COVID-Induced Innovation: A Process In Continual Learning

Concurrent Session 7

Brief Abstract

By late April 2020, it became apparent that COVID-19 was not going away quickly. Given that the University of Texas at Austin was leaning strongly to hybrid learning for the Fall 2020 term, the Texas McCombs’ Executive MBA team leapt into action to find ways to:

  1. Keep faculty and students as safe as possible;
  2. Provide simultaneous and synchronous in-person and remote learning options to students (building/maintaining community across the entire class);
  3. Address the fact that some faculty could not come to campus for fully hybrid/dual mode sessions.

What resulted was the creation of the “holographic professor” (featured in Poets & Quants, AACSB LINK, and other publications), but more than anything, we gained confidence in our ability to run a process of innovation (ideating, rapid prototyping, and implementation, along with monitoring a steady feedback loop with our faculty and students) alongside a local startup and within our learning community.

 

Presenters

Lead Presenter: Joe Stephens, University of Texas at Austin

Joe Stephens Senior Assistant Dean & Director, Working Professional & Executive MBA Programs Joe directs all aspects of student affairs and program operations, and facilitates academic progress for Texas McCombs’ Working Professional & Executive MBA Programs (Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Houston). Previous to his arrival to Austin in 2014, he served as Assistant Dean of MBA Programs at the Trulaske College of Business, University of Missouri-Columbia where he directed the school’s Full-time MBA program and co-developed and launched the school's first executive MBA program, featuring a blended-delivery format. Prior to his time at MU, Joe worked in brand management with Nestlé Purina and in admissions and student affairs at the Olin Business School, Washington University in St. Louis. Joe began his career at The University of Texas at Austin as a Greek Affairs Advisor in the Dean of Students Office. He earned a B.S. in Agricultural Education - Business/Industry at the University of Missouri, an M.A. in College Student Personnel at Bowling Green State University, and an M.B.A. from the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis.

Extended Abstract

Participants in this session will:

  1. Gain insight on how we innovated under pressure;
  2. Hear lessons learned from our experience;
  3. Discuss where we might go from here;
  4. Have the opportunity to apply the innovation process in a brief group activity.