I attended an MBA class last night at New York University’s Stern School of Business. I was both interested in the topic of the class and as an observer of the professor’s teaching style and MBA students in general. I noticed:
- Students were predictably clean cut. Diverse ethnically as you’d expect in New York or in a good MBA program, but in many ways not very diverse.
- They served free coffee in the classroom.
- Each student had a little nameplate they carry with them and position in front of their seat, like at the United Nations.
- I pulled out my laptop to take notes and looked around to notice not a single other person with a laptop (the room did offer sufficient electrical outlets, ethernet jacks, and wi-fi). This could be explained in several ways, such as the idea-heavy rather than fact-heavy nature of the lecture. But it surprised me; I thought all the hip, well-to-do kids would be doing everything digitally.
Update: David reports that students are explicitly asked not to use laptops in the classroom, a guideline he feels is vital to the educational experience.