ABSTRACT
A question pondered throughout this chapter is to what extent the present acceleration in the adoption of educational technology (EdTech) will result in enduring new, technology-driven paradigms for management education. Until early 2020 the traditional model of management education had been only marginally concerned with technological developments. However, this changed dramatically during the global crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic when EdTech moved conspicuously to the foreground.
We argue that, rather than a fleeting moment in the spotlight, the adoption of EdTech during the pandemic represented a momentary period of acceleration within a larger trend. Contemporary adoption of EdTech stems from a cycle of innovation initiated by the emergence of Web 2.0 technologies. This cycle will lead to the formation of a number of dominant designs for digital education, which will indeed constitute new paradigms for digital ME. The extent to which business schools embrace such designs will depend on how they manage the interplay between external developments and their own strategic mission. We will provide a framework through which this can be determined by demonstrating how EdTech can both enable and determine business school strategy through consideration of the notion of a digital education portfolio.
The second half of this chapter will focus on how business schools will continue to evolve in order to embrace EdTech and introduce the concept of a “hybrid business school.” A simple model of innovation is introduced in order to illustrate the tasks required and the implications for staff roles, the campus infrastructure and the external network of partnerships and suppliers. While exploring a future in which an evolving technology landscape continues to gain purchase within the ME sector, this chapter is also intended to be of practical use to those looking to advance the engagement with such technology within a business school.
