1. Improving the Success Rate on an International MBA Programme Through Employing Social Networking Tools
Steve Page & Paul Webb, with contributions from Gautam Rajkhowa
Chester Business School

2. Context of the Research – 1
The inability of the indigenous educational structure in most developing countries to satisfy growing demand means that students are looking towards western nations to secure places in higher education.
By 2020, both China and India will be unable to supply the 20 and 9 million university places respectively needed for their own student populations to meet the demands of their developing economies.

3. Context of the Research – 2
From a UK perspective, the literature is corpulent with references to the financial benefits of increasing international student populations (Marginson, 2002; Western, 2005).
However, despite the apparent monetary advantages, recruiting students from the international arena brings a number of problems to the university …
In particular, the heterogeneity of cultural backgrounds and concomitant learning styles of international students poses a number of problems, both for faculty and the students themselves (Page, Rajkhowa & Webb, 2009).

4. Background
Chester Business School is still fairly inexperienced in offering courses to international students.
The full time MBA programme (12 months study) launched in October 2007 is the first programme specifically dedicated to international students

5. Overview of Full-Time MBA Programme
12 months full time (normally about 15 months to complete)
Mainly core modules
Some options towards the end of the taught phase
Research methods part of taught modules – including developing a Research Proposal
Dissertation phase last 6 months of the course

6. Dissertation Phase of the MBA
Three components:
Research Proposal (2.5K words) = 15%
Presentation = 0%
Thesis (13.5K words) = 85%

7. Research Agenda
Dissertation works fine for part-time employed students, but …
We have had problems with the dissertation element of the programme on the International MBA since the first cohort

8. Full-Time MBA Dissertation Problems
Some students …
Don’t understand research methods
Don’t attend supervisory meetings
Last minute attitude to work resulting in rushed & often sub-standard work
Even more importantly (from the university perspective)
Issues of plagiarism
Issues of commissioning work

9. Dealing with Full-Time MBA Dissertation Problems
Some students …
Don’t understand research methods – part of this research
Don’t attend supervisory meetings – we’re making then compulsory
Last minute attitude to work resulting in rushed & often sub-standard work – part of this research
Even more importantly (from the university perspective)
Issues of plagiarism – we now use TurnItIn
Issues of commissioning work – will be more difficult for students as we are monitoring their engagement, again - part of this research

10. Aim of the Research
We want to find ways to improve the success rate of international students on the dissertation phase of the MBA programme

11. Research Methods Teaching
Historically quite a “passive” module – even though there are lots of seminar activities & tutorial exercises
Moving towards more active engagement facilitated through social networking tools …

12. Social Networking
“We lived in farms, then we lived in cities, and now we're gonna (sic) live on the internet ”
(The Social Network, 2010)
Social media is, “Fundamentally changing the way humans interact and communicate” (
If Facebook were a country – it would be the 3rd largest in the world …

13. Social Networking in HE
100% of our current F/T MBA student cohort use Facebook
It’s a familiar interface for them to use
It’s instant & we can monitor their activity

14. Why Facebook?
We believe that Facebook is appropriate for the current study as it is, “the most popular online social networking site among university students“ Christy M.K. Cheunga, Pui-Yee Chiu, and Matthew K.O. Leeb (2010).
More than 500 million active users
50% of active users log on to Facebook in any given day
Average user has 130 friends
People spend over 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook
Source:

15. Linking Facebook to Research Methods/Dissertation
Research Methods teaching
Lectures
Seminars (in class)
Facebook Exercises (online discussion questions)

16. Facebook Interface for Research Methods
Linked to my personal Facebook page
BUT publically available – therefore I don’t need to be “friends” with students for them to use the facility {:>))
Consequently students can’t see my “private” details & postings
Students originally in 6 groups – now reduced to 4 …

17. Issues Identified to Date
Lack of engagement despite familiar interface
Some groups have been totally inactive (hence reduction from 6 groups to 4)
Initially too many “inane” & “chatty” comments – but this is what many people use Facebook for anyway … this has settled down lately

18. What Next?
Assess follow through from Research Methods to dissertation stage
Continue to use Facebook Discussion Forums through dissertation stage – monitoring engagement & participation of students
Perform “soft” analysis at end of dissertation in November 2011to try & identify any relationship between Facebook participation & Dissertation success
Look for new ways to engage students through social networking tools in 2012 & beyond …

19. Conclusions
Some full-time international students struggle with research methods & the dissertation
Social networking is familiar to students
Facebook can be used as a teaching aid to support students
How successful our “experiment” has been won’t be known until the end of 2011
Watch this space … I’ll “see” you on the Internet

20. References
Christy M.K. Cheunga, Pui-Yee Chiu, and Matthew K.O. Leeb (2010), Online Social Networks: Why Do Students Use Facebook? Available at:
Facebook Statistics (2011). Available at:
Marginson, S. (2004) National and global competition in higher education. The Australian Educational Researcher 32 (2) pp

21. References
Page, S., Rajkhowa, G. & Webb, P. (2009), Bridging the Gap: Expectations Versus Reality for International MBA Students Studying in the UK, Journal of the World Universities Forum, Vol 2, No. 6, pp  
"The Social Network“ (2010), Columbia Pictures Corporation Ltd.
Western, M. et al.(2005) Final Report of the Survey of International Students’ Spending in Australia Prepared for: Australian Education International (AEI) Revised 28 July 2005 Reference: J4002, The University of Queensland [online] Available from:

22. Questions?