BGA | BUSINESS IMPACT
programmes. The equivalent figures for other master’s degrees and executive education are 69% and 66%, respectively. Considering the use of virtual classrooms to teach any programme at Business School, 51% of Business School leaders polled said they are using virtual classrooms, 39% are not, and 10% do not know. When asked for further details about the teaching methods their Schools were adopting, the most commonly cited method was live videoconferencing systems from PC, which 89% of participants say is being used at their Schools. This was followed by classroom-based delivery (cited by 80% of participants); elearning / MOOCs (34%); live virtual classrooms from studios (33%); and live online virtual classroom software PCs (26%). Looking at individual programmes here reveals that high proportions of respondents’ Schools are still using classroom- based learning: for doctorates (91%), professional or custom education (84%); master’s and MSc degrees (83%); bachelor’s degrees (82%); MBA programmes (81%); and executive education (81%). However, they have also pivoted to using live videoconferencing systems to augment classroom-based teaching in large numbers: on MSc degrees (88%); master’s degrees (83%); MBA programmes (81%); executive education (79%); and professional and custom education (79%). Respondents have been slower to adopt other online learning approaches, but more than a third said their Business Schools have been using live online virtual classroom software for MSc programmes (37%) and bachelor’s degrees (35%), and a quarter (26%) are using this technology for MBA programmes. Live virtual classrooms from studios, meanwhile, are being used for MBA programmes at 27% of respondents’ Business Schools and 26% have been putting this technology to use for executive education.
When asked to rate the effectiveness of the teaching methods outlined above, classroom-based delivery is still deemed to be the most effective, but emerging technologies also met with strong perceptions of effectiveness, and all physical and virtual solutions put to survey participants were deemed to add value to programme delivery.
How will the pandemic change the way the full-time MBA is delivered in the future?
Participants were asked to consider technology’s impact on teaching and learning at Business Schools in general, both now and in the future. None of the Business School leaders surveyed said that their institution was not intending to invest in online teaching methods over the coming two years – 82% said they are planning to invest in technology to enable online teaching, while 18% are either unsure or are considering it. When asked what they thought would be the most prevalent forms of teaching for various types of programmes available at their Schools in five years’ time, very small numbers of participants thought that any of the ‘traditional’ Business School programmes would move into fully online delivery. However, Business School leaders predict that blended and hybrid models will replace the traditional classroom-based delivery of courses in the short-to-medium term. Highlighting the MBA programme as a case in point – just 21% of leaders think this programme will be taught in a traditional classroom format in five years, while 38% believe blended delivery will become the most prevalent form of MBA teaching; and 38% predict a hybrid approach. Taking a slightly longer-term view, participants were asked to think about the technological concepts and innovations that might impact the running of their Business Schools in the coming decade, such as AI, big data, automation, digitalisation, data visualisation, and engagement analytics. The results show that none of the leaders surveyed think these factors will be of zero importance to Business School strategy. Having said that, digitalisation is deemed to be the most important concept in the running of Business Schools over the next 10 years – 63% of leaders believe it to be ‘very important’. Big data was the second-most cited concept, with 58% classifying it as ‘very important’ for the Business School of tomorrow. ‘Very small numbers of participants thought that any of the “traditional” Business School programmes would move into fully online delivery’
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