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How B-Schools Are Using Virtual Reality

Virtual reality isn’t just changing the gaming industry. It’s also changing how MBAs are learning.

Linda Childers, a contributor at US News, recently reported how b-schools are implementing VR to supplement the b-school learning experience.

Simulated Role Play

At the MIT’s Sloan School of Management, MBAs are using VR to simulate negotiation. Students are assigned roles as UN delegates and negotiate on deals, such as climate agreements.

John Sterman, professor of management and director of the MIT Sloan Sustainability Initiative and the MIT System Dynamics Group, tells US News that the simulation “teaches our business students skills such as improvising, negotiating and public speaking,” and “reinforces how their decisions can have consequences that last for decades.”

Virtual Learning

VR is also helping students from around the world connect with one another in virtual learning environments.

At Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, the LEAD certificate program is an online executive education program that positions b-school students to become more impactful leaders.

“Bringing together a global cohort of leaders, LEAD creates a vibrant community of change agents prepared to transform organizations, industries, and the world,” according to Stanford’s website.

Students enrolled in the program can join virtual campus spaces and connect with classmates globally.

The virtual campus simulation is strikingly similar to attending Stanford in-person.

According to US News, the 360-degree learning environment even features Stanford’s Hoover Tower.

“I didn’t realize it would feel as if I were in an actual classroom,” Leela Parvathaneni, who is pursuing a personal leadership certificate through the program, tells US News.

At University of California, San Diego’s Rady School of Management, students are also using VR to supplement their learning and how they connect with one another.

“It provides an interactive forum where students can share ideas and study topics including finance, marketing and leadership,” Jill Farwell, director at Rady’s Center for Executive Development, tells US News.

Sources: US News, Stanford University

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