BCBusiness

M B A / E X E C U T I V E E D U C A T I O N S p e c i a l F e a t u r e importance of an institute's having the ability to adapt the curriculum in order to address local and regional business dynamics. That is one of the great strengths of the Directors Education Program ( DEP), which was developed by the Institute of Corporate Directors and the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management. Through joint partnerships with a variety of top Canadian business schools, DEP is o-ered at schools in 11 cities across the country. The program was developed speci‚cally for experienced professionals who want to become board directors and was inspired by directors' continually being challenged by information gaps, time constraints and the behavioural dynamics that can be encountered in the boardroom. In short, DEP helps develop e-ective and responsible directors, with good board governance de‚ned as more than simply adhering to compliance but using sound judgment and leadership to create value for a corporation. This highly specialized educational o-ering is long overdue, given the frequent lack of understanding between the role of management (which is responsible for the establishment of an organization's operational strate‡y) and board members (who review the strate‡y and reject or accept it). The 12-day course is taught by leading governance experts delivered in four three-day modules, using a combination of case studies, boardroom simulations and classroom learning. It is focused primarily on for-pro‚t governance, with an emphasis on the governance of publicly traded corporations. As the only program of its kind that bears the seal of the director community itself, DEP o-ers experiential learning through breakouts and board simulations tailored to meet the needs of directors, from‹public and private companies, Crown corporations, public institutions, co-operatives and large not-for-pro‚t organizations. DEP alumni are part of a national network of 4,300 directors and more than 12,000 ICD members across Canada, with members from organizations that include the Bank of Canada, the University of Alberta, HSBC Bank Canada and the Business Development Bank of Canada. Athabasca University is widely acknowl- edged for playing a substantial role in making online education mainstream: it began in 1994 by o-ering the world's ‚rst interactive online‹ MBA, which today remains Canada's largest MBA program for executives and is among the top in the world. Chris McLeod, director, marketing and communications, Faculty of Business, for AU, says his institution's MBA is more salient than ever in today's economic climate. "The idea that you can get all the‹education you need in one go is outdated, given that the business environ- ment is changing so radically and quickly with robotics, arti‚cial intellegence, globalization and other elements converging to fundamentally change the playing ‚eld. "Whether you're an entrepreneur, work in government,‹or part of a large corpora- tion, an MBA allows you to add value to your organization. Ongoing education may not be a guarantee, but the more educated and connected you are, the better your odds are for success." McLeod rejects the notion that online learning is inferior to brick-and-mortar institutions. "If done well, online learning not only gives you a way to integrate learning with your daily obligations, you get ideas and teachings from all over the world, not just from a classroom com- prised of regional people." A testament to AU's success is its student body: between 800 and 900 people are enrolled in its MBA program, and the university has 13,000 undergradu- ates overall. McLeod adds: "We specialize in adult learning, even our undergrad students are, on average,‹between the ages of 28 and 32." Most people complete the AU MBA program in two-and-a-half to three years, but participants can take up to ‚ve years if required. There are numerous options for students wanting to advance their education, such as at Thompson Rivers University, pictured here COUR T ESY OF T HOMP SON RI V ERS UNI V ERSIT Y

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