If you’re new to HBX, you’ve probably come across a lot of what seems like unfamiliar jargon, but terms such as "HBX Live" and "cold calls" are actually some of the elements that make the HBX experience so unique. Here are a few of HBX’s most common words and phrases you should know if you want to be a true HBXer!
The Map: The Map (featured in the photo above!) is what greets you each time you log into the course platform. It displays peers who are currently online and their pinpoint location. You may be a student in San Francisco studying alongside a student in Shanghai, or you may be a student in New Delhi studying alongside a student in New York. Better put on your international networking hat!
HBX Live: HBX Live is our virtual classroom, but it goes far beyond your ordinary video group chat. The studio where the sessions are conducted houses 60 student stations that wrap around the professor’s podium. Each station consists of a flat screen TV and webcam, which means every student is given physical real estate in the studio classroom. It’s the closest thing you can get to a real classroom and allows students to directly interact with Harvard Business School faculty. If you're interested in trying the technology for yourself, our newest program, Developing Yourself as a Leader, is accepting applications now!
“Job to be Done”: A term coined by Clayton Christensen, the Faculty Professor for HBX’s Disruptive Strategy course and author of several New York Times bestsellers, including the seminal Innovator's Dilemma. It is an innovative approach to understanding the customer’s problem and exactly why they buy into a certain product or service. This term is one of many tools and theories to develop strategy, assess threats, and identify opportunities that you’ll learn in Disruptive Strategy.
Cold Call: We like to keep HBXers on their toes, but no, you don’t get an actual phone call! Cold calls are when a professor selects a student to answer a particular question during a course session. The student has a limited time to type his or her response, which the whole group will be able to see and discuss. Cold calls are hallmarks of the MBA program at Harvard Business School that we have carried over into the digital environment of HBX, and they are a great way to prepare for real-world scenarios when you may need to think fast, pull from your knowledge, and present a cohesive answer.
Peer Help: Who said you have to sit in an actual classroom to engage with your classmates? With peer help, students are able to ask each other questions, work through material together, and help each other succeed. Peer help brings the online content to life by allowing students to share their thoughts with the entire group or conduct a more intimate, one-on-one discussion with a peer.
Now that you are fluent in HBX, you’re ready to ace your next course! Good luck!