Flexible Learning Design: NextThought Delivers Engaging MBA Course

Having access to education anytime, anywhere has become increasingly important to the average learner. This is especially true for students pursuing an MBA or similar graduate degree, who often have demanding careers and other commitments that make it difficult to attend traditional classroom-based courses.

Business Schools have started bring their courses online, but without the proper learning design strategy, the quality and outcome of the course can greatly suffer. Oklahoma University (OU) wanted to ensure that their stellar reputation for producing outstanding MBA students would remain consistent even through their online course offering. This is where NextThought came in, with their knowledge and skills in the fields of learning design and instructional technology.

Oklahoma University’s (OU) asynchronous courses allow students to complete the MBA degree program’s requirements on their own schedule. However, producing an asynchronous course can be a complex and challenging task, especially when the content is technical and difficult to convey. 

The Learning Design Goal

OU wanted to update the asynchronous course for quantitative analysis, which is a notoriously complicated subject. NextThought's learning designer worked collaboratively with the quantitative analysis professor to establish a course outline, determine learning outcomes for each module, write scripts for short video lectures, create assessments, and expand upon concepts via other learning modalities (ex: group discussions). The resulting learning program was streamlined for nontraditional students — people learning differently than the often younger, less overscheduled students many courses are designed for.

The amount of original content was trimmed down and reallocated into other modalities to promote student engagement and comprehension of the material. The learning designer added and organized all of the course materials within Canvas (OU’s learning management system, also known as an LMS) to ensure an effective learning experience. 

“Over the last couple of months, I benefited tremendously from the help, support, and expertise of the amazing Staff members at NextThought. Among them, however, Ashley [learning designer] offered outstanding help and support, and she generously shared her thoughts and advice with me.” 
                                                Saleh S. Tabrizy. Associate Professor, OU.

Learning Design Requires Collaboration

By working together, the professor and learning designer were able to create a course that was both technically sound and accessible to students. The lecture videos were clear and engaging while the additional resources such as discussion questions helped to reinforce the students’ understanding of the material. The Quantitative Analysis course at OU provided students with a flexible and convenient way to complete their studies while still having access to expert knowledge and support. 

Launch Your Own Training/Education Course

If you're looking to offer a fully online, asynchronous course for your organization or institution, NextThought  specializes in creating effective, engaging training content for less. Our learning design and technology team will help you create a course that prepares people for what's next.

VIDEO: OU MBA Asset Examples