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Digital support for MBA students The AMBA & BGA Education Technology Research Report 2021-22, in association with Barco, revealed that 75% of Business Schools are now using virtual classrooms, a 25% increase from the end of 2020, following the large shift to online course delivery in peak pandemic. Providing flexibility in learning is a trend that is here to stay, and whether online instruction is delivered asynchronously or synchronously, the report identified that the biggest problem, experienced by 69% of the Business School Leaders surveyed, was identifying gaps in students’ knowledge. Advances in EdTech mean that pre-course and early course diagnostics can give instructor visibility over how students are performing and how confident they are, so they can intervene early if necessary. McGraw Hill’s new solution Total MBA helps institutions to orientate their MBA cohorts into their MBA journey, understand their needs in those critical early weeks, and pinpoint gaps in understanding. Curated from highly trusted resources across McGraw Hill’s international portfolio, Total MBA provides selected learning resources from 17 of its most prestigious business titles in use across universities spanning more than 15 countries. The solution provides diverse resources for diverse learners, across key MBA disciplines, to keep students engaged and challenged throughout their course and help them explore core subject knowledge. Personalised Learning Within Total MBA’s digital offering is Smartbook® technology, which allows students to self-pace their learning so they can revisit concepts as many times as they need. A Smartbook® is an enhanced eBook that helps students learn more efficiently by highlighting concept-relevant content, (particularly helpful for students where English is an additional language) and test their knowledge all the way
through. Students receive instant feedback so they can see immediately if they have misunderstood something and therefore remedy it before it gets entrenched. Instructors also have visibility of their performance to quickly identify at-risk students who require further support. Importantly, Total MBA prepares students for what’s to come with manageable chunked learning to orientate and avoid overwhelm. The use of Application Based Activities (ABAs) is another way to engage students with diverse simulations across a range of business endeavours. Students can choose from a selection of avatars that reflect diverse populations and promote inclusivity. These realistic scenarios help students apply theory to practice and progress from understanding concepts to employing them in real-world situations. Equity in flexibility When we think of equity, gender equality can often fall down down the pecking order in a society where – at least on the face of it – women have parity in business. There is no question that women are equally effective in senior leadership positions, for example, yet the split of gender roles when it comes to unpaid care and domestic work has not fully caught up to the boardroom. In her chart-topping book Invisible Women , Caroline Criado Perez shone a light on unpaid care work, which falls mostly to women, as a primary reason for the gender data gap since research projects offer little/ no flexibility to their volunteers. Keeping this in mind, it is hardly surprising then that, as MBAs become more flexible in online delivery, a greater percentage of women are enrolling. Forbes’ 2020 Business School Gender Balance Scorecard shows that more than half (11) of the top 20 Business Schools in the world have now balanced their MBA student populations, with the top three nearing parity.
While success was seen in part-time courses, women accounted for only 38% of applications to full-time MBA programmes in 2018. Business Schools are becoming more ambitious around inclusive cultures and providing leadership role models, and EdTech can be a valuable tool in offering the flexibility needed by many cohorts of students to engage fully. Recognising flexibility is key, Total MBA supports MBA course delivery, whether the faculty adopts a fully online approach, a blended or flipped approach. Powered by Connect®, Total MBA allows efficient integration with all major LMS platforms, including deep-integration options with Canvas, Blackboard and D2L/Brightspace. Connect® allows students to see when each assignment is due, allowing them to plan their time and learn at a pace that suits them. Accessibility A core consideration for any MBA content provider is accessibility, from WCAG compliance and beyond. McGraw Hill provides Alt Text for all figures and tables and has a partnership with the RNIB to provide accessible texts for those with visual impairments. Total MBA has been developed with accessibility in mind, both for those with disabilities and for those who are coming to the broad spectrum of MBA topics with different levels of expertise. Case studies, videos, interactive problems and more give students a diverse learning experience that goes far beyond reading alone.
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To find out more about Total MBA visit mheducation.co.uk/ambaTotal
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