much more frequent communication. Instead of talking once every two weeks, it would be once a week plus WhatsApps messages and Zoom calls. This takes its toll and became tiring for teams. Communication is important, but you don’t want to overdo it and distract teams from other activities. We had to develop activities (such as the small consultancy projects with companies) that students could do remotely. Social activities were important as well, because the pandemic took away the campus life even more for students from other countries, but we had to instruct them remotely from their different time zones. We also had to find other activities to keep them engaged; it was only possible because we all worked together. Have you recognised any innovations that you want to retain? AB: For us, it’s normality, so it’s harder to reflect, but we are trying to keep the conversation going with the external actors; that is always important. During the pandemic, EDHEC students arrived to help associates such as NGOs deliver initiatives all over the world; for example, planting a thousand trees in Haiti. We didn’t do it physically, but they
a state that tells you ‘you must have this; you must work within a framework’, these requirements add complexity. We have been quite innovative, so our final project – the dissertation – allows students to choose what they work on: either a personal research thesis, or an applied research project with a company. This did not come without challenges and discussions with ministers of education, to make sure what we were proposing was in line with their accepted frameworks. In terms of the partnership, at the beginning we were learning about each other’s styles; how we do things here is different to how things are done there. We also had to get used to working with older learners and the way to communicate with them, because it can be different to talking to 19-year olds. Business School partnerships can be resource intensive. How could a smaller institutions approach this? AB: Modularity is a key aspect. Rather than designing something from scratch, it’s perhaps better to find modules that already exist that can be adapted and changed. The investment is important and significant in terms of resources, and in terms of the attention from the teams. But the course we’re discussing is one of the most in-demand courses when it comes to applications at our School, so the initial investment paid off strongly. It’s important for the institution to commit to that and to understand how the programme fits within a message. DC: I agree that you need to take a long-term commitment perspective. If you are only looking for short-term gain, this may not be the best approach. But the time and effort you put into this investment will pay off in subsequent years. We looked at one of our existing certificates in international trade and commerce, and we customised it based on the students and the courses they had already completed before they came to UCLA Extension.
donated all the resources working with a local NGO. One of the main innovations was that we constantly had to seek out new ways of making an impact, looking at new technology, plus social and environmental impact. Would you recommend any regions to which Schools could reach out for partnerships? DC: The region is important, but I’d say that you must look beyond that. I feel it’s about the type of institution. Most people would assume that UCLA looks for big research institutions, but that’s not necessarily true. I would look not only at the region but at the institution; also, some countries have certain requirements (for example, the bulk of the School’s curriculum must be provided). But this doesn’t mean you can’t have an international partnership with that School or region – you might have to add more options or offer something that isn’t part of the degree during the summer, for example. AB: Southeast Asia remains a good hub because of the quality of students, and there is more of an approach for Schools and universities to be entrepreneurial. In the West, we were myopic, and didn’t see, for example, the top schools in Taiwan and China starting to become more entrepreneurial; we didn’t see students in Vietnam with amazing grades, and we needed to understand the change. If we look at China and Vietnam, they are exploring different forms of capitalism and looking at different forms of engagement with the internet. They are looking at innovations, things that we, in the West, have been taking for granted. What was the most difficult aspect of building a joint programme between your Schools? AB: In terms of challenges, there are requirements that go beyond us as a School. We can decide to innovate but the moment you have a government or
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