E-Learning Gives Access to MIT Knowledge Worldwide
MIT Professional Education, in collaboration with Global Alumni, has launched its first online program in Spanish – Liderazgo en la innovación (Leadership & Innovation) – as part of its commitment to providing access to MIT’s knowledge and research around the world.
Pablo Rivas, CEO of Global Alumni says: “MIT Professional Education opens up a world of new educational opportunities for Spanish speakers seeking to deepen their knowledge. These digital programs help improve skills necessary in today’s economy.”
In addition to eliminating the language barrier, this course contextualizes regional innovation and personal transformation for Spanish-speaking technology professionals.
Clara Piloto, Director of MIT Professional Education’s online programs, points out, “These courses equip participants with a set of skills and capabilities in disruptive technologies that will add value to their careers and professional histories, which allows them to drive different levels of change in their organizations.”
BROADENING ACCESS TO E-LEARNING
Dr. David Niño, Senior Lecturer of the Bernard M. Gordon-MIT Engineering Leadership Program, was in charge of the program. For the first time, he had the help of MIT alumnus Juan Antonio Latasa from the Class of ‘91. Latasa directed a webinar on entrepreneurship, which Dr. Niño complemented with information about creative thinking. As Latasa stated, “I was delighted to teach such amazing professionals.”
The Leadership & Innovation program also has a networking event in Latin America, specifically in Lima, Peru. Once the course is over, participants can continue to collaborate in an exclusive group of alumni on LinkedIn and stay in touch by reading the new MIT Professional Education blog in Spanish. Those who successfully complete the program will receive a certificate issued for the first time via blockchain.
Colombian electrical engineer María del Pilar Rodríguez excelled in the program, and was awarded the MIT Professional Education Fire Hydrant Award (FHA). Jerome Weisner, former president of MIT, named the award after comparing education at MIT to drinking from a fire hydrant. The online program “was demanding and rigorous,” María said, “I loved it.” She is the first recipient of the FHA, after which she was invited to participate as a learning facilitator in both English and Spanish.
María put the strategies she learned in the Leadership & Innovation program into practice in the innovation group she’s part of, Booz Allen Hamilton. She said the course helped her realize that sometimes “we talk about solutions [too quickly].” She now works at NASA HQ and intends to help her team fully understand problems before searching for solutions.
BUILDING ON A SOLID FOUNDATION
Encouraged by the success of the Leadership & Innovation program, MIT Professional Education has added two blended programs: Machine Learning: de los datos a las decisiones (Machine Learning: from Data to Decisions) and Transformación Digital: de la IA e IoT a Cloud, Blockchain y la ciberseguridad (Digital Transformation: From AI and IoT to Cloud, Blockchain, and Cybersecurity).
This summer, three new blended workshops were held for the two-day online Leadership & Innovation program: one in Madrid, another in Lima, and another in Guayaquil. The main FHA award winners and MIT Professional Education alumni acted as facilitators.
Bhaskar Pant, Executive Director of MIT Professional Education, is proud of the progress of these global programs. “Industry faces big issues today,” says Pant. “We will continue to help professionals around the world overcome these challenges with innovative programs so they can improve society.”
LEADING INNOVATION WORKSHOP: PERSONAL LEADERSHIP AND OUR IMPACT ON THE ORGANIZATION
As we can see with the workshop in Madrid, the use of online and sometimes face-to-face methodologies allows us to make the most of both, facilitating greater learning and integral development in terms of knowledge, skills, and attitude. Three of the participants from the online Leadership & Innovation program attended the workshop, and they highlighted the idea of learning differently with this practical methodology.
When applied to companies, the blended learning format not only enriches the corporate training plan by offering innovative solutions, but also contributes to optimal investment in training.
