UPenn Professors Say MOOCs the Future of MBA Programs

"According to a recent study by two professors from University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, online learning could benefit students in ways separate from the benefits gained from traditional classroom learning." continues EducationNews.

The study, by Christian Terwiesch and Karl Ulrich, is called "Will Video Kill the Classroom Star?

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The Threat and Opportunity of MOOCs for Full-Time MBA Programs,” looked at the video technology used for massive open online courses (MOOCs), which the authors call “SuperText”, and discovered that it could make MBA courses 40% cheaper to produce.

Currently, a full-time traditional MBA involves many professors giving in-class lectures.  Each course costs about $1,500 to produce, while “it costs just pennies to register a new student in a MOOC,” writes Seb Murray for website Business Because.

SuperText involves three main parts: videos, online learning platforms, and a community-enriched social network.  All of this offers the potential for better suiting the needs of the individual student than traditional programs.

“In a classroom, every participant is forced to share an identical experience,” co-author Karl Ulrich said in an email. “With SuperText, the learning experience can adapt dynamically to the needs and preferences of each individual student.”

Co-author Christian Terwiesch adds:

“As simple as it might sound, the SuperText has a rewind button. You watch that video and you get confused so you just rewind it, pause it, text a friend and get an explanation,” Terweisch said. “That’s actually more adaptive than the traditional classroom environment.”

The authors also discuss an “adaptive learning” feature of SuperText, allowing the program to discover where an individual student is having problems and direct them toward success in the areas where they most need help.
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Related link 
Will Video Kill the Classroom Star? (PDF)

About Christian Terwiesch and Karl T. Ulrich

Christian Terwieschis a professor in Wharton’s Operations and Information Management department and co-director of Penn’s Mack Institute for Innovation Management. He also holds a faculty appointment in Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine. He has written multiple books and published extensively in many of the leading academic journals ranging from Management Science to The New England Journal of Medicine.
He is an award winning teacher with extensive experience in MBA teaching, online course s, and executive education. He holds adoctoral degree from INSEAD and a Diploma from the University of Mannheim.
 
Karl T. Ulrich is Vice Dean of Innovation at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. His books include Product Design and Development and Innovation Tournaments . At Wharton, he has won the Anvil Award, the Miller-Sherrerd Award, and the Excellence in Teaching Award. In addition to his scholarly work, Professor Ulrich is a prolific innovator and entrepreneur, holding more than 20 patents. He earned bachelor's, master's, an d doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering from MIT. 

Source: EducationNews