The Evening and Weekend Flex option at the University of California, Berkeley, is making waves in the world of elite online education. As the only top ten business school offering an online-hybrid MBA option like Flex, Haas is shaping the next generation of global leaders.
But creating an innovative program like this certainly didn’t happen overnight. In fact, one of the hallmarks of Flex is its ever-evolving nature, with the goal to continuously adapt to student needs while delivering the signature Berkeley Haas experience.
To provide a glimpse into this process, Haas Evening & Weekend MBA Executive Director, Leah Rozeboom, and Tom Tripp, Executive Director of Haas Digital, shared a bit about the history of Flex. Let’s rewind a few years to explore how this program was first conceived and how it has grown and evolved over time.
According to Leah, the initial idea for Flex began long before her time at Berkeley. A committee was formed to explore different growth opportunities for Haas. With limited physical space on campus, growth was not as simple as just adding more students. The committee also wanted to ensure that they could maintain the same quality standards while growing—they wanted all students to have the same transformative Haas experience.
Around 2014 or so, the idea of an online program option began to be discussed. A proposal was put forth and included interviews from faculty and students, alongside some advanced modeling for what the program could look like. However, it would still be a few more years before this idea came to fruition.
But then something big happened….
In 2020, the Covid pandemic shut down the world and pushed everything online. Leah notes that while the pandemic was certainly not the reason Flex started, it provided “fast track learning opportunities” that accelerated the progress toward an online option.
For the first time, instead of people coming to us, we were bringing Haas to the world and reimagining what that would look like.”
She credits Tom Tripp with leading a remarkable “40-hour flip” into online instruction during the pandemic. Tom’s team had also piloted virtual programs through UC Berkeley Executive Education prior to Flex. The transition to online learning during Covid, combined with the Executive Education pilot, gave the Haas team confidence in creating a permanent online option that would maintain the Haas experience and rigor.
At that time, Leah was the Director of Flex Experience, and as the Haas team prepared to launch its inaugural Flex cohort in 2022, Leah recalls an important mindset shift. “For the first time, instead of people coming to us, we were bringing Haas to the world and reimagining what that would look like.” While ensuring that Flex students could still experience memorable Haas traditions—such as signature events—she was also focused on modifying the program to serve the unique needs of distance learners.
From this vision emerged the Flex model: a unique blend of in-person signature events, online core courses, and the flexibility to choose between online or in-person electives.
The Flex option welcomed its first cohort of 69 students in 2022. But welcoming students didn’t mean that everything was now set in stone. On the contrary. Now that Haas had real-time data and feedback from students and professors, it was time to refine the program.
Leah and Tom share that one of the biggest ways Flex has evolved over time is in the virtual classroom. These are actual classrooms on the Haas campus, and professors teach live to a virtual class. The goal for these classes was always to simulate a real classroom environment with active participation. The program office didn’t want faceless, silent boxes—they wanted vibrant student engagement. But with cameras and audio on, even small disruptions, like someone eating an apple, could be distracting.
To address this, Haas provided all students with noise-canceling Bose headphones. In the second year, Haas also introduced a tool called Crisp AI which further filters out ambient noises. And when some students voiced that they didn’t care for the bulky, over-the-head headphones, Haas responded by offering students an earbud option.
Another change to the virtual classroom came directly from student feedback. Initially, the virtual classroom did not offer a gallery view for students to see each other during class. After hearing from students a desire to be able to see more of their classmates, Haas Digital adjusted to provide this gallery feature.
At the start of the program, there was only one virtual classroom, but a second has since been added. Additionally, efforts were made to continually improve the instructor experience—making sure instructors have clarity on available tools and how to gather real-time feedback on student engagement and participation. Leah shares that there are actually a lot of tools like breakout rooms, smart board features, and classroom polling that aren’t available in a traditional classroom.
Tom shared several additional ways his team has tweaked the Flex program since its inception:
How does the program office and/or Haas digital know what changes need to be made? Tom shares that someone on his team is monitoring every virtual class and taking notes. They can see student engagement and feedback in real-time and are able to make swift changes from this data. Overall, Tom says the goal is continually asking how to make each piece of the online experience just a little bit better.
In addition to the technical side of the online program, Leah also has continually pursued ways to better the overall student experience. Now that there are three years’ worth of students, the program office has been implementing more leadership positions for Flex students. Whenever a club is established, Haas makes an effort to ensure a Flex student is involved who can represent their cohort.
There is also a more concentrated effort to create online opportunities for events, clubs, or gatherings. Leah says that while many of their offerings already had a streaming option, that it typically wasn’t well advertised. Now, these events are better advertised so distance students can easily join.
A piece of feedback Leah often receives from Flex students is that they wish they could see each other more. She says some students even wish there were more mandatory in-person events. While this isn’t always possible, the program office finds alternative ways to try to meet these desires and improve the student experience. For example, they were able to give cohorts additional financial support for self-organized meet-ups.
Like Tom, Leah is always thinking of how to make the experience just a little bit better. From group dinners to managing luggage logistics for in-person events, each detail makes a difference when it comes to offering students the signature Haas experience.
What’s next on the horizon for this ever-evolving Flex program?
On Tom’s end at Haas Digital, he’s working on a new pilot project that incorporates AI-powered virtual teaching. This tool would help students better navigate the online classroom. While it wouldn’t “give answers,” students could, for example, ask for help locating a certain topic within the class materials. He is also working on adding new online courses that don’t currently have any virtual classroom technology. (A project that he and his team have become significantly faster at since the start of Flex!)
For Leah, future growth involves looking very closely at the curriculum. Each year, she gathers student feedback on which classes they’d like to see online, and she wants to prioritize even more online offerings—particularly for classes within the certificate programs.
She says that overall, she is working to sustainably scale the Flex program. She is adding another Academic Adviser to her team to make sure there is enough student support. She is meeting with the instructional planning team to ensure there is enough trained faculty for all courses. The program office is also asking questions about: the need for another virtual classroom, the right number of students to have in a cohort, and how to maintain the same standards and student experience while continuing to grow.
Leah shared her excitement about how far Flex has come and all the possibilities she sees for the future:
As the Executive Director, I feel excited about how we’re growing and changing how we can offer education to students. We have experiences that can really shape the leaders of the future. Now that we have a greater ability to bring in more students, it makes me really excited about the global possibilities. Being the only Top 10 school to have this option is really going to change the narrative in education and this space. It’s exciting for me to be part of, and I’m so grateful for our students.
The original idea for Flex was conceived over a decade ago now. And as the inaugural cohort of Flex students prepare to graduate and take their place as global leaders, the initial heart of the program is on full display. Flex has succeeded in “bringing Haas to the world.”
And as students from all over the world continue to have transformative MBA experiences, instrumental leaders like Leah and Tom will continue to grow the program to make sure it offers nothing less than the Haas best for these future change-makers.