In December we announced that MIT Sloan was posting virtually all course content online for free. Now, MIT’s Sloan School of Management has launched a new collection of free, innovative teaching resources available to anyone with an Internet connection, the school announced last week. The website, MIT Sloan Teaching Innovation Resources (MSTIR), offers case studies, simulations, deep dives and other instructional materials developed by MIT faculty and students.
What can you expect to find when you show up for your virtual class? Right now, the offerings focus on sustainability, industry evolution and global entrepreneurship—MIT Sloan’s areas of expertise and subjects not as widely available in more standard areas of management, the school says.
Global entrepreneurship case studies include “Compsis at a Crossroads,” where students address how a Brazilian startup considers entering new markets, particularly the United States. In “PPS.tv,” students describe China’s online video distribution market and the challenges for a China-based online video provider startup as it prepares a growth and exit strategy.
Sustainability case studies include “Materials Pooling A, B, C,” which describes the concept of materials pooling as a sustainability strategy for businesses and the challenges that such collaborations encounter; and “SunPower: Focused on the Future of Solar Power,” which highlights that company’s dilemma as to whether to try and maintain market share through a strategy of differentiated technology or through pricing.
Industry evolution case studies include “DeBeers’s Diamond Dilemma,” which focuses DeBeer’s response to the threat of the synthetic diamond industry. “Eli Lilly: Recreating Drug Discovery for the 21st Century” describes changes facing the structure of the pharmaceutical industry as a result of new science, cost structures, and the company’s strategy for the development of tailored drugs.
Exciting things are happening in these fields, says MIT Sloan’s deputy dean JoAnne Yates. “Our goal is to spread knowledge and make a difference in the world of business education — to have an impact on business education and where it is going in the future.”
More areas of focus will be added as the site grows, and the school plans to add management flight simulators — interactive models based on system dynamics — that will be available for faculty worldwide to use with their students in summer of 2009.
“Great research into the challenges of management isn’t worth much if it doesn’t lead to change in the real world,” says MIT Sloan Professor John Sterman, director of the System Dynamics Group. “MSTIR will create tighter feedback between the research lab and the world of practice, speeding learning, and leading to benefits for all, including managers, students, and researchers. I expect it to be very much a two-way street.”
These seem like great learning resources, but I am curious, do you think MIT is smart to make all of this available to the public at no charge? Does it degrade the value of actually paying tuition to go there and learn? We have noticed a surge in academic generosity recently, with St. John’s University even offering half price tuition to alums. Is MIT also attempting to help out in hard times or just finding innovative ways to connect with others and accelerate learning?
