Harvard Business School Launches Online Platform

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Harvard Business School has announced the launch of a new online platform, HBX, an initiative it believes will allow the school to expand its reach and deepen its impact.

“HBX embodies the highly engaged, interactive learning that has been a hallmark of the school's MBA, doctoral and executive education programs for more than a century. Moreover, HBX will provide a powerful channel for communicating ideas to and engaging with new and wider audiences,” said Nitin Nohria, Harvard Business School’s dean in a press release.

The move builds on the school’s existing online platform for MOOCs, known as edX, established in 2012 in conjunction with MIT. It is on this platform that HarvardX operates courses with a strong focus on encouraging the development of online teaching and learning. According to the school, HarvardX and HBX share the ultimate goal of re-imagining online education in creative ways, but will differ in the approach taken.

HBX to kick off with CORe

The first offering from HBX will be CORe, a program which will offer business fundamentals to those still at the very outset of their careers. It features three intertwined courses on business analytics, economics for managers, and financial accounting.

“CORe is designed to provide basic business fundamentals to segments of the population we’ve never directly addressed before: undergraduates, graduate students in non-business fields, and people who have just begun their first jobs in business but want a better foundation so they can thrive earlier in their career,” said Youngme Moon, senior associate dean and chair on the Harvard Business School MBA program.

In June, CORe’s first intake will restrict itself to college and university students in the Massachusetts area at a cost of US$1,500. It then plans to expand the online platform’s availability in the ensuing months. Later in the year, further – and more specialized – programs for executives are expected in areas such as entrepreneurship and innovation.

Also launching this summer, is ‘HBX Live’ – a virtual classroom designed to connect participants across the world. Harvard Business School will begin by making this available on an invitation-only basis and its first focus will include lifelong learning opportunities for HBS alumni.