In 2006, Singapore-headquartered Universitas 21 Global (U21Global), the world’s premier online university joined hands with N S Raghavan Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning (NSRCEL) of India’s prestigious Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB) to create a blended programme for entrepreneurs and family businesses. This collaboration, possibly the first of its kind in the world, had the objective of harnessing the potential of online as well as face-to-face learning by creating a synergy between the two institutions. The other objective of the 16-month programme was to provide a new paradigm of learning to the entrepreneurs and members of family businesses, who are usually reluctant to take a long break from their business in order to undergo a campus-based full-time management programme.

The initial challenge in the customization of the online content of the various subjects to the requirements of the entrepreneurs and family businesses was overcome by the joint teams of U21Global and IIMB faculty. However, the bigger challenges unfolded during the first term of the first offering of the course, when the faculty presence in the online component of the programme was found to be much less than what was expected. This had a direct impact upon the student engagement in the course, with about 15% of the students withdrawing by the end of first term.

In order to assess the situation, a survey instrument was designed to know about the expectations of the students from the course, their experiences so far and the problems faced by them during the first term. The findings of the survey not only revealed areas of improvement for the subsequent terms of the first cohort, but also helped in knowing about the drastic modifications required to be done in the future offerings of the programme. This case study highlights these modifications incorporated in blending, assessment system and modus-operandi of the programme, which will serve as lessons for other institutions planning to launch blended programmes.

¹ Allen, I. E., J. Seaman & R. Garrett (2007) Blending In: The Extent & Promise of Blended Education in the United States. Sloan-C, USA.

² Graff, M. (2003) Individual differences in sense of classroom community in a blended learning environment. Journal of Education Media 28(2–3): 203–210