Online education is the future of education system

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It’s a changing world. We live in era of technological innovation, digitization and an internet boom, and the education sector has evolved to a stage which would hardly have been believable a few years ago. Change is often inumbrated by resistance, and bringing about any change to education, likewise has been no simple task. Only a systemic change could prompt the establishment of new teaching methodologies and the application of advanced technology in education. But despite challenges, online learning is making tremendous progress in permeating all pillars of education, from corporate learning, to higher education, to K-12 schooling. Leaders in these areas have discovered some significant ways in which online learning is better than in-person learning, and as a result we’re seeing the widespread implementation of connected technology to drive education initiatives.

With the advent of digital innovation and e-commerce, the world is your oyster where you can get almost anything and everything at the tap of your finger, without leaving the comfort of your home. There is nothing in this world you cannot get online, so why not education? Gone are the days when the only way to learn and advance was to sit through tiresome lectures. As the number of online users grows by the day, more and more people are taking to the internet for their learning needs.

Yet if you’re considering moving to online learning, it’s important to know why you should. Well, there are several reasons why online education continues to grow in popularity and is indisputably the next big thing. The factors range from the wide variety of course offerings, flexibility, and learning pace, to quality of pedagogy and networking opportunities.

Robert Kennedy College has been a pioneer in online education for the last 19 years. Its online masters’ programmes combines Swiss quality education at a distance with residencies at the college’s premises in Zürich, Switzerland or in England at the campuses of the College’s exclusive partners: the University of Cumbria, the University of Salford and York St John University.

The advantages and benefits of online learning offered by Robert Kennedy College make their education unique and stand out from the competition:

  • Wide range of courses offered – Online MBA, MSc and LL.M
  • Blended Learning – Learning opportunity both online and in-person with one-week residency
  • Network building opportunity with peers and colleagues from all over the world
  • Proprietary state of the art technology
  • Outstanding teaching faculty
  • Superior student care

At RKC we are changing lives. Come and be a part of this revolution. Click here to find out more about the online programmes.

Neil Robinson – MSc Project Management Graduate and Winner of 2017 PMI Education Foundation Student Paper of the year award

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Neil Robinson found the Online MSc Project Management programme, as a golden opportunity to steer his Project Management career in a new direction. He says, “The MSc Project Management programme is opening up options and possibilities for me which were previously out of reach as a pure practitioner. As evidenced by the LIAP experience, with the right education, research, academic writing skills and dedication, the world really is your oyster to pursue whatever directions your heart desires, creating and opening your own doors along the way.”

We asked Neil, what is LIAP and what inspired him to write this award winning paper:

“Since leaving my homeland (Australia) twenty years ago I have been fortunate in that my life’s work as a Project Manager has immersed me in an incredible kaleidoscope of diverse cultural experiences. Whilst working in a predominantly blue chip corporate environment, I was increasingly drawn to the case studies of “social good” projects in developing countries and the work of philanthropic bodies such as the PMI Education Foundation. The academic paper “Life is a Project: Project Management as an Enabling Life Skill” was researched and written to coherently document and share with the widest possible audience the LIAP concept, pilot observations and an exploration of the potential benefits of Project Management as an everyday life skill with reference to relevant academic studies and theories of cultural transition. The driving inspiration behind this work is to connect with and motivate an audience of like-minded others who believe in the value of “social good” projects and to inspire them to take action to help “open doors” for others.

How was his experience studying Online with Robert Kennedy College:

“As a mature-age student with substantial practical experience in the field managing Global Projects, the opportunity to return to academic studies at Masters level at RKC (Salford Business School) has been transformational. The academic writing skills I’ve attained through the programme’s learning, assessment and feedback processes have opened doors to forums, audiences, and opportunities which were previously inaccessible.The online learning format of this course, whilst presenting its own unique challenges, has given me the flexibility to study the course materials, whenever I want, wherever I want, accommodating the realities of today’s busy and unpredictable demands. With this format you need to learn to overcome self-doubt and forge ahead with a belief in your own capabilities and interpretation of the task at hand. Self-discipline and time management skills are also critical.”

 

So how did this Masters help Neil in his career development?

“As touched on previously, the academic writing skills I’ve acquired have granted me access to whole new world of opportunities. Moreover, the course content thus far has been incredibly enlightening and relevant in terms of providing theoretical and strategic perspectives to the cross-cultural, international business contexts in which I’ve been managing projects as a practitioner all these years.I’d love the opportunity to take my project management career into the field of meaningful International Development or humanitarian work, preferably in a cross-cultural or developing country environment. This is an aspiration which I know is also dependent on the attainment of a Masters level qualification.”

Any words of wisdom for our future students Neil?

“The moral of this story is that Education really can “open doors” and with programmes like this, it’s never too late to “follow the dream”. As a mature age student, without an undergraduate degree, I harboured secret doubts about my own ability to study, research and write academically at this level. But so far, so good. I have to say thank you to RKC and Salford University for providing me with this life changing opportunity. I now see myself continuing to study, research, and write indefinitely as a means of saying what I want to say to the world, and being heard, in this project called Life. My advice to your prospective students? Don’t think it’s going to be easy, it’s not. But if you’re motivated, reasonably intelligent and capable, disciplined, able to work independently and serious about committing the time and effort….just do it! ”

 

Live session on Money Management at Robert Kennedy College, Zurich, Switzerland

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Robert Kennedy College as part of its residency week in Zurich, Switzerland conducted a lecture in Money Management for its students which was also broadcasted live on Facebook to all students, current and prospective. Through this Facebook Live Session, students could get a feel of how the residency week is conducted at the college and at the same time give them a deeper understanding of Money Management.

This class which was facilitated by the Dean of the college, Prof. Dr. iur. David Costa, had attendees with different professional backgrounds from all over the world. Hence he followed a clear-cut agenda starting with the Basics of Money Management and then delved deep into the most common assets i.e. Commodities, Stocks, Bonds etc. while also discussing briefly about Cash, Real Estate and Cryptocurrency in brief.


Dr. Costa spoke of stocks as one of the best investment option as investors can study the market and the companies and then invest in the stocks of companies, thereby becoming owners of a certain stake in those companies. He illustrated this by giving real life examples of companies whose share prices had gone through a turbulent period in the stock market and pointed ways to analyse the situation and arrive at a decision on whether to hold or sell.

Keeping the session interactive and responding to a question on Real Estate as an investment option, Prof. Costa said that Real Estate is like any other investment and is subject to the same risks and rewards, just because it’s tangible, it does not mean that the property prices cannot crash. He advised that everybody’s first major investments should be in their home, a property for you and your family, and every investment made before buying this property should go towards this purchase.

Speaking on speculative investment options, Dr. Costa compared it to a lesser form of gambling but also stressed on the fact that the higher the risk an investor takes, greater the reward can be.

When considering an investment, Dr. Costa advised to always plan! and ask, ‘Why am I investing?’, ‘What kind of risk can I take?’, ‘How long can I be locked in?’ and ‘Where do I invest?’

Click here for more information on the programmes in finance and business offered by Robert Kennedy College.

Congratulations to MALIC 2017 Graduates!

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Congratulations to the students of Robert Kennedy College who graduated in early November in the stunning setting of York Minster with a Masters degree in Leading Innovation and Change, a programme in RKC’s exclusive partnership with York St John University.

Students graduated alongside an array of leading figures in the charity sector, conservation, psychology, business, sport, music, television and the Deaf community, who were awarded honorary degrees. Recipients included children’s campaigner Baroness Floella Benjamin OBE, actress Dame Penelope Wilton, and Steve Rowe, Chief Executive of Marks & Spencer. Also recognised were the Yorkshire Rows, the oldest all-female crew to row across the Atlantic who started learning to row at the Guy Fawkes Boat Club in York.

Professor Karen Stanton, Vice Chancellor of York St John University, said: “This year’s honorary graduates are an especially motivational group of people.”

The graduation ceremony was streamed live from York Minster (in the video above, take a look at the ‘view’ our graduates get when they take to the stage to receive their degrees). Some students, for this special occasion, wore their national costume under their graduation gowns.

There were different entry points for the guests and the graduating students. While the guests entered the Minster by the Great West Door (facing Deansgate), the graduating students entered by the South Door (near the Roman Column and the statue of Constantine). At the appropriate time, they were directed onto the stage where their award was conferred with a handshake, and as the new graduates they joined the academic procession at the end of the ceremony. Both the students and the guests then came together for refreshments and visited a series of exhibitions at Holgate.

 

At this formal graduation ceremony, 16 students from Robert Kennedy College came together from around the world.                          (RKC announcement begins at 26:50). It was a truly diverse group with students from countries like Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, Germany, Singapore, Ghana, Mexico, Jordan, Cyprus, Netherlands, Ireland, Sweden and Guatemala. They depicted the truly global student community that Robert Kennedy College produces year after year. You too can be a proud graduate and part of this global community by enrolling into our Online Masters programme. Don’t take our word for it, have a look at the group of happy RKC graduates for yourself:

 

 

 

Master’s Degree – Prerequisite To A Successful Career!

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We live in exciting times: from home automation and autonomous cars, to all-screen phones and artificial intelligence, technology is making our lives easier and more productive.

With advancements in automation and telecom, companies are getting leaner and more centralised. There is pressure to be able to make quicker and more informed decisions, becoming more efficient and profitable and being able to provide higher returns to their shareholders. As a direct result of this, companies are looking for a more skilled and qualified workforce.

With jobs that are available in organisations moving up the value chain, companies are looking for specialised, proficient candidates to fill specific roles within the organisation. In today’s global market, one’s citizenship hardly matters to a world class employer looking for the best talent. With options ranging from working remotely to traveling to any destination within 24 hours or simply relocating, companies more often than not find the people they are looking for.

Today, a master’s education is rapidly becoming the entry degree in many professions. This has come about in part because the degrees are specific and utilitarian. A company looking to hire in project management or public healthcare will look to hire candidates with Master’s degrees in either Project Management or Public Health Management.

A Master’s degree implies that a candidate has taken the extra step in getting qualified, gaining extra skills, and specialisation. Having worked on projects, assignments, and dissertations, candidates tend to be more disciplined, structured, and task oriented.

They tend to be trusted with more responsibilities and will bring that experience and knowledge to the company. Such candidates will be an asset to the company and very seldom a liability.

In 2014-15, in the United States, there were nearly 800,000 Master’s degree graduates, a number that has been growing exponentially. In this scenario, most of the candidates applying for any above entry level position will already have at least one Master’s degree, if not more specialised qualifications. A Bachelor’s degree alone would disqualify them in the first stage of recruitment.

Explore the number of specialised Master’s degrees offered by Robert Kennedy College in exclusive partnerships with top British universities.

Robert Kennedy College Students attend Residential Week in Cumbria

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Robert Kennedy College in an exclusive partnership with the University of Cumbria, held the residency programme for our online MBA students. Held at the University of Cumbria’s picturesque Ambleside Campus, the residential week covered the module “Tackling Global-Local Challenges in Ethics, Responsibility and Sustainability.”

The residential week gave the students an opportunity to complement their online learning with a conventional classroom experience. And the diverse group of students coming together from different countries, cultures and backgrounds and professional experiences, made the week all the more enriching. The residency was attended by more than 25 international students from countries like Canada, United Arab Emirates, Nigeria and South Africa, to name just a few, for a face-to-face opportunity to enhance their learning experience.

The students participated in various activities and classroom sessions in this action-packed week as well as learning about research methodology for their dissertation. The unique experience left them feeling invigorated and inspired to put the techniques learned during the week into practice. And more importantly, the week gave them an opportunity to connect with their classmates, to forge new friendships and establish relationships with faculty and directors.

“The residential week is an integral part of the course. It’s the only chance the students get to meet one another face to face as opposed to engaging with each other online. The week is really varied. We have a number of education sessions from different guest speakers and faculty throughout the programme. We also have a number of experiential activities and we spend a day enjoying the landscape.” said Emma Watton, Senior Teaching Fellow, (Lancaster University), MBA Leadership and Sustainability Programme graduate.

Students also had the opportunity to explore the idyllic settings of the Cumbria campus and participate in various outdoor team-building activities.

Professor Jem Bendell, Director of the Institute for Leadership and Sustainability, commented, “The residency brings professionals together from around the world. We went with the students on a trail walk that William Wordsworth took and heard about his poem where he talks of letting nature be our teacher. This is something quite unique, a heritage we can explore and find ways of building that into our teaching practice”.

With students from every continent, it was a truly international experience and an opportunity to network with colleagues from all over the world. This unique learning experience left every student with lifetime memories.

 

RKC Student wins PMI 2017 Student Paper of the Year Award

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The Project Management Institute’s Education Foundation (PMIEF) has awarded Neil C. Robinson, a postgraduate student at Robert Kennedy College, University of Salford, its 2017 James R. Snyder International Student Paper of the Year.

The award was presented to Neil at the annual PMI Global Conference in October, held in Chicago, Illinois, USA, for his research paper titled Life is a Project: Project Management as an Enabling Life Skill in Cross-Cultural Transition.

Neil’s paper was inspired by the outcomes of the Life is a Project (LIAP) education initiative, teaching project management life skills to a group of ESL (English as a Second Language) adults in London.

During the course of five volunteer-led workshops, participants were assisted to articulate and develop plans for personal life projects as well as collaborating as a project team in the planning and delivery of a practical community-based project initiative – a fund-raising event in support of the British Refugee Council. Neil and the LIAP programme were also featured in a local UK news article.

Neil’s paper introduces the concept of project management as an enabling skill for individuals in the process of cross-cultural transition. He explores theoretical models of cultural adaptation, research into psychological and socio-cultural impacts of cross- cultural transitions, the challenges of being a non-native English language speaker.

The paper concludes with a view on the merit of project management skills in a cross-cultural context and thoughts on further development of the concept.

On receiving this award, Neil said “It’s a great honour and validation of the effort expended to have this work recognised by PMIEF.” In an email to the university, Neil also thanked the university and Robert Kennedy College for equipping him “with the requisite academic research and writing skills to produce this piece of work!”

As a mature student himself, Neil believes it is never too late to learn, “Education really can “open doors” and with programmes like this (Online MSc Project Management), it’s never too late to “follow the dream”. Just do it.”

Celebrating 19 Years of Swiss Quality Education

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Prof. Dr. iur. David Costa, Dean Robert Kennedy College and Stefano Costa MBA, Finance Director Robert Kennedy College (RKC), visited NASDAQ New York to commemorate the success of RKC for providing Swiss Quality Education in partnership with top British Universities since last 19 years.

“Having the name of Robert Kennedy College at the center of Times Square, New York was mesmerizing and surreal but more imperative was this unique opportunity to extend thanks to our staff, students and graduates throughout the world”

During the 19 years the college has served thousands of students across over 130 countries. Thanks to proprietary state of the art technology, outstanding teaching and superior student care, the college has pioneered the concept of blended and online learning throughout the world. #RKC instructors are graduates from some of the best universities worldwide. With over 5,000 students from 130 different countries, we are a truly international establishment.

Our online masters’ programmes combine Swiss quality education at a distance with residencies at the college’s premises in Zürich, Switzerland and in England at the campuses of our exclusive partners, the University of Cumbria, University of Salford and York St John University. Thanks to the unique blended learning format, students are able to experience face to face live classes during the one week residential without disrupting their busy careers.

At RKC you are not just a student number. You are part of our online learning community engaged with faculty members and other students. Get more information about our programmes here.

 

Robert Kennedy College celebrating 50 years of the University of Salford

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Robert Kennedy College recently celebrated 50 years of the University of Salford and was pleased to welcome to Zürich Prof. Helen Marshall, Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. David Spicer, Dean of the Business School and Eileen Roddy, Associate Dean International.

The university has had a venerable history, from getting the Royal Charter from Her Majesty the Queen constituting the University of Salford ‘for the advancement of knowledge’ 50 years ago to having Chancellors the likes of the Duke of Edinburgh (1967-1991), the Duchess of York (1991-1995) and Sir Walter Bodmer (1995-2005) and playing host to Margaret Thatcher, The Smiths, New Order and Happy Mondays that played at Maxwell Hall.

And while the university continues to grow, opening new campuses, laboratories and student accommodation quarters, it also won Business School of the Year and been named in the QS World Rankings of Top 50 global universities.

In an exclusive partnership with Robert Kennedy College #RKC, the university is taking high quality British education global with Swiss ingenuity. With an ever-growing portfolio of online Master’s Degree programmes (click to download the course catalogue), the University of Salford is leveraging the nearly two-decade expertise of #RKC in online education.

To mark the occasion for our residential students, Robert Kennedy College hosted an exclusive live masterclass conducted by Prof. Spicer and Richard Dron, Technical Innovation Officer at Salford Business School. The celebrations continued through to the evening and concluded with a gala dinner that also included our residential students.

MALIC Graduation 2016 – a great success for RKC, YSJ, and all of you, our students!

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17th November 2016 – amazing graduation in York

It’s that time of the year again – graduation time! I’ve set out from Switzerland on Tuesday 15th, eager to meet with our newest graduates and my friends from YSJ. Graduation is really a time of celebration, and you can feel it in the air – everyone is excited.

Somewhat relieved that my ePassport still granted me access to the UK (sorry, could not help it, but I promise this is the first and last #Brexit reference), I rushed towards York and eagerly waited for Wednesday’s ceremony.

As luck would have it, I missed the “unofficial official” photo in the Quad, a tradition for MALIC graduates and the teaching team – I was promised I would be photoshopped in but until that version is produced, here’s the real one!

MALIC Graduates 2016

A few people missing from the photo – but look at those smiles!

Graduation in the Minster cannot really be described – and although video does a better job than just words, it still does not fully allow you to make an idea of the atmosphere, unless you have been there and lived it – in which case, you are working with memory rather than imagination. Here are our brave MALICs on center stage – really really well done guys!

So sorry for those who could not make it this year, and in particular our MALIC programme prize AND dissertation prize winner, Jelly Offereins!

What an occasion! The frames of the Minster, all gowns and hats, in an wonderful mix with the British warm humor. A special thank you to Radu, Irene, George and all the others at MALIC; it has been a journey of hard work, ups-and-downs, a great learning experience, an academic journey and a practical study indeed, so many good tools to use in the daily work. To all of you; thank you for these years! ~ Else

Graduation day was special, many thanks. It has been an interesting journey, and well worth it! ~ Etienne

Looking for the future MALIC graduates!

The MALIC teams on both sides of the channel are extremely excited to be able to accent new applicants again. We would love it for you to have a look around the programme website and see whether you could fit MALIC in your life – you will not regret it. Frank, a MALIC Alumni, recently wrote to a prospective student who wanted to get some first-hand feedback on MALIC:

I can only say that the course is wonderful and what makes it meaningful is that you can apply each course module to the work environment you are currently working in or another of your choice which simply makes the course far more interesting and relevant from the outset. As I said I did not do the course for further advancement in my career as I was already at a senior level within my profession as an election management adviser and considering I am a freelance consultant I was not looking for further advancement. What I can tell you is that this course gives you the skills to look at situations within any work environment with objectivity and clarity and allows you to analyse situations in a much clearer and structured manner. That is not to say that the course participants do not already have these skills only that MALIC fine tunes them and improves them enormously. ~ Frank

What are you waiting for? Applications are open!

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