Program to offer small classes, chance to meet classmates in person
The UC Davis Graduate School of Management will offer an online MBA program beginning in Fall 2019. The program will include live virtual classes, pre-recorded lectures and residential sessions. Unlike the in-person MBA which has 50 to 60 students in each class, this program will have 15 to 19.
“We can do things in a virtual classroom that you can’t in a large lecture hall,” said Robert Yetman, a UC Davis professor of management and academic director of the online MBA program.
Students in these classes will be able to see and interact with their professors and one another. Students can press a button to let others know they have a question, making the class interactive. Professors can also write questions and immediately see what students answer to assess whether students understand the material.
“It causes the online students to be even more engaged,” Yetman said.
The pre-recorded lectures will also have questions for the students, allowing professors teaching the live sessions to see how their students are doing before they start class.
One part of the program is not online, requiring students to occasionally travel to Davis. Residential sessions are meant to give students the opportunity to interact with their classmates in person. Four of these sessions are held per year and students are required to attend at least two.
According to Andrea Shaw, senior director of admissions at the Graduate School of Management, most students are expected to come from Northern California, but the program can also accommodate global students.
The requirements to apply to the online MBA program will be very similar to those for the full-time MBA program.
“We’re ensuring that the academic experience and rigor is consistent with the on-campus program,” said Shaw, via email.
Yetman, who led the proposal process for this program, began drafting it about two years ago. He has since obtained the approval needed from faculty, the UC Davis campus and the UC System.
Written by: Andrea Esquetini — campus@theaggie.org
