With an investment of close to one million dollars and in order to continue positioning itself as a leader in the area of digital transformation, INCAE Business School launched its first virtual classroom, placing itself in the spotlight as the first business school in Latin America to have this technology.
"Other schools have online, non-virtual programs and currently Harvard Business School, our founding school, has this technology, which allows us to offer a curriculum that is almost as immersive as face-to-face, especially for people who cannot put their careers on hold," said Bernard Kilian, Dean of Faculty at INCAE Business School.
This virtual classroom generates an immersive experience for students and consists of two key aspects: the first is the infrastructure, where the space from which teachers teach the lessons is built, and the second is the software.
"This space itself has a wall of screens where we can host more than 70 people connected, with their own camera and speaker, which allows the teacher to have all the students in view, and also has an interactive whiteboard and tools available to ask questions, polls and other activities in real time. The second aspect is the software, which allows students, no matter where they are, to interact in the classroom. All this adds up to make their learning experience almost as if they were on campus," the dean emphasized.
According to Kilian, each student has his or her own camera, making it different from online programs because the student can focus on the teacher and vice versa, allowing each student to know if he or she is being observed or not, since the device follows the teacher as he or she moves around the classroom.
In addition to this, the teacher has a panoramic camera, and there is also one in the classroom, which allows the student to see what the teacher sees, i.e. he/she can see the wall of screens where all the students are and an interactive whiteboard.
"The classroom is operated through the access of each student from their device, wherever they are, only requiring a stable Internet connection and the correct functioning of their camera, as it is required to keep it turned on. The teacher connects from the Walter Kissling campus in Costa Rica and must have a stable connection of at least 10Mb," said Bernard.
The virtual classroom is part of an initiative to renew and update the technology of the Walter Kissling Gam Campus, which has been called Metamorphosis. This is the first of three projects within this important initiative, which has aroused the interest of two dozen donors who have joined in making it a reality.
The virtual classroom is launched as the differentiating tool of the new MBA Online, however, it is a resource of all INCAE and will soon be used by the entire institution. The classroom is already up and running and currently 70 people from all over Latin America are living the experience, and it is also a way to increase connectivity and institutional sustainability.
INCAE drives the region's development through leadership training, applied research and the promotion of intersectoral dialogue. The sustainable development of Latin America requires responsible, innovative and up-to-date leaders. As the best business school in Latin America, INCAE has driven the progress of Latin American society by training talented regional leaders through its Masters and Executive Programs.
For almost six decades, it has worked alongside companies, international organizations and professionals of the highest caliber to solve problems, develop capabilities and prepare them to respond to the demands of the future. This global perspective has been enriched by a comprehensive vision of sustainability pioneered in the region that involves social responsibility, shared value in the first decade of the new century, and more recently the Social Progress Index as a valuable measure for achieving well-being and raising Latin America's competitiveness.
