In the past few weeks we have received many voices about how to deal with the Corona crisis, home office, studying from home and online teaching. In a colorful potpourri we present the experiences and impressions of MBS students, faculty, alumni, and staff.
"Thanks to the flexibility, creativity and commitment of all MBS students as well as the entire faculty and administration, we were able to switch to online teaching within a few days and without a single course interruption. This was a great success. I'm happy to see that despite the physical separation - or is it precisely because of this? - the MBS community is still growing closer together." Stefan Baldi, Dean of Munich Business School
“Our department Service & Administration is geared towards providing on-site support for students and lecturers. So the changeover to the home office was a great challenge for us in particular. At MBS we are companions in the everyday life of the university. In the new situation, the students primarily addressed their inquiries to us via e-mail and/or telephone. We tried to meet all requests as best and as quickly as possible in order to be available for everyone even outside of the familiar environment at MBS. We cannot wait until everyday life at MBS returns and we can personally welcome everyone at the Welcome Desk!”
Martin George, Service & Administration
"The continuation of the lectures on Microsoft Teams worked really well. The university kept us up to date from the very beginning and communicated promptly how things are going to continue now. I am very grateful for this, because I know from those around me and from students at other colleges and universities that such rapid implementation and transparency cannot be taken for granted." Isabell Buchner, Bachelor student in International Business at MBS
“The home office situation has brought back lessons and learnings from my Phd on eLearning, so for me, it has been a lot of fun to have classes online again, especially given the technological advances of the past few years. With my daughter’s whiteboard and a new WLAN repeater I have created a improved corner for classes with two areas: one at the desk, when I was listening to the students and we were more involved in discussion and the other putting the tablet up higher so that I could stand and present. This helps immensely to actually feel as if you were standing in front of your class.”
Christopher Weilage, MBS Professor
"Student counselling from the living room is a new and thoroughly positive experience for me. Of course, there is no substitute for a personal conversation on site and it still remains very important to us, but unfortunately the current situation no longer makes these encounters possible. All the more I am pleased to see how well the online communication with our prospective students and parents works. Interviews via MS teams and online information webinars are very well received and complement our information services wonderfully. The exchange is as intensive as it is personal. Only the final tour of our premises with its spontaneous encounters in the corridors with students and professors has to be omitted - but we will be happy to make up for this when visiting MBS in the near future!"
Christine Heber, Program Advisor Bachelor International Business
“We students quickly got used to Microsoft teams, on which all courses took place. For me personally, the online learning experience was very enriching. We actually did everything as before – lectures, presentations, group work and discussions – but online! I believe that this experience will prepare us even better for the digital business world.”
Louis Roques, Bachelor student in International Business at MBS
"We professors have also come to terms well with the concept of online teaching. From the very beginning, there was a great sense of solidarity and exchange. Professors with more experience online got together with less experienced colleagues and we held trial lectures among ourselves. The switch to online teaching has created a whole new dynamic in all of us, which continues until today! And even though many of us had to put up with a lot of extra work, the step was definitely worth it, because it was the only way we could guarantee our students the seamless continuation of the semester".
Patricia Kraft, MBS Professor
“I really enjoyed the online lectures! One was actually in a great exchange with the other fellow students and the lecturers. Nothing really changed, except for the fact that you were sitting at home and not in the seminar room! For me, this was even an effective time saver.”
Anna Abbelen, Master student in Sports Business and Communication at MBS
"Working at home and at the same time looking after a two and a half year old is an extreme experience in every respect. Our days are long: we get up at 6:30 am at the latest and then - just like before Corona - everything has to be brought under one roof in the shortest possible time: from breakfast to potty training to playing, reading aloud and drying the first tears. Our shift system begins at 8 am at the latest: one plays, keeps busy, educates, consoles and tames the little one, while the other tries to answer the first batch of e-mails, make phone calls with colleagues or customers or - as in my case - write long, complicated reports. Again and again our son comes into the work zone, keeps us company at Telkos, cuddles or throws changing objects at us. At 2 pm the changeover takes place; then the second shift begins and lasts at least until 9 pm, but usually longer. In between, of course, the housekeeping and shopping is done. When we go to bed, the frustrating result is: despite continuous work, another minus hour on the account, again half of the messages not answered, the chapter in the report not completed, the colleague stood up. But all this is nothing compared to the guilty conscience we have towards our child, who longs so much for some normality and contact with the outside world and currently has little chance of it. Yet we know that we are privileged: We still have our jobs and understanding employers. We can work protected from home, have something to eat and most importantly: us! But it is not always easy to keep one's composure. Two weeks ago, during dinner, our son suddenly shouted with enthusiasm "I have an idea! We could take a holiday! And everyone's coming with us, Grandma, Grandpa, Mom, Dad, everyone!". It's the best idea I've heard in a long time and I can't wait."
Juliane Große, Quality Management
