Colleges around the world have embraced flexibility, hybrid learning

Hybrid learning prepares students for a rapidly-changing world.

- Vibha Kagzi

A new era of education and online learning dawned upon us due to the unavoidable and dire circumstances imposed by the global pandemic. There is no doubt that all aspects of our lives were impacted by the pandemic, and education is no exception. The World Economic Forum reports that more than 1.2 billion children in 186 countries were affected by school closures due to the pandemic.

Owing to its severity, educational institutions around the world were compelled to adopt online technologies and adapt to it at a break-neck speed. Although schools have now opened up and the pandemic is no longer an immediate threat, it is evident that the school and college education cannot completely return to what it was before the pandemic. Simply put, online learning is now the new norm! During the pandemic, school and college education was forced to move completely online, which presented its own unique advantages and disadvantages.

However, schools and colleges around the world have now adopted a teaching method known as "hybrid learning system" in the post-pandemic era. For example, Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business and University of Washington's Michael G Foster School of Business both offer online hybrid MBA programmes.