Technology was once hailed as the definitive new tool to support distance learning, but today its application has spread to on-campus study. Business schools are discovering that this generation of techno-savvy students expect the newest technology to help them to learn.

The use of wikis and blogs to capture and extend knowledge is well established in business schools, according to Matty Smith, senior development fellow at Henley Management College: “But now they are turning to social networking sites such as Face-book and YouTube as a way of marketing through their alumni. Additionally, virtual worlds such as Second Life offer an opportunity to create rich case studies, often based on actual companies such as Nike, Manpower and Cisco moving into that domain.” The challenge, claims Smith, is how to make the faculty skilled in the use of these tools.

Fortunately, some business schools have members of staff who are not just technologically literate but can respond creatively to students’ needs.

Jochen Runde, reader in economics at the Judge Institute, is a co-author of LiveEcon, a system that teaches macroeconomics.

He explains: “On the MBA programme we have to get through a lot of basic economics very quickly, and the level of knowledge among students varies enormously. LiveEcon is a textbook on computer that produces dynamic diagrams and charts. Students can test different assumptions, for example on interest rates or exchange rates, and see what the effect is in real time. There is a computer game element that is quite seductive; if I was starting out again, I would choose this rather than a standard textbook.”

There appear to be as many applications of new technology as there are business schools using them. E-learning is core to Manchester Business School Worldwide, which has 2,800 students working remotely. The programme is moving away from the teacher-to-student method, claims Stefano Ghazzali, chief e-learning technologist. “We use communities of practice, encouraging peer-to-peer work and getting students to collaborate on discussion boards. They also bring their MySpace blog and integrate it with the student support portal to provide two-way communication.”

Tanaka Business School has redesigned its weekend MBA to make full use of the latest technology. David Lefevre, senior learning technologist, explains that there were three aims: to make the school always available to students, to give them more guidance and to put education ahead of administration: “Traditionally students came in once a month, then were left to study at home. Now they learn in an online environment with interactive material, and access to an online tutor and their peer group. They get immediate feedback, and technology has streamlined the process of accessing course notes.”

Jasveen Chugh, a student on the weekend executive programme, is enthusiastic about Tanaka’s learning approach. “It is ideal for studying, since we have access to all course material 24 hours a day. This saves me carrying books around and I can keep up with the coursework even when I’m on work trips. When I have a question I can discuss it online with fellow students and there are interactive study games that test your knowledge so you can monitor your progress.”

Tanaka has invested £500,000 in the past two years on Web 2 technologies, but cannot afford to stand still. Lefevre says: “I recently attended a conference on Web 3 technologies. The challenge is to keep up with students who come from organisations that use advanced technology. We continue to adapt our courses. The overall aims will not change but the technology will.”

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