The Upside of Online Learning

Recorded classes are one feature of virtual education that students came to love

- Caleb Solomon

While MBA students were generally disappointed with the shift to online learning, there are some features of virtual classes they liked—and want to see continued even after in- person instruction resumes, a Bloomberg Businessweek survey of MBA students shows.

When asked to suggest things schools should keep doing after a return to physical classes, more than 11.5% of the surveyed students said that classes should be recorded so they could rewatch them, according to the Businessweek analysis.

Typical was Adhiraj Didwania, a student at IE Business School in Madrid. He’s been taking classes from his home in Kolkata, India, since March, and he plans to become a product manager at a large technology company when he graduates. Didwania wrote, “Record all classes and share the recordings after class.” In a follow-up interview, he said, “For subjects or topics that are important to me, it would be great to go back and view critical portions again in case I need a future reference.”