Planning for Online Education: A Systems Model (original) (raw)
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British Journal of Educational Technology, 2007
This paper reports the results of a study on strategic planning and implementation of information and communication technology (ICT) in teaching and describes the level of quality awareness in web-based teaching at the University of Helsinki. Questionnaire survey data obtained from deans and institutional leaders, ICT support staff, teachers and students (n = 333) at the University indicate that strategic planning has proceeded well, and all the faculties of the University have developed virtual university strategies in order to continue existing ICT initiatives, to further increase the use of ICT in teaching and to assure student information literacy. The data indicate that all the faculties and institutions have monitored and reported the use of ICT in teaching, but quality assurance or enhancement as tools for monitoring were mentioned less frequently. The available ICT training was found satisfactory to meet the actual training needs of the teachers, but their lack of time was judged to be the main obstacle to their participation in it. The teachers identified two basic functions of ICT in teaching: (1) distribution of course material via the web, and (2) the creation of interactive and collaborative learning opportunities. The male teachers and students consistently estimated that their ICT skills were stronger when compared with the judgements made by female teachers and students. The teachers generally felt that the greatest problems arose from students' lack of time management skills and from deficiencies in the usability of the technology. The students did not perceive lack of time management as a problem. Rather, they experienced isolation, loneliness and the lack of practical ICT usability to be the main obstacles to learning. The teachers had a higher assessment of students' learning than the students did. The greatest difference between teachers and students concerned the contextual nature of learning in a virtual environment. The fact that the teachers' views were markedly more positive signals a distinct challenge for pedagogy.
Beyond models: Developing a university strategy for online instruction
Journal of asynchronous learning networks, 1999
Universities are being pressured from a range of forces to move into delivery of courses via online methods. While the literature is replete with promises for the use of information technology (IT) in the teaching and learning environment of higher education institutions, it is difficult for those institutions to take a strategic and informed approach to its implementation. This paper details the difficulties that can arise in selecting and implementing online delivery solutions and seeks to survey various approaches that universities can take to address these difficulties from an organisational perspective. Key questions are then proposed that must be answered if academic managers are to be strategic in their selection of IT resources for teaching and learning, in order to best add value to their teaching and learning environment by providing access for students to asynchronous learning networks. Amongst the critical issues that need to be addressed are scalability, interoperability, consistency and flexibility. A progress report of an implementation of a strategic institution-wide approach to online delivery at the University of South Australia that addresses these key questions is then presented.
Program Planning Model: A Theoretical Guide for Designing Online Distance Education Courses
International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 2018
Planning a university-based distance education was once considered a marginalized practice in higher education institutions (HEIs). However, many changes have since taken place in HEIs, not only from procedural and technological aspects, but also involving structural and cultural systemic changes in the existing organizational and educational practices. Universities are now expected to deliver courses not only in traditional face-to-face format, but to also inculcate various forms of distance and flexible learning as part of their course delivery to the students. Understanding context is an important aspect in program planning. By assessing the current context of distance education practice in higher education, this paper seeks to propose a program planning model as a theoretical guide for supporting the development of a successful learning design for distance learners, particularly for undergraduate courses. The first part of this paper discussed a selected program planning model from the adult education literature. The second part of this paper elaborates each of the planning component as supported the distance education literature. This paper concludes with a proposed skeletal model, specifically for designing online courses at the end.
Strategic Planning for E-Learning in a Polytechnic
Strategies and Issues, 2007
This chapter is a case study of how a polytechnic developed a strategic plan for e-learning. It describes the institution's rationale for moving more strongly into e-learning, the processes followed by the institution to develop a plan and ensure its acceptance through the institutional community, and the factors that facilitated the process. It indicates that attention to objectives, core values and principles, and faculty development and training, are critical for the successful transition from mainly face-to-face teaching to e-learning. The development of key performance indicators will allow the success of the plan to be measured in 2010.
Minding the ‘P’s for Implementing Online Education: Purpose, Pedagogy, and Practicalities
2010
Online education has a presence in most Australian universities, and its uptake has been broadly understood as being driven by external imperatives associated with intensive competition within the global knowledge economy. However, the implementation of online education does not take place uniformly, and tensions can arise as a consequence of the considerable variation in approaches taken by institutions, faculties, departments and individual educators. In this paper, we analyse interview data from five Australian universities to consider how senior administrators, teacher educators and educational designers interpret the drivers of and barriers to online education. Our findings indicate that there are considerable tensions between the economic considerations driving online delivery, the pedagogical approaches embraced by many teaching academics, and the practicalities associated with financial and human resource costs, technological supports and succession planning. We argue that minding the 'P's of purpose, pedagogy and practicalities can be a valuable and productive way forward for addressing ongoing issues of quality and sustainability in online education.
Strategies for Higher Education in the Digital Age
This article analyzes online technology strategically from the perspective of traditional (face-to-face) providers of higher education. Analysis of current and projected relative positions explains why face-to-face providers need to take online technology seriously. But both pure strategies-entirely face-to-face and entirely online-have significant limitations from their perspective, directing attention toward mixed or blended strategies, for which a strategic typology, illustrated with a broad range of examples, is provided. Moving from an entirely face-to-face approach to a blended one is likely to generate some implementation challenges, which are also addressed. D igitization is a common theme in many sectors, and education is no exception. One of the more critical issues confronting traditional face-to-face providers of education is how to react to the possibilities offered by online technology. This article sheds some light on this issue from three different perspectives. The first section of this article applies simple strategic analysis to two polar cases, traditional face-to-face education with no online component and massive open online courses (MOOCs), entirely online and "low touch," to help explain why online educational technology is worth taking seriously. The second section discusses what traditional higher education providers should do in response to the possibilities unlocked by advancing online technology. The third section touches on how: the (substantial) strategy implementation challenges that confront traditional higher education institutions as they move toward blending in online elements.