Should General Assembly prioritize expanding its online course offerings to reach more students globally or focus on enhancing the quality and depth of existing in-person bootcamps?

Introduction

The trade-off we're examining today is whether General Assembly should prioritize expanding its online course offerings to reach more students globally or focus on enhancing the quality and depth of existing in-person bootcamps. This scenario touches on the core of General Assembly's educational model and its future growth strategy. I'll analyze this trade-off by considering the business context, user impact, technical feasibility, and resource allocation.

Step 1

Clarifying Questions (3 minutes)

• Business Context: I'm thinking General Assembly's current revenue mix might influence this decision. Could you share the breakdown between online and in-person course revenues?

Why it matters: Helps understand the financial implications of each option Expected answer: 60% in-person, 40% online Impact on approach: A higher online revenue share might justify expansion

• User Impact: Based on student feedback, I'm assuming there's a difference in satisfaction levels between online and in-person courses. Can you provide insights on student satisfaction scores for both formats?

Why it matters: Indicates which format delivers more value to students Expected answer: Higher satisfaction for in-person courses Impact on approach: Might lean towards enhancing in-person offerings if the gap is significant

• Technical Feasibility: Considering the potential for online expansion, I'm curious about our current online learning platform's scalability. What's our current capacity, and what would be required to scale significantly?

Why it matters: Determines the effort required for online expansion Expected answer: Platform can handle 2x current load, major upgrades needed beyond that Impact on approach: High scalability might favor online expansion

• Resource Allocation: Thinking about our instructor pool, I'm wondering about their availability and preference for teaching online vs. in-person. What's our current instructor capacity for each format?

Why it matters: Affects our ability to deliver high-quality instruction in either format Expected answer: 70% prefer in-person, 30% comfortable with both Impact on approach: Limited online instructor availability might constrain online expansion

• Timeline: Given market dynamics, I'm considering the urgency of this decision. Is there a specific timeframe we're working with for implementing changes?

Why it matters: Influences the pace and scope of our strategy Expected answer: Decision needed within 3 months, implementation over next year Impact on approach: Short timeline might favor enhancing existing offerings over expansion