As online leadership development programs grow in popularity, L&D executives are tasked with comparing the different kinds of online programs available and uncovering what features set them apart from one another. While some online programs consist solely of video lectures and application exercises, ExecOnline also offers live online events that connect participants with world-renowned business school faculty and leaders from around the world. In 2019 alone, ExecOnline hosted nearly 700 live events that bolstered the leadership skills for and provided networking communities to thousands of executives.
What are live events?
Live events are online, real-time sessions taught by world-class professors and ExecOnline facilitators. During these sessions, professors and facilitators review important topics and exercises covered in the weekly video lectures and challenge program participants to apply what they learned through in-class case studies, activities, and discussions. Live events take online learning to the next level, and our program participants frequently share positive feedback about their experiences.
Here are the top 3 ways program participants benefit from live events.
1. Learn and meet with distinguished professors
Part of what makes ExecOnline’s strategy so effective is participants have the opportunity to meet their professors face to face (in virtual meeting rooms, of course). While many online learning initiatives offer pre-recorded lectures from professors, we bring our faculty – live – directly to the participants through our online platform. In today’s ever-changing and connected world, having the opportunity to engage with professors and facilitators who are experts in their fields, is a unique and powerful learning opportunity. As a recent graduate from Building and Leading Effective Teams explained, “The team rooms were fun and interactive. Professor Klepper is exceptional and the overall facilitation and ease of use was incredible! I loved this program and hope to do more!”
2. Collaborate with a network of global leaders
Live events bring together a diverse group of leaders working in a variety of industries. The structure creates many opportunities for leaders to network with other professionals, both inside and outside their organizations. As one Senior Manager enrolled in Fostering Inclusion and Diversity stated, “I loved the community of diverse people taking the course. It helped to build more networking opportunities with people who are looking to solve similar challenges.” Participants collaborate with one another in larger groups in the professor or facilitator-led forums, as well as in small teams consisting of 6-10 people in the breakout groups. Participants can also use the chatbox feature to ask fellow students and live event support staff questions or request a coach for feedback at any point in the session. Live events are designed to encourage leaders to share ideas, ask questions, and learn not only from renowned faculty but also from one another.
3. Stay on track with continuous check-ins
One of the most well-known benefits of online learning is that participants can complete coursework on their own schedule. At ExecOnline, our lessons are not only self-paced, but we have an entire retention team that is with participants every step of the way, providing them with weekly reminders, and helping them reach the finish line. As one HR Manager enrolled in Leading and Managing Globally stated, “ExecOnline offers good length of lectures to keep focused, and effective structure and guidance for the overall program. The weekly reminder emails were helpful. The coaching session was great. Professors were fantastic, and they provided great insights on the topics. Most importantly, as the program progressed, the topics became even more important.” The status updates the support and retention teams provide allow participants to track their progress through the program and ensure they are keeping pace with the rest of their cohort. Having this support system creates a sense of community online and has resulted in tens of thousands of participants successfully balancing work and ExecOnline programs.
Live events are a unique component to ExecOnline and set us apart from other online learning platforms. Through the live events, we act as the conduit for participants to apply what they’ve learned in our programs to improve their everyday business practices. The live forums offer an incredible venue to bring executives in direct contact with world-class faculty who are experts in their fields and have one objective in mind: To arm participants to lead more effectively to meet the challenges of today’s business environment. Are you interested in learning more about our live events and how ExecOnline can empower your leaders? Schedule a conversation today.
Hannah Horowitz
Senior Associate, Program Operations
Hannah works on the product team to support live event operations. She ensures that live events run as smoothly and efficiently as possible by maintaining the full live event life cycle from inception until completion. Hannah received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Education from Touro College. She previously worked for a tech start-up, and she is thrilled to now be working in the ed-tech space. Connect with Hannah on LinkedIn.