Looking back at 25 years of being AMBA- accredited, it is apparent that one of our priorities remains to signal the quality of our MBA programme, particularly in regard to validating the benefits of a distance-learning MBA. Distance learning has always been a core ingredient of Leicester’s success. Not only does this mode of delivery democratise an MBA degree, it also facilitates access to postgraduate study for those whose career and life commitments prevent them from undertaking a full-time, on-campus degree. Our distance-learning MBA allows us to tap into a global talent pool, creating a truly international student body that strengthens the school’s diverse and inclusive community. This in turn has a positive impact on our daily organisational strategies through the ongoing interaction with practising senior managers and leaders. Key to the relationship with our students has always been the integration of face-to-face activities – be they in a ‘brick-and-mortar’ setting or an online classroom; because of this, numerous synchronous events are built into all our core and option modules, as well as the MBA career development programme. These help us bridge the physical distance between our students, create a community and encourage our cohorts to engage and share ideas. They expose students to the challenges faced by their peers working in di erent organisations, sectors and countries and they help them to develop a sense of camaraderie and grow resilient, global networks. L
AMBA ANNIVERSARY
Masterclass provides immersive experience Our commitment to synchronous engagement aligns with AMBA’s core values and a ords us the opportunity to take a broader, ‘o -syllabus’ view of the world of work, thereby helping us to address emerging issues in business and management. To that end, we host three MBA and distance- learning-focused events annually: namely, a week- long Leicester masterclass and two weekend online and residential workshops. These complement the standard programme and curriculum, providing a more immersive learning experience, giving students the opportunity for real-time skill development and enabling us to feature topics that evolve with the times. The Leicester masterclass was originally a summer school, having been a feature of our MBA calendar for more than 25 years. Although it was threatened when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, our long history of distance-learning provision meant we had the infrastructure and expertise to replace our traditional on-campus masterclass (scheduled for August 2020), with a month-long programme of synchronous online events and activities, entitled Re-imagining management in the shadow of Covid-19 . As such, despite global travel restrictions, we were able to host more than 100 MBA students virtually, who hailed from no fewer than 39 countries and five continents. Collectively, we worked to augment our skills in leading virtual teams and we explored the organisational and societal costs and consequences of the pandemic, while students produced practical, real-world proposals, helping their companies to respond to the crisis as it unfolded. The carefully designed interactive sessions were supported by our innovative Virtual Learning Environment, which had the look and feel of a fine art gallery. Here, in search of contemporary views and opinions from research and media, our students could wander through the themed exhibitions, each of which held carefully curated collections of text, video and audio articles, expounding expert opinions on the challenges and opportunities presented by the pandemic to both organisations and society. We were proud that our 2020 Leicester masterclass epitomised our commitment to learning of the moment, in the moment. Spearheading sustainability in business The following year, the masterclass (still virtual due to ongoing travel restrictions) presented students with the Online Sustainability Challenge (OSC). As
Ambition FEBRUARY 2024 | 19
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