Haas and EmpoweredU today announced the debut of a new mobile learning platform for the Berkeley MBA for Executives Program.
EmpoweredU’s mobile learning platform provides the tools, mobility, and ease of the iPad for a mobile learning experience. The partnership is the result of a recently completed pilot program that allowed students in the Berkeley MBA for Executives Program to test out the mobile education technology.
The platform features built-in functionalities and tools for streaming content via the Internet, course site creation, online lectures, assignment, test administering, grading, user publishing, live chat, peer-to-peer interaction, discussion forum, development of student portfolios, messaging, and news and Web-content access. Initially, these will be applied to the following courses: Finance; Leading People; Marketing; and Building Trust Based on Relationship. Four courses per semester will be added later.
The platform greatly enhances student-to-student communication and student-to-instructor communication. Haas students will be able to access the platform’s mobile discussion boards and social learning tools. The mobile platform allows for audio, video, and essay creation. It also integrates key iPad features like Notifications and Facetime.
"We are so proud to have gone from demo to pilot to deployment in just a few months, and we are now helping Haas students get an online mobile experience unlike anywhere else," said EmpoweredU CEO Steve Poizner. "This partnership merges the best innovation of Silicon Valley with one of the premier executive MBA programs in the world."
The Berkeley MBA for Executives offers a general management program much like the Berkeley Full-time and Evening & Weekend MBA programs. However, the program is specifically tailored to seasoned executives who have an average of 12 years professional experience. Classes meet every three weeks on Thursdays through Saturdays over the course of 19 months to allow students to continue working while getting their graduate degrees. The new mobile learning platform allows students to stay in touch with classmates in between class sessions and facilitates juggling coursework with career and family commitments.
"Our executive MBA program will be the first degree program to experience the benefits of this mobile learning experience," said Adam Berman, who heads the Haas School’s initiatives in learning technologies. "For senior professionals on the go, having this kind of technology means getting the most out of their MBA experience, using their time most efficiently, and deepening their ties to their classmates."