Cohorts in learning

T+D, Feb, 2004 by Jane Schultz

Like many associations, FCIB wanted to offer educational opportunities online. But instead of teaming up with a vendor, the association partnered with a university. And that choice has made all the difference.

The opportunity came when a member asked FCIB to develop a course for what was the equivalent of an import-export bank for Saudi Arabia. After receiving a two-year grant worth more than a half million dollars to develop an online course about the risks of doing business internationally, FCIB searched for a partner. Coincidentally, Michigan State University was looking for an association to be the first to develop an online course in trade finance. It was a perfect match.

One of the key decisions made was to follow a cohort learning model because it accommodates and encourages a collaborative learning environment. Most important, the completion rate for the cohort approach is much higher because the group of learners moves at the same pace.

FCIB's willingness to partner with MSU was critical. Typically, associations are leery of universities for being too academic, and many universities have viewed associations as competition or more "nuts and bolts" practitioners.

The fact that both sides were open to the partnership is vital to the ongoing success of the project, which is now offered three times each year.

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Associations have tended to be leery of universities for being too academic; universities have viewed associations as competition or as "nuts and bolts." In this case study, a financial association and a university overcame those barriers to form a successful partnership that began with the creation of one online course.

FCIB (the Association of Executives in Finance, Credit, and International Business) is in the business of risk management, so it's no surprise to see this association of finance, credit, and international business professionals take a few risks to develop an online course in international credit management.

Like many associations, FCIB wanted to offer adult education opportunities online. It decided not to go with an association-vendor transaction in creating its online course.

What happened next would completely change FCIB's thinking on the design of its online learning program and revolutionize continuing education for association members. FCIB got a phone call from Bruce Magid at the Global Online Connection Unit at Michigan State University, a new division dedicated to building external partnerships to develop online professional development programs. Magid was brought on board to establish strategic alliances with select outside organizations. One of the target groups for these partnerships was professional associations--a sector not currently in competition with MSU.

MSU was specifically interested in building a track record and leveraging programs in the areas it had known expertise: education, packaging, criminal justice, and international business. The challenge FCIB--and most all associations--faced was how to generate additional revenue. It traditionally made its money from membership dues, meetings, and other miscellaneous products and services. But the real value, according to FCIB president and CEO Kenneth E Garrison Jr., was in education and networking. His vision was to create a new way to provide education--a departure from the talking head with a PowerPoint presentation.

The opportunity came when one of FCIB's members, a Saudi development agency, asked FCIB to develop a course for what was the equivalent of an import-export bank for Saudi Arabia. This member wanted to build an industry in Saudi Arabia that wasn't focused on oil, and it needed an export credit agency to arrange financing and insurance to companies and regions of the world that other vendors or banks don't want to operate in. "It was a very unusual proposition," admits Garrison. "FCIB had never entered into an agreement of this kind in its 85-year history."

In order to develop and offer the two seven-week training sessions--both in Washington, D.C.--FCIB compiled more than 675 pages of material and identified multiple experts from within its membership to teach the course. As a result, for the first time ever, FCIB had a significant block of material for the profession.

Meanwhile, back at FCIB's Columbia, Maryland headquarters, Aneta Spilman, director of North American operations, had stumbled across the U.S. Department of Commerce's Website and its market development cooperator program for awarding grants to help exporters with new products to expand U.S. exports. She noticed that most of the grants awarded in the past had been given to corporations and universities for new products or for entering new markets. "There was nothing on how to make the sale or how to get paid," Spilman notes.

That's where FCIB's proposal was different. "You need a very specific understanding of the different terms, cultures, laws, and country requirements when selling overseas," she explains. FCIB wasn't offering a product for export, but a bank of knowledge to help any company wanting to export, regardless of the product. Furthermore, Spilman recognized the huge potential among small and medium-sized companies. Her market research showed that more than 90 percent of exports from the United States are by small and medium-sized companies. "That's millions of companies," she says.