International Leadership Goes Online. The Third Bocconi MOOC
The oddest scene that you'll see takes place in the university gym. Two professors start an interesting discussion about what they can learn from sports culture. One is in formal dress, the other is in sportswear. The dialogue is the most colourful surprise that the third Bocconi Massive open online course (MOOC) has in store. The University, its innovation lab BETA and SDA Bocconi School of Management have again joined forces to launch a course on the Coursera platform: International Leadership and Organizational Behavior (hashtag #ILOB). For six weeks starting March 6, Franz Wohlgezogen will explore the theory and practice of international and intercultural leadership and organizational behavior. His goal: to teach how to develop leadership skills in organizations that work in multi-cultural environments.
So far more than 13,600 people have signed up, coming from 168 different countries. Most are male (58%), 42% are from emerging economies, nearly half are aged 24-34. Eight out of ten have an higher education, but MOOCs are open to everyone. "There's a discussion going on if it's a good or a bad thing because it may push teachers to dumb everything down", Wohlgezogen says. "We didn't make it superbasic, we have chosen to design a program you can't find anywhere else. We offer something unique". 66% of those who signed up have some working experience, full or part-time. They will get the most out of the course. They'll be stimulated to reflect on their experiences and will appreciate the complexity of leadership.
Wohlgezogen and BETA have spent a lot of time thinking of how make things engaging and give viewers the feel of being part of a small group instead of seeing a YouTube video. "I had to rethink the way I teach and figure out how the classes came across on video. We've been daring and tried new things". Even if that means to dress in sportswear while exchanging views with Dino Ruta. "Well, in Bocconi sportswear", he points out while laughing. "Usually the professor is sitting in front of a blue screen or a book shelf. We wanted to give people the sense of place. We simulated interaction, meaning that I talked to real students while filming the videos to make them lively. And we used all the interaction tools of the Coursera platform to encourage people to go beyond just consuming the material".
The idea is to give participants a tangible experience in a intangible reality such as an online course. "We'll ask students to integrate the course contents to their personal experiences abroad or in contact with international organizations", BETA's Chiara Moscardo says. "At the end of the MOOC, they'll get a personalized leadership manifesto, founded on their own experience, not just on theoretical constructs". Bocconi Alumni and international guest speakers will bring their experiences working for Philip Morris, P&G, or Standard and Poor's. Questions, polls and a community will offer chances to interact with colleagues and teacher. There will be office hours, so to speak: Wohlgezogen will answer live questions from participants from all over world.
Bocconi has already launched two MOOCs in 2014, Financing and Investing in Infrastructure and Managing Fashion and Luxury Companies. They were both successful and had a retention rate way higher than the platform's average. That's the reason why the two Bocconi MOOC's project managers Chiara Moscardo and Valentina Todoro were invited March 1-2 2015 to talk about project managing and innovation in online courses at the Coursera Partner Conference 2015 in Newport Beach, California. The Fashion and Luxury community is still active and people are asking for a rerun of the course. There has been a high request for a verified certificate, namely a certificate signed by the professor and Bocconi that attests the identity of the participant. "Top universities offer MOOCs that people add to their CV more and more", Moscardo says. "And now recruiters are paying attention".