How technology is changing our expectations and our lives
We are in the midst of a technology revolution that is happening on
multiple dimensions. We are reaching a level of global connectivity
that is almost universal; the Internet is no longer just the privilege of
the few, or the rich. Today, there are almost six billion mobile phones
in the world; almost every adult human being has a mobile phone, and
a lot of them are connected to the Internet. Young people today are
growing up in a world that is much more global, transparent, interactive,
real time — qualities that shape their expectations, and affect almost
everything in the world around us.
New technologies like mobile phones are transforming financial
services, as our cover story, World Wired Wallet shows.
Ubiquitous collaborative technologies are transforming the way we work
and boosting innovation and creativity by facilitating cross-cultural
and cross-functional interactions. Our alumni and faculty share
their experiences and perspectives on this in How Difference
Makes a Difference.
We also see changes in education. More and more e-learning
courses are being used to complement traditional,
classroom-based courses; companies are also using
e-learning more. We will likely see a radical
transformation in education models in the near
future as MOOCs or Massive Open Online
Courses become more widespread.
Johnson’s Cornell-Queen’s Executive MBA
program offers one example of how we use
technology to enhance education for students.
In this learning model, 30 percent of classes are
held on-campus in classical, face-to-face formats,
and the rest are held via multi-point, real-time,
interactive videoconferencing sessions. Technology
enables professors in Sage Hall to deliver lectures and
interact with students in more than 27 locations
across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Colombia.
There are many advantages to this model. The classes are international,
multi-cultural, and multi-functional, and the students value the different
perspectives they hear from one another. It also enables us to
give our students flexibility; they can keep their current jobs
and yet get a degree from Cornell. It’s a win/win model for
us, and for our students. Such an innovative program is part
of what makes Johnson unique.
We have a partnership with eCornell, a universitywide
initiative to deliver the excellence of Cornell
faculty via e-learning programs. Several Johnson faculty
members have created online learning modules with
eCornell which are marketed worldwide. We are also
in discussions with leading technology companies to
explore how we can partner in creating new education
models.
Johnson seeks to be at the forefront in using new
technologies in education. As an institution, we
cannot afford to stand still. The challenge for us is
to continually scan the environment, look at what’s
happening, and use technology both to provide
the best learning experiences for our students
and to create new education models. Technology
is going to be an important part of Johnson’s future.
Soumitra Dutta
Anne and Elmer Lindseth Dean
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