Do Recruiters Value Distance Learning MBAs?

Do recruiters still give distance online learning MBAs less weightage than campus-based courses? Manuel Fernandez de Villalta, Associate Dean of Online Education at IE Business School, Madrid, explores the debate.

In the past, distance learning MBAs have been seen as poor substitutes for the real deal of the full time campus based experience. They have often been accused of providing a substandard learning environment, lacking key elements such as the chance to build the all important network, and subsequently being undervalued by recruiters.

Although today there is still a high degree of variability within online offerings, many of these preconceptions are now being challenged, indeed the new wave of high quality online learning technologies are redefining the very notion of distance learning. Just as we see the business environment being transformed by these technologies so education is also undergoing a dramatic shift.

With institutions now capable of linking together globally diverse participants in real time and asynchronously with online technologies what was previously lumped under the title of distance learning is in reality a wide range of different learning models and modes of study. Models based entirely on self-learning are mostly being phased out, with many programs adopting a blended style, usually involving a number of face to face interventions and periods of online study. Technology and the mode of study now allows participants in an online environment to take the best elements of the case method and class discussion from the full time presential MBAs.

This then gives participants the opportunity to meet with their class mates both face to face and online allowing them to undertake many of the soft skills elements now critical to all MBA programs. Many programs have similar focuses to their full time counterparts, using case studies and group based learning as central elements of the experience. The number of the interventions and length of the programs can be very different, so that participants with different workloads can participate in a way that allows them to maximize their time in the program. The traditional weekend or bi-weekly MBA might also now include substantial periods of online study.

Here at IE Business School we are seeking to take this further, utilizing a number of technologies to provide our Global MBA students with live face to face videoconference sessions with their professors and classmates on a weekly basis. This allows full participation of students in the discussions, they solve cases in their work groups, present their findings, and discuss them with the rest of the class. The rest of the week they spend in an asynchronous learning environment, working on cases with their professors and teammates but also utilizing numerous online tools to support their learning such as virtual conference rooms, real-time chats and multimedia cases.

They are able to follow a part-time program whilst being able to put into practice on the job what they are learning. Participants also have to take part in a number of live face to face sessions over the course of their program to successfully graduate. The learning experience may be different from a full time program but the quality is comparable and may in fact be enhanced. Matty Smith, Director of Learning and teaching services at Henley Management College succinctly summed this up talking in the Financial Times, “the learning experience and the level of knowledge is probably greater on the DL model because the students are, on the whole, in employment - they are studying the MBA whilst practicing as managers and so they are also bringing to the learning experience and the area of knowledge, their own direct experience as well as learning from the experiences of others”

The intense use of the technology and the focus on working together in geographically dispersed groups has produced interesting results from a recruiter perspective. Many corporations place a high premium on individuals who can work within and lead diverse teams. MBA programs with a high level of diversity and distance amongst their participants, and a strong focus on team work and leadership skills are really equipping them for success in the corporations and organizations they will go onto work for. Indeed we have seen elements from the online programs now being offered within full time programs as greater use is made of the technologies, the skill that can be developed using many of these new tools will be applied across all MBA programs.

In our experience we have seen a full range of career progressions occurring from our distance learning programs, with participants advancing their careers within major multi nationals such as Microsoft, switching careers to some of the traditional MBA destinations such as strategy consulting, setting up their own ventures (with other alumni from their programs and indeed now hiring new alumni as their businesses grow). The knowledge and skills development is the same as from the full time programs and they develop their networking in an environment which is the one surviving after they finish the program, the online World.

There are a number of highly sophisticated offerings on the market now, and potential applicants are faced with numerous choices of institutions and models of programs. The Financial Times and the Economist Intelligence Unit both now offer either rankings or lists focused on the online market. However a number of factors remain constant when choosing a school: the schools brand and reputation, accreditations, and rankings are all likely to give both potential participants and potential recruiters a good lead when it comes to assessing the quality of the program. Ultimately personal preferences about mode of study, current state of your career and the expectations you have after the MBA will drive your choice of program and school, but it is likely that a high quality distance learning program from a good institution will add as much value to your personal and professional development as its full time equivalent.

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