Complete MBA Education in a Single iPad App – A Challenge to the Status Quo?


One of the biggest (140 MB) and most expensive ($900) apps ever released for the iPad is a mobile learning application called MBA Learning Studio: Platinum Edition. The content of the 32 courses in this package is reportedly based on legitimate, MBA-level academic classes. The app is billed as a complete educational alternative offering learners the business, finance, and management courses needed for an MBA level education.

The app may appeal to students looking for a self-study, self-paced education who will consider the price tag a bargain when compared with conventional MBA programs. There may be a second audience as well. Higher education institutions that offer or hope to offer MBA programs may view this app or others like it as a means to supplement or even supplant the traditional curriculum. Is this the next step in the evolution of online (on device) education? Could such apps reduce the need for expensive textbooks, classroom space, the traditional term of instruction tied to the calendar, and the technology infrastructure required to support on site and online instruction? Might cash-strapped college administrations see this as a way to thin the ranks of the faculty? Will new structures to assess learning and confer degrees for self-study emerge?

More on the MBA app here.


About Andy Brovey

Dr. Andy Brovey, The Portable Prof, teaches about digital tools through his work, websites and social media. In 2007, Apple Inc. recognized his work and named him an Apple Distinguished Educator. He started this iPad Academy website shortly after the first iPad went on sale. On his Freelance Teaching site you'll find the resources you need to teach like a smart entrepreneur.