After years of relying on “take it or leave it” technology that often failed to match their ambitions, business schools wishing to create virtual worlds or campuses for their students are taking matters into their own hands.

“If you want a learning experience with plenty of group work, that is dynamic and engaging, then even some of the newer tools such as Google Hangouts don’t provide the flexibility and agility of this environment, nor a sense of the nebulous concept of ‘presence’,”

“We were very guarded initially in case the virtual participants interfered with the learning experience of those attending in person,” says Dr Hirst. “But virtual and live participants, and faculty, all said this looks really interesting, and the virtual participants engaged in a very significant way.”

Peter Hirst, executive director of executive education at MIT Sloan School of Management.

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