30 second interview: The Warwick MBA by distance learning

Ray Irving, head of Warwick Business School eLearning, on the future of online/distance MBA programs

In 5 words, describe your online/distance MBA program

•    Rich, engaging, interactive learning experience

How would employers of your online/distance MBA program describe your graduates?

•    High quality, disciplined and innovative leaders

What 3 questions should candidates ask themselves when deciding whether your b-school’s program is right for them?

•    Are they willing to share their knowledge and experience with other students?
•    Are they willing to engage with and be challenged by leading academics?
•    Do they have the self-discipline to undertake a largely self-managed learning programme?

These questions are three of a number that we recommend prospective WBS students ask themselves. The first two are the same as the questions we ask candidates for our on-campus programmes. The third question reflects the nature of our online programme, where alongside timetabled online synchronous sessions, the students have flexibility to manage their own learning programme alongside their work and home lives.

If there is one distinctive feature about your b-school’s online/distance MBA program which puts it among some of the best in the world, what is it?

•    The effective use of technology to bring together and capture the wealth and richness of knowledge and experience of students from over 100 different countries.
What is the most common reason for candidates choosing your b-school’s traditional MBA program over your online/distance program? 
•    They have the time, finance and opportunity to undertake the on-campus experience.
Where do you see the future of online/distance MBA programs?
•    To be viewed as the premier method of undertaking an MBA.

Are there new trends in online learning which you’d incorporate into your program in the near future? If so, what are they?

•    We are using many of the latest trends in online learning and have been for a number of years. If there was one area that we increasingly utilise it is that of the techniques of social collaborative media to tap into the knowledge and experience of our large global body of students.

What is the next stage in the evolution for your online/distance MBA program?

•    To continue to further evolve our use of interactive and engaging multimedia and synchronous technology – taking the best bits of on-campus learning and providing them to distance-based learners.

What is your position on MOOCs? What effect (if any) do you believe this will have on your b-school’s online/distance MBA program?

•    We are positive on the idea of MOOCs to give people access to high-quality learning resources but we feel that they lack the personal contact with our academics and the rigor of completing a structured MBA programme. Therefore they have an important place in the educational world and we can learn from them, but in essence, our MBA programme is different.