Private Colleges Team Up with Harvard Business School Online to Create Unique Hybrid Learning Program

LANSING, Mich., May 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Michigan Colleges Alliance (MCA) is collaborating with Harvard Business School Online to offer students at participating MCA campuses a blended learning program. In the first phase, approximately 70 students from five Michigan private colleges offered HBS Online's Sustainable Business Strategy course to their students this spring.

"When we built this course, one of my hopes was that it could be utilized to educate young people about the important role that business has in tackling some of the challenging issues of our time," said Harvard Business School Professor Rebecca Henderson. "The students and faculty from the MCA campuses who participated in this pilot are pioneers, and I look forward to seeing how they will apply the learnings from our course in their own communities."

The participating colleges created a blended learning offering where students registered for a sustainable business course led by their own faculty and featuring the HBS Online course led by Professor Henderson. Students then applied their learnings through projects with businesses that were facing sustainability challenges, including Wolverine Worldwide and Merrill.

Student Reaction

"This was by far the most interactive course I have ever taken," said Mya Oleksiak, a sophomore at Adrian College. "I loved that the modules and field work put me in real-life situations, and the meetings with my professor and classmates tied it all together. It was a privilege to be part of it."

"This was a huge opportunity to reinforce what I learned as a Sustainable Business major and to take it into the real world," said Tyson Marsh, a senior at Aquinas College. "The conversations with people in my group, from Bangladesh and Australia, helped me see different ways to apply and approach sustainability, and it is really amazing to be able to help a big global company like Wolverine solve a real sustainability problem."

MCA Perspective

"The HBS pilot is a perfect illustration of why MCA has become a national leader in private higher education collaboration," said MCA President Robert Bartlett. "It embedded content from the most prominent business education brand and a global learning network into existing classes offered by our member campuses. It then connected student classroom experiences to real projects in local communities. This best practice, active pedagogy model has produced tangible outcomes for both students and local businesses throughout the state."

MCA plans to extend the program with another Sustainable Business Strategy offering in the fall and other HBS Online courses in the future. MCA represents 14 of the top independent colleges and universities in Michigan. Participating colleges included Adrian College, Albion College, Andrews University, Aquinas College, and Spring Arbor University.

ABOUT HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL ONLINE

Wherever you are in your career, Harvard Business School Online offers a unique and highly engaging way to learn vital business concepts. Launched as "HBX" in 2014, our first course was designed to help pre-MBA students learn the key concepts and vocabulary of business. Today, Harvard Business School Online delivers rigorous and immersive courses that enable professionals at every level to advance their careers, positively impact their organizations, and appreciate business in powerful new ways. Learn more at online.hbs.edu

ABOUT HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL

Founded in 1908 as part of Harvard University, Harvard Business School is located on a 40-acre campus in Boston. Its faculty of more than 200 offers full-time programs leading to the MBA and doctoral degrees, as well as more than 70 open enrollment Executive Education programs and 55 custom programs, and Harvard Business School Online, the School's digital learning platform. For more than a century, HBS faculty have drawn on their research, their experience in working with organizations worldwide, and their passion for teaching to educate leaders who make a difference in the world, shaping the practice of business and entrepreneurship around the globe.

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Contact: Michele Reynolds, [email protected]

SOURCE Harvard Business School Online