What aspects of the iMBA format may be superior to resident instruction?
Teamwork and student interaction are often better in online programs than in resident instruction. Teams work well in online programs for a number of reasons. Impression biases are eliminated. Students know each other only by name and e-mail address and therefore judge each other on their contribution to course work, not on appearance, mannerisms, or voice. More objective evaluations enhance team collegiality. Students also realize that their colleagues are their support network. Teammates change their share of the workload to help each other deal with changing personal and professional schedules. Often these collaborative, time-sharing efforts are the only reasonable way to complete assignments. Also, in sharing knowledge from their different personal training and work experiences, the students provide a context for cross-functional analyses. The teams’ face-to-face meeting in the 1st residency experience, 9 months into the program, is a wonder to see! Did you ever enter a classroom f
