By José Ángel de la Paz

For the first time ever, EGADE Business School at Tecnológico de Monterrey granted a Ph.D. degree through a virtual dissertation defense, as a result of the suspension of on-site academic activities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Andrea Mendoza Silva, a student of the Ph.D. in Business Administration (DCA), presented her dissertation entitled "The Value of Intra-Organizational Social Capital in Fostering Knowledge Sharing and Innovation Capability", via Zoom.

The panel of judges described the examination as "unanimously approved with an outstanding dissertation", thereby ensuring Mendoza Silva's completion of her graduate program.

Mendoza Silva said that completing her Ph.D. amidst the contingency was a surprisingly positive experience.

"I never imagined that for my last few months as a Ph.D. student, I would be working from home, without face to face interactions with my advisors and colleagues. However, communicating by mail and meeting through Zoom made it possible for me to move forward with my research project.

“I'm so glad I had the opportunity to present my dissertation through a virtual platform. Even though it was not an on-site event, my committee and the DCA administration made sure that the same level of formality of the event was met, and my family and friends, who are not in Monterrey, were able to attend," she said.

Ignacio de la Vega, Dean of EGADE Business School and the Undergraduate Business School at Tecnológico de Monterrey, congratulated the student at the beginning of the exam.

En estos momentos, estamos viviendo el primer examen de grado de doctorado en modalidad virtual. ¡Mucho éxito, Andrea Mendoza Silva! ? ?‍? ? pic.twitter.com/6nBQlsLn0i

— EGADEBusinessSchool (@egade) May 29, 2020

The academic jury was made up of thesis director Laura Zapata, associate academic dean of EGADE Business School, and the evaluators Jorge Miguel Rocha and Alfonso López Lira.

José Ernesto Amorós, National Director of Ph.D. Programs at EGADE Business School and leader of the Research Group with Strategic Focus on Innovation (GIEE), described the remote evaluation process as "unprecedented".

In view of the contingency, EGADE Business School migrated all its on-site classes to an online format as of March 17.

The school is preparing to start the August-December 2020 semester and the September-December 2020 trimester through a blended format.