The transition from school to university, and later into professional life, is therefore a critical period. Business and management schools must use this time well. Beyond theories, they need to help students understand how digitalisation is reshaping how organisations operate, compete and make decisions.
This calls for more than simply adding new technology-related subjects to a programme. It requires a rethink of what is taught, how it is delivered, how entrepreneurship is embedded, and how practical applications are balanced with theory.
Personalised learning experiences are increasingly important. Digital transformation in business and management education is no longer optional if graduates are to remain relevant in a fast-changing environment.
Inquiry-based learning
One useful approach is inquiry-based learning, where rather than simply listen, students are encouraged to discover, question and investigate.
Digital tools can make this process more engaging. Students can work with data, analyse patterns and turn their findings into presentations or business plans.
The Know, Want to Know and Learned (K-W-L) approach can be adapted to business education when information is gathered, discussed and shared digitally.
Learning can also be flipped. Mobile applications and simulation tools allow students to test business decisions, compare possible outcomes and observe how changes in assumptions affect results.
In accounting, for instance, learning should not stop at static ledger formats. Students can be exposed to real-time dashboards and financial data to understand how digital tools support financial literacy and decision-making.
Metacognition development
Another important area is metacognition, or simply “thinking about thinking”. This develops as students move from a highly structured school environment to the more independent learning culture of university.
They begin to reflect on how they learn, how they plan and how they evaluate the decisions they make. In marketing, this becomes especially relevant. Good marketing content depends on understanding how people think, respond and make choices.
As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more embedded in business decision-making, students must understand how consumers react to AI-generated recommendations and personalised content.
Marketing education should therefore move beyond traditional models and examine the relationship between AI and human cognition. This is already visible in online retail, where algorithms increasingly shape what consumers see and buy.
Social and emotional learning
Learning does not end when students graduate. Young adults must develop resilience and self-awareness to keep learning throughout their careers.
Social and emotional learning can help students build a healthy sense of identity and strengthen values such as ethics, empathy and integrity. These qualities are vital when managing people, pressure and uncertainty.
Leadership education should therefore include more than theories of leadership. Students should assess their own strengths, weaknesses and leadership styles. A personal SWOT analysis, for example, can be a useful reflective exercise.
This is particularly relevant in management, where operations, marketing, finance and human resources are highly interdependent. Students need to see digital transformation not as an isolated technology function, but as something that requires coordination across the whole organisation.
AI entrepreneur
AI is also changing entrepreneurship. The use of AI agents to support the building and scaling of start-ups and small and medium enterprises is developing fast.
Business students should understand the difference between a chatbot and an AI agent. A chatbot usually responds to questions. An AI agent can take a goal, break it into steps, use tools and carry out a sequence of tasks towards an outcome.
This has clear implications for entrepreneurship education. Students should learn how AI can support routine tasks, analyse information, manage workflows and assist with decision-making. They should also learn when human judgement is necessary.
AI can become a force multiplier for entrepreneurs, but only when used with a clear understanding of business positioning, product vision, customer needs and sales strategy.
Digital citizenship
We must teach students how to navigate the digital world safely and responsibly. They need to understand the human and societal consequences of technology, including questions of ethics, privacy, data protection and responsible use.
Students must be able to examine business intelligence, evaluate the reliability of information, detect misinformation and recognise that AI systems can produce inaccurate or misleading outputs.
Digital footprint is another area that deserves attention. Online behaviour can affect both personal reputation and organisational trust. Students should learn how reputational damage happens, how it can spread quickly, and how organisations can respond responsibly.
Digital tools can help with verification and information checks, but students should never assume that technology alone guarantees truth.
The goal is to prepare graduates who are digitally capable, thoughtful, adaptable and responsible. Business and management education must remain flexible, practical and current, while still holding firmly to the human values that good leadership requires.
Prof Dr Vinesh Thiruchelvam is the chief innovation, enterprise & sustainability officer at the APIIT Education Group and Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation. The views expressed here are the writer’s own.
