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Continued from previous page
Most leading universities created distance learning programs,
and private firms crowded onto the educational
landscape, bankrolled by streams of venture capital.
Wharton created its own experiment in this area called
Wharton Direct. Recognizing the value of classroom interaction,
it was built around a set of local classrooms across
the United States, linked by technology to teachers in a studio
at Wharton. While Mittelstaedt expected this would be
a small venture, the slow or disappointing results of all these
online initiatives surprised everyone. "What we learned was
that it is possible to produce an extraordinary product in
terms of quality and interaction, yet you simply can't duplicate
the in-person experience in networking, the absorption
of learning, structure, and process," said Mittelstaedt. The
level of engagement is not there in online education,
particularly in a closed office. It is like what happens
during a conference call, where participants check e-mail or
look at papers during the call. Coming together in the same
room is a completely different experience.
Interactive learning technologies still have valuable roles
to play. For specific knowledge, technology-based programs
can offer a low-cost alternative to classroom learning. They
can bring a dispersed pharmaceuticals sales force up to
speed on a new product very quickly, for example, but aren't
the ideal platform for learning about advanced thermodynamics,
English literature or leadership.
Technology now provides a valuable supplement to in-class
learning through pre-program education or post-course
interactions and networking. The technology
continues to develop, with the spread of broadband, development
of Internet 2, and design innovations such as the
simulations, Web-based exercises, and interactive programs
developed at Wharton's Alfred P. West, Jr. Learning Lab.
The products of the lab, established in 2001 to explore new
approaches to learning, allow students to engage ininteractive
experiences such as securities trading, setting airline
prices, or managing oil production in developing countries.
There is still much more work to be done, and there will
be new developments in technology and design that will
change education and learning. Early experiments in technology-based education, however, indicate that it may not
be the solution it was thought to be to the challenge of life-long
learning. An unanticipated byproduct of this work is
that it has given educators and students a new appreciation
for the classroom. This was an emphatic demonstration
that the process of education involves much more than
transferring information from teacher to student. It is built
upon immersion, interaction, and engagement. The
context for education is as important as the content.
Technology offers platforms for collaboration.
Learning as a Way
of Being
While the formal channels for lifelong education have continued
to develop, much of the learning that goes on after
undergraduate and MBA degrees is informal. Graduates
tap into networks of peers from school, work, or
professional associations. Meetings such as the Wharton
Regional Alumni Meeting in Berlin in late May help alumni
keep up with current business issues, and other alumni.
"Having the forum in Berlin was a timely reminder of how
important the political sphere can be for business success,"
said William Erb, a 1989 Lauder Institute graduate and
Executive Vice President and Regional Director-Japan of
Amersham Health in London. "I welcomed the opportunity
to get insights into successful corporate strategies of
companies like Fujitsu-Siemens, Beiersdorf, and Deutsche
Post. Many of the speakers at the conference seemed concerned
that Germany could risk squandering the wealth that
it has created since war (with negative consequences for all
of Europe and beyond) unless German political leaders
showed courage in tackling the structural problems with the
economy."
Many alumni pursue even more informal channels for
education. After working in consulting, Jerry Michalski,
WG'85, became a reporter for Esther Dyson's Release 2.0,
giving him a ringside seat on the development of the
Internet and other emerging technologies. He is also an
eclectic learner and traveler, and some of his most
memorable courses at Penn we re on topics such as the
ethnography of speaking and the history and theory of
urban design.
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