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THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE OF BUSINESS SCHOOLS
Salesforce.org’s education industry advisor Julio Villalobos shares his thoughts on the state of the industry and the evolution it has experienced
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Have business schools settled into a new normal following the changes brought on by Covid-19? Higher education has historically been a traditional ecosystem and witnessed limited evolution until two significant events in recent years. A new normal has been brought on by two external factors that have had a direct impact: Covid-19 and digitalisation. I believe business schools have settled into the new normal quicker than other areas of the wider higher education ecosystem. Covid-19 brought tremendous change for schools, such as online learning (synchronous and asynchronous), knowledge validation, online campuses and virtual working, plus other long-term changes and behaviours; for example, hybrid learning. To maintain the integrity of their programming, schools had to pivot quickly to continue to deliver quality education that met students’
expectations. For higher education and business schools, digitalisation is a journey that requires ongoing strategic improvement. Digital transformation is a mindset that is increasingly a part of every higher education strategic and action plan. It evolves continuously to meet students' and professors' expectations in a hybrid and omni- channel ecosystem dominated by digital experience; it keeps the student at the centre of the lifelong experience – as a prospect, student, alumnus and lifelong learner. Is hybrid learning the new normal? It's difficult to think of a full-time, on-campus programme in today’s economy. My view is that hybrid learning will be the preferred future format. Institutions will balance on- campus and online based on where they provide value to students and maintain a completely online learning
(synchronous and a synchronous) environment only for specific programmes and skills. Have recent events moved us towards a more democratised approach to business education? Higher education, and more specifically business schools, are a reflection of what's happening in other industries, implementing concepts such as ‘freemium’ or SaaS. New incumbents often adopt the former and the latter is usually implemented by the more advanced classical business schools that are ready to move out of their comfort zone. I strongly believe in this constant evolution and I think business education is leading the way in the adoption of new business models to support their pedagogy and revenue.
How have the needs and demands of students and learners changed, and
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