Tapping Your Student's Knowledge in Business Curriculum

 Online education was the latest adaptation but new models will eventually emerge that rest on the new virtual platform. If universities value is based on its knowledge that it provides to students and society is it also possible that collective intelligence will be the next step in university development. Universities are collectors of knowledge and disseminate societal wisdom making furthering that agenda a mater of improving the knowledge collection and dissemination process.

Each student comes with experiences and knowledge that has the potential to improve curriculum. In the case of MBA programs, much of that knowledge is industry relevant and relates directly to theoretical concepts taught in class. The student is an untapped source of information that has real life experience that can further curriculum development.

Virtual classrooms collect masses amount of information but are not effectively using student knowledge to update and adjust models, curriculum and examples. The technology to allow for mass open innovation in solving large problems and updating information is available.

Technology affords the opportunity to leave comments, propose changes in examples, and provide links to other resources by large amounts of people. Collecting, analyzing, and incorporating this information is the same methodology that allows for customer feedback and the customer as co-creator in advanced businesses.

Ultimately all information in college is only beneficial if it is relevant and solves practical problems. It must be applicable to the student and who need or use this knowledge. When seasoned students can update course information and contribute to others knowledge they are able to develop more relevant examples and and more effective resolutions to problems.

The process of collective intelligence also encourages greater motivation among a student body that sometimes views education as something fluid they can jump in and out of.  With co-creation students are not passive learners but actively engage in developing, owning, and advocating for universities where their knowledge made a lasting mark giving them more purpose to stay engaged. Those students are not only graduates but also contributors to the next generation which gives the idea of Alumni a whole new depth.