For students who have decided to start a masters in management this year despite the disruption caused by coronavirus, there is one key difference from previous years: they are as likely to be studying alone at home or in their campus bedroom as they are to be coming together with others in the business school classroom or coffee shop.
While many institutions are offering at least limited face-to-face teaching, there will be record levels of online study in the coming months, raising fresh challenges for those forced to study remotely as well as network and socialise at long distance. Faculty are gearing up to advise the new cohort on dealing with the disruption of the “new normal”.
“It must be very disappointing for students who were looking forward to attending campus-based courses to have to start their studies online,” says David Lefevre, director of the edtech lab at Imperial College Business School, London.