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0:04
- Welcome everyone, and thanks for joining. I'm Eva Ponce, I'm the executive director of the MITx MicroMasters program in supply chain management, and I'm co-hosting this event with Dr. Inma Borrella. She's the academic lead for our MicroMaster program. Hi Inma. - Hi Eva. I'm really excited to be here today, sharing information about our massive open online program with this audience.
0:32
- This is awesome. Thank you, Inma. But before we start, we would like to know more about you.
0:41
So let's try to kick off this event with a poll, and please share with us in which area are you currently working. And while you are filling out the poll, the poll should be live now, let me introduce to you the goals and agenda for today's event. So in this event, we want to introduce our MicroMaster program in supply chain management, and we want to do this for those of you interested in learning more about supply chain management. Whatever your background, wherever you are coming from,
1:18
there is a place for you in supply chain management. And this program is here, right for you, just to help you on that. The program is designed to provide you with the fundamental concepts you need to better understand supply chain complexity, and also to deal with confidence with supply chain challenges. We will introduce to you tools and techniques that you can apply during the course, and also on your daily job. The program has been designed to be very, very industry-oriented
1:55
and very applied. It's designed to learn and apply what you just learned. And through this asynchronous and flexible journey, the program will bring you many opportunities to grow academically, and also professionally. This program will help you learn and also up-skill you in the field of supply chain management, and will also open the door to study a master's degree at MIT, and also at many other universities. And you will learn from us, and also from our alumni, about their data experience
2:33
through this program. So here is the plan. For the first 10 minutes, Inma and I, we will provide an overview of MITx MicroMaster in supply chain management program, then we will introduce our panel of MicroMasters alumni and discuss with them about their experience. Their experience with the program, and also their experience about the impact of this program on their career. And the last 15 minutes are just for you, you can bring your questions to us.
3:07
So please, use the webinar questions and answers feature to ask any questions you want to bring to this webinar. We really hope that this is aligned with your expectation. But just to be sure, please respond to the poll that is live now. So please go to the poll and let us know, why are you here today? What do you want to learn today? And while you are filling out the poll, Inma's going to give you an overview of the first courses, our gateway way to the MicroMaster program
3:42
in supply chain management. So Inma, the floor is yours. - Thank you, Eva. Let me share a presentation that we have prepared.
3:51
Here we go. So starting a MicroMasters program might seem daunting. So we would like to start discussing something very specific, which are the entry courses to our program: SC0X, supply chain analytics, and SC1X, supply chain fundamentals. Most people start our program with one of these two courses. SC0X supply chain analytics just introduces the most common analytical methods used by supply chain management practitioners, such as basic data management, probabilities statistics
4:24
simulation optimization algorithms. It's a toolbox, right? For you to apply to solve your supply chain challenges. While SC1X, supply chain fundamentals, focuses on the three pillars of any supply chain, which are demand forecasting, inventory management, and transportation management. So we could say that SC0X is the toolbox and SC1X provides the foundation of your learning journey.
4:52
I really would like to highlight that these courses are great for people new to the supply chain management field, but also useful for professionals with years of experience in operations, but maybe they do not have formal education in this space And taking these courses really gifts them with the tools and the confidence to take on new challenges.
5:15
So for example, let's look at today's audience to see, where are you coming from? Let me share the results from poll one. Here we go. So most of you come from the supply chain management area, which is logical because it's a supply chain management program and we are happy about that. But that's 38% of the respondent, right? Then we have people from procurement, finance, marketing and sales, research and development, other areas, and some people who are not working at the moment,
5:48
maybe taking a break, studying. So we love to see this because that's also what we are serve in our program. We have thousands of people taking our courses, with many different backgrounds, and supply chain management is of increasing interest to people from other areas in the company.
6:09
So something else that I would like to share with you today is that we know that many of you are working professionals, we know how difficult it is to find time to study, so the good thing about our online programs is that they... Our online course is they are asynchronous and ubiquitous. So you can watch the videos during your commute, just complete the practice problems at night, or actually whenever you find a moment and you have an internet connected device at hand.
6:40
So that's pretty convenient, just to try to balance work life and studies.
6:48
And some of you may be wondering, "Will these courses be too boring "or too theoretical?" So I don't know if you're familiar with MIT's motto, which is "Mens et Manus." It's Latin and it means "Mind and Hand." So "learn and apply." And this is exactly the approach that we have with our courses. You learn a concept or a tool, and you immediately apply it to a practice problem within the course, or to solve a problem beyond the course at your job, as students always share with us
7:22
how quickly they have applied learnings from these courses in their jobs. So now that you know a little bit more about our online courses, Eva will tell you more about the whole program.
7:34
- Thank you, Inma. So the program includes five supply chain courses. So in addition to the first courses that Inma just presented, supply chain analytics and supply chain fundamentals, you can also learn supply chain design, supply chain dynamics, and supply chain technologies and systems. One thing I wanted to highlight here is that our content is equivalent to MIT grad-level courses. And at the end of the five supply chain courses, you need also to pass a comprehensive and final exam. Why?
8:15
Because we want you... We want to bring value to the credential, and we are going to do that through a rigorous assessment. As I mentioned, this is a picture from President Reif and Professor Yossi Sheffi in one of our classrooms. When they were introducing this innovative program, this is, as Inma mentioned, an online and massive program, that we really... We really want to bring value to this credential. And one way to do that is through this rigorous assessment
8:45
and through the graduate level content that we are providing here. This credential also opened the doors to study at MIT. And you can apply for the MIT master's degree
9:01
after completing the entire program. After completing the comprehensive and final exam, you can apply to this master's degree. The credential also opened the doors to about 30 different universities across the world. You can apply to Arizona State University, or Harvard Extension, Purdue University in the USA. You can also apply to the MIT Zaragoza Logistics Center in Spain, to Queensland in Australia, and many other universities across the world. It's also globally recognized by the industry.
9:38
So companies like Walmart, like CH Robinson, are using the MicroMaster content to up-skill their employees. And companies like General Electric, or Toyota, or General Motor, (indistinct),
9:51
are sending also their employees to the program. So finally, we also have companies that are hiring supply chain management professionals from this program. So as you can see, it's very, very connected with the industry. So... Okay, so this is just a little bit an overview about our program. But now, what we really want to do is to see if this web... If this webinar is aligned with your expectation. So let's have a look to the poll and let's discuss the result.
10:28
Inma, do we have the results for the poll number two? - Yes, we do have the results and most of our audience, yes, are here because they want to expand their supply chain knowledge. So as we saw, we have people from supply chain space but also from other areas. So a lot of interest in supply chain, and just wanted to deep dive into that. Some of you want to learn about the key concepts in the MicroMasters, or are interested in adding in the credential, but I love how like 14%
10:57
just selected pure curiosity. So I guess many of you are just here just to see what this is about, and just maybe see if this is something that may be interesting for you or not. So what we're gonna do here is, really, instead of just hearing about the program or about how different concepts can be applied to your jobs by Eva or myself, let's hear from our alumni. So Eva, would you like to introduce the panel? - Definitely. I would love to introduce the panel because, as Inma mentioned,
11:32
we think, we believe, that the best is to learn from our alumni, from those that already completed the entire program, or already completed supply chain analytics or supply chain fundamentals, and from their experience. So it's really my pleasure to introduce to you Gerry Nelson. Gerry is the vice president of North America Surface Transportation at CH Robinson.
12:00
Hey Gerry, thank you for joining us today. - Of course, thank you for having me. - Excellent. We also have with us, Gabby, Gabriela Lamas-Oporto. Gabby is a digital supply chain lead at Johnson & Johnson. Hi, Gabby. - Hello. Hello everyone. Good afternoon, good evening, good morning. - Thank you. And we also have with us, Pranav. Pranav is a project... Program manager at Google. So the three of them has been... The three of them completed supply chain analytics, supply chain fundamentals.
12:34
Pranav and Gerry also completed the MicroMaster program. So we are very excited to have you joining today. Yeah, let's start. So my first question is for you, Gerry, I'm going to start with you. When did you decide to take your first supply chain course? You're really, really busy with your full-time job. So when did you decide to do that? - I think we're all busy with our full-time jobs and lives, that's for sure. But when I think back about why I decided to take it,
13:06
when I came up through my formal education, my education was in organismal biology. So it had nothing to do with business, it had nothing to do with statistics, analytics probability. I mean, a lot of the things that we use on an everyday basis in supply chain. I had taken some other programs, postgraduate programs that I took, but then MIT really interested me really because it focused on things that I believed my customer would be impacted by. So really, my focus was on
13:38
my customer's experience, how do I think more like them? How do I understand their perspective to give them a better customer experience from my perspective? And really, it did that, and then some, as a part of this program.
13:57
- This is awesome, Gerry. Thank you for sharing your experience. Pranav, I'm curious about your learning journey. Which one was your first course? - Yeah, so Eva, first of all, thank you so much for having us here. I started my journey in the year 2015, when I was still in school at Northeastern in Boston. And I started my online education with the MicroMasters courses with supply chain fundamentals, and I was taking supply chain dynamics simultaneously. And I took analytics as a third course
14:29
because, at the time, it was not offered year round. I think I really benefited from one of the most structured, comprehensive, and application-based online curriculums that currently exist out there in the domain of supply chain. The online courses really provided me a framework to understand what the nuances of a actual supply chain problem is, that we face in our day-to-day jobs, how do you break it into smaller pieces and identify the right working methodology to actually solve the problem.
15:01
I also wanted to share that it'll be an understatement that... How much of an impact the MicroMasters credential has made for me and changed the course of my professional career. While I was in the... Pursuing the credential, the learnings sort of helped me get a job in inbound logistics at Amazon. I then ended up completing the MicroMasters credential, and that led me to getting accepted into the MIT residential program in SCM on campus. And all of that, then eventually,
15:31
I graduated from the program and ended up in my current role at Google. And one thing that I wanna share with the audience today is that having completed the online version, as well as the on campus program, I'm really blown away with how intense and at par with the on-campus education, the onl... The MicroMaster credential is. The lectures, case studies, assignment problems, and everything that is delivered online is at par with what is being taught on campus. So that is...
16:02
Yeah, so these are some of the things that I wanna share with everyone. - Thank you, Pranav. And thank you also for showing this connection in between the online content plus the on-campus content. And also, you mentioned about the flexibility of the online program, like the MicroMaster, and this is the question I have for you, Gabby. How did this flexibility of an asynchronous program, because MicroMasters is online and asynchronous, how does this help you to achieve your learning goals
16:30
and combine these with your daily responsibilities? - Great question. First, I'll just say, I think the MicroMasters was thinking way ahead of what we would need in the future, based on what we saw during COVID, right? We were... MicroMasters has been ahead of learning and moving things online. And so, what I'll share is, very similar to Gerry, my background's in biomedical engineering and that's what I got my bachelor's in. And I had already been... Been starting to see a future
17:04
in pursuing a further education in supply chain management, specifically looking to get my master's, but not sure exactly how. And when I had been recommended this MicroMaster, specifically the supply chain analytics course first, that's when it really all started. And I love that it was online because I was working. I worked for Johnson & Johnson and every day, it's a busy day. There's constant action that's happening. And while still being driven and wanting to continue
17:37
and further my education, this online course gave me that opportunity. And it was through this course that I was able to pair while working that started to open up that next chapter, which led me, very similar to Pranav, to go to MIT and complete the 10 month program in person. And I also completed the residential, as Pranav did.
18:02
- That's excellent. This is great, thank you for sharing your experience with that. Inma, I'm sure you are curious about the concepts they learn and how to apply, so... - Definitely, yes. I think that really going to the specifics helps a lot to our audience, right? Because the program, it's like a big thing, a long commitment. But zero and one are right there, they can be completely completed in three months. So I would love to know, what's something that you learned
18:34
in one of these two intro courses that helped you create value to your daily job? So Pranav, would you like to share something? - Yeah, sure. Inma, that's a great question. So in my five to six year long supply chain career, I've primarily been focused on demand planning, inventory management, and network design, and these are all topics that are, in one way or the other, covered in SC0X and SC1X. Couple of topics that really particularly stood out to me, and something that I still go back to
19:07
the course material every now and then to refer to some things, are linear and non-linear optimization models, that is covered in SC0X. I think that's a topic that can frustrate a lot of people, even at like a master's or a PhD level, and I love how simplify... How much simple Chris makes that whole concept in those videos in SC0X, and it's so digestible. And the practice problems that are paired with the optimization concepts are a perfect compliment to what's being taught.
19:40
It led me to sort of not only just not be afraid of optimization problems, but also set up basic solutions, or back-of-a-napkin solutions, when you're having conversations with your teams using Excel. And this pro... The SC0X course really gives you the tools to hit the ground running and get started with optimization problems, which, obviously, if you're interested in, you can further grow your knowledge on that. And speaking of SC1X, I think the inventory management module is so...
20:09
I love that whole module because it gave me the skills to actually create a supply and demand planning model for one of the jobs that I had, where I saw the product family, I saw the historical data, and I immediately started tying back concepts that I learned in a SC1X, as to, "Oh, Hey, this is like, "this model will work perfectly "for these set of SKUs, "and then there's another model "which work perfectly for "the next set of SKUs." So I think both, these two courses are
20:37
probably the most analytical ones in the whole series of the MicroMaster credential, and that is not to feel intimidated by it. Actually, by analytical, it means that it really give you the tangible skill that you will need and you may apply in your day-to-day job.
20:53
- Thanks Pranav. I think that's a great framing, right? Many people are scared because there's a lot of mathematical models, there's a lot of math in general in these two first courses, but I do agree, they are a toolbox, right? So it really gives you the confidence, and these little tools that you can apply to many challenges and conversations.
21:12
And yeah, I love the inventory module too, yes. So fun and so insightful. So Gerry, how was your experience with that? Do you have some daring concepts that you had to really apply to some specific situations? - Yeah, for sure, I'll echo what Pranav said. The optimization section in SC0X and the modeling and stuff... Inventory modeling stuff in SC1X were definitely probably the two most impactful, when I think about a day-to-day use. I do have a funny story, and I told you guys this funny story
21:46
but I will tell the funny story. So part of this experience, I reached out to mentors, which... One of which is one of my clients that I work with. And in talking with him and really kind of trying to apply this to my day-to-day life, I started asking questions as I learned topics. And one of the things that came up really was around why and when you order a specific type of product. So we need this product, we're gonna manufacture something, here's when I order it.
22:14
And so, I started asking questions around, "If you order this today, "how come you decide to order it this way?" And I go, "every time you order it this way, "it's costing you this amount of money. "Why would you do it that way?" He goes, "I don't know why they're doing it that way. "Let me go ask a question." And so, it ended up being a really funny experience, but not... Probably not funny for him, but as they looked into it, he went down to the person who ordered this product
22:39
that they need for manufacturing, and he said, "Hey, help me understand, "from your perspective, "why are you and when are you deciding "to order product?" And she goes, "Well, every Monday I come in "and I push this button." And he goes, "Okay, what makes you decide "to push that button?" She goes, "I don't know. "When I was hired, they said, ""what your job is, is every Monday, ""you come in and you push this button. ""And every Monday that's gonna order product,
23:01
""and that product's gonna come to us."" No rhyme, no reason, no information. And so, what we learned is obviously applying when you should order, why you should order, the cost, etc, it was just kind of a funny experience that a lot of this gets missed, potentially, in day-to-day, and very large clients throughout the world. But it's a cool task, it's a cool skill to learn, and when I think about this toolbox, for me, especially, it's understanding this toolbox
23:32
to ask better questions of my customers, better questions of my clients. And I'll end with lead time, and mode selection, and trade offs, probably is something that everybody thinks about, as we couldn't get product, and things can't get here, and "how do we make better selections "as shelves get empty "and inventories get leaned?" So there's a lot that comes in zero and one X . Don't be overwhelmed. Please take it... Work your way through it, you will be happy on the end,
24:01
'cause this is a great, great program. - Thanks, Gerry. I love that you brought the topic of the trade-offs, right? Because SC1X is all about the trade-offs. Like, there's not one perfect solution, There's always a trade-off between cost and service level, between one transportation model or the other. There's no one better than other, it's just like, "What is a better fit for your challenge "or what you're trying to achieve?" So, yeah, I think that's awesome.
24:28
And also, how learning these concepts helps you to open discussions with many different people. It can be a client, it can also be another department at your company. So that's... I think that that's super helpful for supply chain managers that need to deal with everyone to make things work.
24:47
So Gabby, how have the MicroMasters courses helped you advance your career? So more in general or, if you want, is there something specific about a specific concept that was a specific...
25:00
Especially useful for you? That would also be great. - Yeah, thank you. I mean, just to echo what Gerry and Pranav have been sharing,
25:10
the fun... Going back to the analytics, that fundamentals piece, I had been outta school for years when I was going back, and I was great at math when I was graduating university, I didn't feel like I was as great at math when I was looking at the MicroMasters. But Pranav mentioned it, the MicroMasters breaks down the concept so well, and you can quickly get back up to speed, right? It's kinda like riding a bike in my mind. So if you're nervous about... Hesitant about that,
25:45
I'd definitely encourage you just to do it and leap in, right? And the reason why, and to answer the question more directly now, it was... I mentioned a little bit earlier, but I started with SC0X and that's really what opened the door that led me to campus, where I completed SC1X. And then, that really opened the doors to multiple other courses where I was able to get my master's in supply chain management. I had worked with Johnson & Johnson prior in multiple different roles across
26:16
the end-to-end supply chain, but then going back, we... I went back, I graduated from the program in 2020, so right, what some would consider, I guess now, the beginning of COVID. And the big, big buzz at that time was data,
26:36
but that data was all based on how we use it, and we had to go back to these fundamentals, right? So it was really kinda this perfect timing when I was coming outta school, and so what these courses ended up opening the door for me to step into was this digital supply chain leading space. And so, I now sit on an end-to-end leadership team within one of our medical device supply chains in Johnson & Johnson, where my job is to look and understand how we are using our data to solve
27:13
the exact problems that we were learning about in these courses. And it really requires to understand those fundamentals because you can have a lot of data, but if you don't know how to use it correctly and how... What formulas you're gonna be using, or how to even look at it, and how to slice it, that data can... It's not gonna get you anywhere, right? And once again, I think it's gotten brought up, those trade offs are critical in today's environment,
27:42
and understanding what data's feeding that, and really that's what I'm doing. And so, this really propelled me into my current space today, which has been a blast. Having a ton of fun. Every day is... Every day is fun, supply chain's always... Always fun. You always get a new flavor, I think, every week. So yeah, that's, I think in short, where it's led me and what's, I think, the great thing is those courses are still there, I still have all my notes, so it's great to go back
28:14
and take a look at what I jotted down and my Excel sheets that are hard-wired, pulling those out, right? So once again, that's just another benefit of these programs.
28:27
- Thank you, Gabby. Thanks for sharing your experience. I think that's... It's amazing how... To think the learnings at SC0X were so valuable for really making sense of all the data that a company generates, and really create insights that are useful to better run operations. I think that's a challenge that many companies are facing now, and that I'm really glad that SC0X helped. And of course, for more advanced course, SC4X also like talks about data, and technology, and systems,
28:56
and could be a great fit if anyone in the audience is interested in these kind of topics. So... - Excellent, So I think it's very helpful for our audience, and especially those that said, "I'm curious about what is inside "the MicroMaster program," to learn about your own experience and how you have been applying this to your daily job. There is one more topic I want to bring here because we know that also there are companies that are using the MicroMasters content
29:24
in order to up-skill their employees. Gerry, CH Robinson is one example, we have also Walmart, we have many different companies using this content for that purpose, just to up-skill, their employees. How are companies like yours value this program for this purpose? - For sure. No, it's been great. So our company has always been focused on "how do we continue to advance "our employees internally? "How do we up-skill them in..." Really, what I would say is more about our company.
29:59
"How do you present better? "How do you do better sales negotiation?" A lot of skills that we owned ourselves, that we managed, we have a team that did it. After going through this program, myself and another colleague went to our boss and said, "This is different. "We need something like this "to be able to understand, "from a different perspective, "what this customer-centric approach "that we take in our organization, "we need to have an outside approach. "We need to have something more
30:32
"than just our own regular "internal company up-skilling," which is still good, "but how do we have something better? "How do we have an advanced "or an upper level graduate-level type experience?" And so, we worked really closely with yourself and others to come up with a program that we took in, and we have our first cohort completing right now. The skills are really focused on, I would say, a little lighter layer than what you would go through the main program, but it's company sponsored,
31:07
it's time sponsored by the company. We have internal networking that's set up and established across these groups. We have office hours set up with somebody from MIT, and then also for myself. So Gabby, when you talk about pulling out spreadsheets and everything, because I'm going through this again, just a little bit lighter, it is great because I'm like, "Oh, I remember that!" And I pull it out and I'm like, "I remember going through this!" And it's... And it's helping others learn and see,
31:35
and the lights going off on, "Well, that's why they're doing that. "That's why that customer did this." And when you really get focused on what you know, and what you know from the learning of your own organization, and this program allows you to think about it... Perhaps what the other person is thinking. And how do I apply what is best about my org to them so that they can see the value of both? And so, the up-skilling is great. We love this program.
32:06
I love it, 'cause I get to redo it every single time. But it's been great, and I would say any organization that wants to look to up-skill some of their top employees, and that aren't necessarily looking for that full investment, this is the way to go because there's a huge value from it.
32:25
- Thank you, Gerry. And also, you wrote one important thing here, that is that the modularity, we have different... The different modules, and this can use in a very flexible way. So our learners can take just one course, 12 weeks, or the entire MicroMaster program that is almost about 18... 12 to 18 month on average to complete it, or yes, to custom courses for companies that are tailored specifically about this content. So this kind of modular online education brings also this flexibility.
32:59
That's great. So with that, I really want to say thank you, Gerry, Gabby, and Pranav for bringing your experience and for sharing this with our audience. I think this is the best way to show how the program works in your own words and your own experience. So thank you so much for joining us today, and now we are going to take the questions and answer from our learners, and also another poll. I think Inma has another poll for them-- - Yeah. I'll save that for a little bit later.
33:28
But I would like to thank Gabby, Gerry, and Pranav too. I think it's really inspiring to hear about your journey and how you applied all what you learned, so that... That's what get us going and improving the courses even farther. So thank you so much for being with us today. - Thank you, have a great day. - Have a great day. Okay, so now let's go to Q&A.
33:49
Eva, do you want to start or do you want me to start? - I'm here for you, Inma. Whichever works better for you. - Okay, so let me start with the first question, it's very specific. So it's about the exam. "What is the passing rate of the exam?" I assume that... This question is from (indistinct).
34:13
And I guess this person is asking about the passing rate of the whole course, not just one exam. All our courses have... Except SC0X. Our other courses have two exams, a midterm and a final, plus grade the assignments every week. So the passing rate of the whole course really depends on the course, right? For the first courses, the passing rate is about 70, 80%, let's say, of people who just complete the whole course. And in the other courses, so two, three, four,
34:44
the passing rate is a little bit higher. 'Cause as we mentioned earlier, zero and one are the entry points to the MicroMasters, so maybe people are not as... I don't know, as engaged, or they don't know what to expect. But then, once people go through the first courses, they get the dynamic and just, I guess, save enough time every week to study. So yeah, around 70, 80%, I would say. And the time invested, we estimate's around 10 hours per week.
35:18
So if that's also like of interest for you to plan ahead, if you want to enroll in one of our courses. - Yeah, I just wanted to add that the pass bar per course is 60%. So you need to score above 60% in order to pass and receive the certificate in that course.
35:42
- Great. So Eva, this one is for you. "How many people complete "the MicroMasters every year?" - Ooh, that's a great question. So in total, we have.. We have about, in total, half of a million of learners that have been enrolled in any of our SCX courses. We have been granted about 50,000 certificates. Per year, I would say we are offering 10 courses. Per year, we are granting about 8,000 certificates per year in our 10 courses.
36:26
- Great, so I have one comment from (indistinct) saying, "Previously registered in SC0X "but got very overwhelmed by the mathematics" because it has never been their strength, but now they're confidence and they're gonna sign up again for the course, so good luck with that. - Go for it and let's do it. Let's do it. Yes, this is going to be helpful, and we have many learners that, at the beginning, they are struggling with. And at the end of the day, they review the videos,
36:56
they go through the practice problem, and then, they go through that. Sometimes, they are a couple of weeks that are a little bit struggling, I would say, but once you pass that, I think you are ready to continue and go for the program.
37:12
- All right, so we have one question from Jim Duggan, and he's asking, "Are the tools that are used all open source? "For example, optimization, statistic, etc." So we do use spreadsheets as a basic tool for the whole MicroMasters. You can use Excel, if you have a license. Otherwise, you can use LibreOffice, you (mumbles) Google Spreadsheets. So it's really up to you. But just so you know, that's the key tool, the key basic tool that we have at the program. Then we use SAS too.
37:42
We introduce AnyLogic, we introduce other tools that you can use. There are free version... Free license for those, but not necessarily open source.
37:56
But yeah, we try to facilitate that the tools that we use are available for anyone who want to use them for educational purposes.
38:06
Eva, they're asking if MIT has a graduate program in supply chain management. I think this should be-- - Yes. Of course, we have a graduate program. It's the master of science of applied science in supply chain management. There are two options. You have a 10 month residential program and a five month residential program. So MicroMasters, once you complete the entire credential with us, this open door to you in order to apply to what we call "the blended program." This master's degree at MIT
38:42
that you only need to spend one full semester in order to receive the master's degree in supply chain management. The master's degree is 100% on campus, in-person, and it's a great compliment to the 100% online MicroMaster program. And the MicroMaster was designed for democratizing knowledge, one thing, and open this knowledge in supply chain management to anyone from anywhere in the world, but also to open the door to those that want to apply to a residential program at MIT
39:16
in an accelerate way. So just spending one full semester, you can apply. You need to get admission, for sure, and then after that semester, you will receive the master's degree in supply chain management at MIT.
39:30
- Right. So next question, (indistinct) Baker is asking if, "is it possible to take free courses?" So the course is for free and then take the exam and certificates with additional cost. Yes, that's something that we would like to make very clear too. All the contents for the courses are open and available for anyone who wants to enroll, and just to watch the lessons and do the practice problems. All that material is available for free. But if you want to have access to exam-graded assignments
40:02
and get a certificate upon passing the course, then you'll have to pay a small fee. The fee's either 200 or $300, depending on the course. 200 for a SC0X, $300 for the rest of the courses, and 200 for the comprehensive final exam. But all the information is in the MicroMasters webpage that will be shared in the chat by Lisa,
40:29
our...
40:31
Yeah. So Lisa, please, if you could share the link, that would be helpful for our audience.
40:41
Yeah, and then Phil is asking if the course lectures are prerecorded. So maybe-- - Yes. Yes, in the MicroMaster program, as we mentioned, all of the content is asynchronous content. This mean that you have a video lectures that you can watch at any time. We provide... Most of our courses are instructor-based. This mean that we deliver, every Wednesday, one week of content, and you can go through the videos and watch the video whenever you have time, solve the practice problems,
41:17
and all of these things. So all of this is asynchronous. And we have our first course, supply chain analytics, that is self-paced. This means that we release all of the content at the very beginning of the course, and you can review the entire content whenever you have time to do that. And of course, we have a schedule, a final exams... And midterm and final exams in each of our courses, that there are certain dates that we announce at the very beginning, in the first week of the course.
41:47
So you can book for that time in order to take the exam, whenever the exam is scheduled.
41:55
- Great, so Stan is asking if it is better to take a SC1X or SC0X first, or if one leads to another. So that's a great question, Stan, thanks for bringing that because, of course, we're introducing both courses in these webinars, the entry points to the MicroMasters. So we designed the MicroMasters to be taken in order. So zero, one, two, three, and four. That's... And the CFX at the end, that's the ideal path in our opinion. But then, many people are taking the courses in different orders.
42:27
So I would start with the SC0X, if you can just follow that order, because it just... As we mentioned, it's a toolbox, so it will teach you the basic analytic techniques that you need to succeed in the other courses. So it will give you a refresher on probability that is very important for SC1X, a refresher on optimization, or introduction to optimization, that is super important for S2XC, etc.
42:53
But if you feel like you're not so appealed by starting with the toolbox and you just want to start with demand forecasting, and inventory management, and transportation, that's also a possibility. Those are more focused on these concepts, and you could actually enroll in the SC0X at the same time, and just go to SC0X as a reference and review some of the videos about the specific techniques that you need for SC1X. So it's really flexible. Eva, would you like to add something here?
43:23
- Yes, what you just mentioned, that this also depend on your math background. And depending on that math background and your time availability, you have that probably you can take, at the same time, 0X and 1X. If you need to really go through the toolbox first, then I fully agree with you. I recommend you to take SC0X, and then SC1X, and take it in order. But the program is flexible. There is no mandatory prerequisite in order to take one course before the other.
43:55
It's just that we highly recommend you to take in order. Or if you have the time and availability, and the right math background, probably you can take two courses at the same time. We have a variety with thousands of learners. You can imagine that we have a variety of learners doing many different paths, that the most common one is to take in sequence, one after the other, yeah. - There is no prerequisite so, actually, you could go and just complete SC3X,
44:25
if the topics in that course interest you more. You could also take it as a standalone course, that's also a possibility. - Yeah. The only prerequisite is for the CFX, for the final comprehensive exam, for that one, you need to complete and pass the five supply chain courses in order to be able to take the final comprehensive exam. And this makes sense because it's, as the name said, is a comprehensive exams, just to check that you have the fundamental knowledge for the entire program.
44:55
So this is the only one that you need to complete in advance, the five courses.
45:00
- So Javier Sanchez has a great question here. He's asking, "If SC0X opened on August 27, "is it realistic to sign today "and still be on time to complete the exam "or would you recommend to wait "until January opening?" So for SC0X, actually, we... Maybe we didn't emphasize it enough, but SC0X is a self-paced course, meaning that you can take it at your own pace. Once you enroll, all the contents are available and you can just like start taking the modules. And if you want to go faster,
45:33
you can go faster, or a little bit slower. You can organize yourself, just knowing that the final exam date is set. So this being said, I think now... It opened now in August, you still have more than enough time to cover all the contents and be ready for the final exam in December. So yeah, I encourage you to enroll today, take a look, make a good plan, and complete the course in this run. I don't think you need to wait until January. This being said, all the other courses in the MicroMasters,
46:04
one, two, three, and four, are instructor-based, just so you know. So those courses, we release content on a weekly basis, and there are deadlines every week for graded assignments that need to be submitted, and that will be part of the final grade of the course. So just so you have that in mind; SC0X self-paced one, two, three, and four are instructor-based.
46:34
Okay Eva
46:40
let's say... I'm just looking for a good question here. So there's a question about the admission requirements to the MIT masters program after completing the MicroMasters. - Yes, for that, the best thing is to reach out directly to the SCM team. Listen, (indistinct), probably you can share through the chat the email accounts. And also in the website, you can go and look at all of the prerequisites,
47:12
or all of the things that they are asking for in order to apply. All of the information is in the website, and also there is an email account that you can reach out and don't hesitate. If you are interested in that option, don't hesitate to reach out to the SCM team, and they will provide all of the details you need for that.
47:33
- Right. There are some questions about the rounds... The course rounds, right? Specifically, about the CFX. They're asking if there's a CFX in November, if there will still be a CFX in May. So the answer is yes. We run each course, or... This program is runs twice per year. So we have an instance of the CFX in November, one in May, and then we have one round of SC1X that comes in fall, so it starts actually today, and then another one in spring. So then, you'll see that we have two courses.
48:09
You can just check the schedule in the MicroMasters webpage that Lisa shared in the chat, and you'll see that you have these two rounds per year so you can organize yourself to complete the courses in sequence, if that's your wish.
48:29
Eva, there's a question about content. So they're asking if this course... Our courses, of the program, covers lectures related to procurement. - Yes, there is one module about procurement. So yes, you will find that in SC2X, supply chain design, you can learn about procurement managing in our courses, yes. Supply chain design will be your course if you are interested in that part. And the syllabus are available in our website, so you can also go through the website
49:06
and have a look to the content, or you can just enroll in the courses when they are open and have a look to the content, yeah.
49:18
But yes, procurement is in supply chain design.
49:31
- Reading through your questions. Many of them are just comments or thanking notes... Thank you notes. You're welcome.
49:40
"How recognized and respected is "the MicroMasters as compared "to procurement certifications "like NCIPS or ISM or CPSM?" - This is a great question, of course. These professional certificates are great and they have been there for many years. I would say that the difference with the MicroMasters program is that our content is graduate-level content, and this is the main difference. It's equivalent to the content that we are teaching at MIT in our graduate master's degree
50:16
in supply chain management, and that's why it's also a pathway to a master degree at MIT, and also at more than 30 universities across the world. So I would say that the main difference is this graduate level content that we are providing. And also, connects a bit with the rigorous assessment that we need to have in this program in order to provide
50:42
this value of being a pathway to a master's degree at MIT and at different universities. So this is one of the main differences, and this is why this program and the slide I show with the President Reif at MIT, it was really innovative way to educate the world in supply chain management with this graduate level in a fully online asynchronous mode, 100% online, and then with the opportunity to come 100% on campus to earn a master degree in supply chain management.
51:20
- So there's one very specific question, it's about language. "So is this pro... "Will this program being a Spanish as well?" Well, actually, we do have subtitles in Spanish for SC0X. In Spanish and Chinese, As well as English. But not for the rest of the courses, at least not yet. So Eva... - Yes, and not only that, the only thing that we have in Spanish... Spanish and Chinese are the transcripts of the videos. However, the practice problems, the exams, and the quick questions,
51:55
all of these things are in English. So in order to earn the certificate, or in order to complete the MicroMasters program, you need to so... Understand English and you need to solve practice problems in English, and complete all of the exams in English. So let's say that the language for the MicroMasters program in supply chain management is English. However, in the first course, in supply chain analytics, we did the effort to translate the videos. Transcripts are available now
52:26
in Spanish and Chinese. Yeah, but this is kind of a supplemental thing that can help you through the videos for sure, but definitely the exams and the practice problems are in English.
52:40
- Okay, so we have a question from Nicholas (indistinct).
52:47
It's about the possible software tools that...
52:52
For the potential problem sets or exam parts of SC0X. So, I guess, which tools are used in SC0X?
53:00
Python R similar. So, so far in SC0X, we do use spreadsheets, as I mentioned, so we really go for the very basic. We want everyone to be able to solve the problems, and we don't want the tool to be an impediment.
53:15
We also have SAS in SC0X as a tool that serves... We use for optimization, we use it for statistics too, for regression. So that's one of the tools that we have. And we also have AnyLogic for simulation. So those are the tools that we have in SC0X today, as of today. The only one that is mandatory for everyone to learn is Excel, or Spreadsheets, as I mentioned earlier. We are exploring the introduction of other tools that... Such as Python, but they are not in place yet.
53:52
And also, there's a question that if we have teaching assistants, yes, supervising the courses or just providing support through the courses. Eva, would you like to answer that one? - Yes, we have amazing teaching assistant from MIT, that they are helping us to moderate the forums. Also, they help us to review the materials through the platform, and they are also answering your questions through the email account. So for exam questions, or for these assessment questions,
54:23
we provide an email account and our teaching assistants are helping us to reply all of your questions through that email account. So yes, we have. We are very proud of our TAs because they are doing an extraordinary job through this program, and trying to answer in 24 hours, that, for a massive program like this one, is really a good service level, I would say, yeah.
54:50
- Okay, so we still have many more questions. Let me launch a poll,
54:58
and then we'll continue to answer a few more. So okay. So I have one fun, final poll, which is just a question about "what will you do now?" So please answer, and let's see a couple more questions before we wrap up. So we have one question for Oscar (indistinct) and he's asking about the affiliated universities. So "which universities are affiliated "to you from Australia?" Because he's looking for expanding his supply chain academic career there.
55:40
He's actually want to apply for a doctorate. - So we have Queensland University and we have one more university from Australia. I don't remember the name right away, but you can go through our website , and the team, please help send the website link, where you can find all of the pathways for our MicroMaster credential. But in Australia, at least, you have two good universities that you can apply if you want to continue your academic career in Australia. Queensland is one of those,
56:11
and there is at least one more in Australia, yeah.
56:19
- And maybe, let's... Let's answer one final question that is about the... How the credential connects with the master's degree at MIT, once again, maybe just to make it very clear, right? So (indistinct) is asking if the credential gives a direct admission, or if, in the application at least, it will be considered as something special or seen as very positive to have completed the credential. So maybe we can explain like the two options to complete a masters at MIT. - Yes.
56:53
So in order to apply for the accelerated way to earn the master degree, the blended master's degree, you need to complete the entire MicroMaster credential. You need to earn the credential. Once you have the credential, you can apply to the master's blended degree. That is one full semester in-person... In-person on campus. You apply to that, but you need to get admitted in that program in order to be able to complete the master's degree at MIT. So there is a regular admission process.
57:30
It is mandatory to have MicroMaster credential in order to apply to the blend. There is another option, that is the supply chain management residential program. This is a 10 month master's degree program in supply chain management at MIT. You are going to earn, at the end of the day, the same degree, the same degree of masters applied science in supply chain management. To apply to that, it's mandatory that you complete supply chain analytics. This is the only course that is mandatory
58:01
to apply to the SCM residential. If you have completed entire program, if you have completed more courses, the committee will take this into consideration, but this will be one piece, out of many other prerequisites, that you need to fill in order to complete your admission process. And of course, there is a committee that decide about the admission process. And unfortunately, I need to tell you, it's very competitive. Or fortunately for us, but not for you, it's very competitive.
58:31
So there are many applications, the committee need to select... Only 40 people are admitted to each program each year, so it's competitive. And if you are interested in that, please look at all of the things you need to prepare in order to apply for that. And yes, in order to come to on-campus, you need to get admitted.
58:54
- Great, thanks Eva. So just before we wrap up, Alan is telling us that he came to the Zoom meeting late due to just some timing problems that may have happened to more of you. And he was wondering if there will be a recorded video that they could watch later in the day, because it's 2:00 AM where he is right now. So thanks for joining Alan, I know you must be tired. And for everyone who joined late, yes, there will be an available video recording for the event,
59:28
so you can just refer to it later. It will be definitely shared as a follow-up to this webinar. So it will be included in all the information that goes in that email. And I guess it will be also uploaded to YouTube, right Eva? - Yes. - That's my understanding. Okay, so let's see the results of the poll.
59:48
So "what will you do now?" So 30% of you will enroll in SC0X, that's great starting point. You can do it right now because enrollment is open. 17% of your will enroll in SC1X. And let me remind you that if you want to enroll in both, you can do so. You can enroll and just check the contents for free, and then deciding which one you want to just become a verified student, if you want to focus just on one of them, or maybe verify in both if you want to get both certificates at once.
1:00:22
Many of you, 60%, will review materials on our website to just learn a little bit more about the program, and deep dive in some of the things that we discussed today.
1:00:32
20% will sign up for the next webinar, so I guess it was an entertaining webinar.
1:00:38
Thanks so much... Thanks to our panelist.
1:00:42
And there's a variety of things that you're gonna do in addition to that. Some of you will head to work, some of you will have lunch, and some of you will head to bed. So that shows how global the program is and we love to see that you're joining from many, many different part of the world, and many different time zones. Thanks for the effort.
1:01:02
- Excellent, so with that, we just want to wrap up the webinar.
1:01:07
We really hope that you have enjoyed the event and are more familiar now with the MicroMasters in supply chain management and how this program can help you to better understand the foundations of the supply chain, and also gain the confidence you need to face the supply chain challenges. The world needs, more than ever, supply chain management professionals and we are here for you. So thank you so much for joining us today, have a great day or night.
1:01:39
- Bye, thanks for joining.
1:01:41
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