Learning Continues! Online/On site

I recently completed the Harvard Graduate Certificate in School Management and Leadership (CSML). The online courses were, in many ways, a model for how online learning can happen. (Would you expect different from the Harvard Business School?) Best, perhaps, were the comprehensive course summaries offered at the end. The content, complemented by the cohort model that allows one to collaborate with other professionals from around the world.

Learning online is efficient for busy professionals. The format allows us to continue learning lifelong. And as I reflect on my studies over the years - some degrees on site, one completely online (Thanks Covid!) and one hybrid, I still see much value in the on site experience when possible. The human connection still matters - and the ability to collaborate in real time is palpably different. I find this true as an adult learner, and post-Covid, I am convinced that for the large majority of our students, on-site learning is better than online, regardless of the quality of the programme we offer. (And my team offered a very strong programme here at UNIS Hanoi).

So much of the prerequisite for learning - psychological safety, connection, is based on relationships. I'm sure all readers can remember their favourite (or least favourite) teacher even if that experience was decades ago. That personal connection matters.

As an educational leader, I am so pleased to have the chance to lead schools that focus on the three Rs: Relationships, Rigour, and Relevance. We put people first. We ensure each student is known, seen, heard and stretched. That is rigrour. And our kids need to see the relevance of their learning, to connect it to the 'real world'. This helps transform learning and promote student agency.