Studying in times of Covid19 – those with a fever are not allowed on campus

Discover how MBA programs adapted to in-person learning during Covid-19. Learn about campus safety measures, tech integration, and student preferences for on-site education.

Studying in times of Covid19 – if you have a fever, you are not allowed to enter the university

Despite the danger of Corona, many universities are resuming face-to-face teaching in the winter semester 2020. Many students prefer having their temperature taken on campus to learning in front of a webcam.

All lecturers wear masks and some even gloves, there are disinfectant dispensers everywhere, robots sterilize the rooms with UV rays. What looks like an educational film for medical professionals is part of everyday student life in 2020. In its own video, the IE Business School shows what campus life in Madrid's financial center will look like from the coming semester. Anyone who wants to study here must first take a Corona test and download the university's own Corona app to their smartphone. Electronic barriers regulate access to the buildings and thermal imaging cameras detect people with elevated temperatures. If the temperature is more than 37.4 degrees Celsius, the door remains locked.

One-way systems with arrows and barriers dictate the direction of movement and thus ensure a safe distance, in the lecture halls every second table is blocked by a blue cross. The cleaning staff works in special shifts to disinfect tables and door handles after each lecture. "We are prepared and have taken all necessary measures for health protection and physical distancing," says IE President Santiago Iñiguez de Onzoño.

The attempted return to normality

Business schools worldwide are currently doing everything they can to enable their students to return to campus as safely as possible, despite rising infection rates in many places. Although most have significantly expanded their digital study offerings in the wake of the Corona lockdown, very few students see online courses as a permanent solution.

A large majority of them believe that purely virtual studies entail disadvantages in networking and poorer career opportunities, according to a survey by the non-profit US education provider GMAC in June. Around 40 percent would prefer to postpone their planned MBA studies or forgo them entirely if the campus remains closed. A similar picture is provided by a report from the consulting firm Carrington Crisp. According to this, an online MBA is the first choice for only 15 percent of interested parties. The majority prefer classic full-time programs – despite the Corona danger.

Private universities as pioneers