STRATEGY
digital learning, to develop an online portfolio. In terms of what we learned, Business Schools were like the proverbial frog in the pool, and in 2020, the water heated up fast, so we jumped. Now the water is cooler, but it’s still warming up as disruption comes – albeit more slowly. ‘Comfort is not good, and we need to avoid a sense of complacency. Zoom, for example, is not digital learning, so we need a “beyond-Zoom” digital ecosystem of learning, to be best in class.’ Matthew Thomas, Director of the MBA programmes at Birmingham University, added: ‘There is a difference between change and innovation. We’ve been through a change, but I’m not sure it was that innovative. During the pandemic, the solution was obvious, and we had to go online. We’ve all ended up in the same place, and this isn’t a good definition of innovation – we changed. ‘Today there is far more uncertainty and students know we can teach in far more flexible ways than we used to. We can reach people and places that we didn’t used to. That cat isn’t going back into the bag – we need to innovate. The change was hard, and for the innovation to follow, we need to summon the energy again.’ Małgorzata Gawrycka, Dean, Faculty of Management and Economics at Gdańsk University of Technology, added: ‘We think about a positive future and support our faculty and our students in achieving this. We research new ideas every day and this is important in predicting the future. We should remember our mission and strategy – although sometimes it might feel like a far-off dream.’ The rise of the Metaverse The metaverse is an immersive 3D virtual world that mirrors our world, and will replace the 2D searched-based internet.
that the bulk of [students] at your institutions recognise the importance of climate change, but only one third of Schools have [climate change] integrated in their curriculum – and it is not embedded in the whole learning experiences. ‘I have to say there is still more work to be done at the academic level.’ The innovation cycle Leaders in the field of Business School innovation came together to discuss the trends that decision-makers in higher education need to consider. A panel, chaired by Sherif Kamel, Professor of Management, and Dean of the School of Business at the American University in Cairo, delved into issues such as: digital transformation, and the future of business education; disruption in business education; evolving programmes and course delivery to reflect changing needs of students and the future needs of employers. Panellists used the time to outline their own predictions for a post-Covid-19 scenario in terms of how Business Schools can future-proof themselves for a ‘new normal’ and continuing volatility. The first panellist, Filipe Santos, Alfredo da Silva Professor of Social Innovation, and Dean of Católica Lisbon School of Business and Economics, explained: ‘Faculty and Schools are more agile than we believed we were. When forced to change, we did. For us, the transition to online went well. We had an issue with infrastructure – then during the pandemic suddenly all our classrooms needed to be digitally enabled, so we put this technical ability in place. ‘In our degree programmes, we saw no disruption whatsoever, so we launched new offerings. In executive education, we experienced disruption, so we identified themes that were more amenable to
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