Each Friday and Saturday, accomplished project leaders, directors, CFOs, business owners and others gather at the Falls Church headquarters of Virginia Tech’s Executive MBA program. They learn from experts and from one another in face-to-face discussions involving business case analyses.

During the work week, students use Apple MacBook Pros to conduct video chats for small group projects. Teammates who are traveling can participate with audio-only access. When someone misses a session, iPods allow team members to record and share it. The technology is used for convenience, but it also challenges students to use new technologies.

After all, these are not “plugged in” iPod-addicted teenagers. Students have an average of 17 years’ work experience, and many have advanced degrees, according to Executive Director Charles Jacobina. While adding to their knowledge of operations management, marketing, finance, organizational behavior, information technology and other business topics, the program also challenges them to pick up some new communication technologies.

Learning from Peers

Executive MBA programs are designed for experienced managers moving up in their organization and are distinguished by their use of the case-study method, notes Jacobina. Students apply knowledge from their jobs, and sometimes they learn even more from one another than from faculty and guest speakers. “There is a very interactive and expressive classroom environment,” says Jacobina.

EMBA programs vary in personality, design and ways of incorporating new technologies. That gives executives a range of choices in finding a suitable program.

The two-year-long MBA Fellows program at Johns Hopkins University is similar to an EMBA program, but it meets quarterly rather than weekly. Instead of analyzing case studies, students collaborate in small groups on projects that involve consulting for actual companies. Because students have busy work schedules and are often traveling in different time zones, project groups rely on asynchronous discussions using a special technology that allows private group discussions, the collection and archiving of resources and information, and the construction of a shared knowledge base. Teams can also meet by teleconference.


Learning from Peers

The following checklist is based on a list developed by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Technology in Education.