An Experiment in Online Education Reaches 50,000 Learners in Five Years

23 Oct 2019

Re: Patrick Mullane (MBA 1999)

Topics: Philanthropy-Giving Impact Innovation-General

In HBS Online’s virtual classroom, students log in simultaneously and appear on a curved video wall—enabling them to see and speak with the professor and with each other.

In 2014, Harvard Business School launched HBX—an innovative platform that aimed to replicate the unique pedagogy and intensity of an HBS on-campus classroom. Five years and one name change later, Harvard Business School Online has grown into a global brand that has educated more than 50,000 people in 170 countries.

“We have brought much of what is special about the HBS experience to life online, helping the School to achieve its educational mission of educating leaders, wherever they are and through an entirely new medium,” explains Patrick Mullane, executive director of HBS Online.

Courses are developed and taught by HBS faculty members and delivered through two distinctive mediums. One is an online platform where students take self-paced courses on their own time. The other is a real-time virtual classroom, where students log in simultaneously and appear on a curved video wall—enabling them to see and speak with the professor and with each other.

HBS Online employs the latest technology to incorporate the School’s signature case method and provide an interactive experience that keeps students engaged and on their toes. Students meet case protagonists through short video clips; wrestle with the same issues and imperfect information facing those business leaders; discuss and debate solutions with classmates around the globe; and even field the dreaded cold call.

HBS Online offers courses on leadership and management, innovation and entrepreneurship, and finance and accounting. One of its first offerings, the Credential of Readiness (CORe), remains its flagship. This unique program provides an intro- duction to essential business concepts, including financial accounting, business analytics, and managerial economics, to college students and recent graduates, incoming MBA students, and mid-career professionals.

A recent survey of 1,000 past participants showed the impact that completing an HBS Online course can have on a person’s life and career. Among the highlights: 90 percent feel more confident at work, 77 percent gained greater clarity about their professional future, and 53 percent gained more responsibility at work.

The HBS Online experience creates such a strong connection that students are eager to engage with the School and each other in person. At its annual Connext conference in April, nearly 500 people from 48 countries came to campus for a day of keynotes, case discussions, panel discussions, and networking.