Revenue growth is “much more assured in an environment where you are in control”, noted the Miami Herbert interim dean, adding, “previously, we gave away a large chunk of our revenue; now, services have been unbundled and can be purchased individually.” In order to navigate this digital shift it was necessary to engage with faculty, addressing their concerns and promoting the benefits of online pedagogy. An organisational transformation was undertaken whereby the staff structure was reconfigured to meet the needs of the online programme function. Moreover, the school invested in staff development and hired third- party providers where necessary, for instance instructional designers and videographers. Leading the way in implementing AI Business school leaders from institutions in India, Portugal and the UK highlighted the value of taking a measured approach to AI in a panel session focused on implementing technology into management education. While the panellists agreed that AI must be tackled by both students and faculty, they also thought it was crucial to understand its limitations and risks to avoid encountering problems further down the line. Woxsen University vice-president Raul Rodriguez urged schools to be realistic. “You can’t go and ramp up AI across all departments… that’s not a solution, that creates chaos and insecurity.” Rodriguez then outlined where he sees the limits of AI’s potential to take on the work of staff and faculty. “You can reduce workloads by reducing tasks that can be automated and you may even be able to replace certain theoretical content, but not the delivery of that content and the human interaction.” Yet, innovation should still be actively encouraged and vice-dean for education at Imperial College Business School Leila Guerra revealed how it is supporting early adopters to further their ideas. “We have created the AI evangelists, a network that features every faculty at Imperial College London. They have the necessary support from above to try things out and communicate that with students,” she enthused before adding, “we’re constantly getting feedback from students on what’s working and what’s not.” One area identified as being ripe for AI is career services, as Porto Business School dean José Esteves highlighted. “AI is now progressing to what we call augmented intelligence and will
BREAKOUT SESSIONS
Echo360 Real-time engagement and assessment in the digital classroom was the topic covered by Echo360’s head of technical services, Naveed Shah. He began by reminding delegates of the way that digital learning environments have become increasingly prevalent in today’s evolving educational landscape. “The digital classroom environment is changing and you need to engage students both in class and remotely,” noted Shah. Real-time engagement is key to keeping students actively involved and motivated throughout the learning process. In a digital classroom, it can be challenging to maintain the same level of interaction and participation as in a traditional face-to-face setting. However,
by leveraging tools and strategies that promote real-time engagement, educators can create a dynamic and interactive learning environment that captivates students’ attention and encourages active participation. The Echo360 spokesperson then outlined the company’s offering, which aims to provide a way to foster real-time engagement through polling and assessment solutions. These tools allow faculty to seamlessly integrate interactive quizzes, polls and assessments into their digital lessons, enabling students to provide instant feedback, ask questions and test their understanding of the material in real time. By actively engaging students, lecturers can create a more immersive and collaborative learning experience, even in a virtual setting.
company’s plans. “With the shift to a skills-first market, we can do a better job of empowering the platform’s members to understand what skills are important for their next career move, the skills they will need to move to managerial level and so on. In that way, we can also make the talent ecosystem a bit more equitable and efficient for all.” Wellén ended by making recommendations for supporting student employability that intertwine with LinkedIn’s uses and pointed to the benefits of nurturing a growth mindset. “The one superpower that would serve us all well is to embrace the idea of lifelong learning,” he concluded. From partnership to autonomy Outgoing interim Miami Herbert Business School dean Ann Olazábal used her session to trace the evolution of the school’s online programme management. It began in 2015 with a system called Laureate, moving on to UOnline in 2020 and 2U in 2022; this year, however, Miami Herbert has taken over the running of its online MSc in business and technology and by 2025, it will have done the same for its MSc in finance. The benefits of autonomy include full control of the product, ie the student experience; data-driven insights, ie leveraging analytics for improved course quality and student success; and revenue growth, ie maximising margins by reducing costs and taking advantage of internal synergies. “You relinquish too much if you outsource,” cautioned Olazábal, noting that the school had relied on external partners to provide reports via a dashboard, but “it was done their way and not the way we would have wanted to use the data”.
A traditional display of Hungarian horsemanship at Lázár Equestrian Park
22 | Ambition | JULY/AUGUST 2024
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