e-learning and distance education in higher education: organizational implications
DESCRIPTION
A presentation to the GUIDE conference, Rome, February 2006TRANSCRIPT
E-Learning & Distance Education in Higher Education: Organizational Implications
Mark Bullen
Overview
• Distance education in conventional universities: a clash of cultures.
• Managerial vs. collegial culture.• Creates organizational conflict.• Emergence of e-learning increases the
potential for conflict.
Overview
• At risk:– Quality and sustainability of e-learning. – Social mandate of distance education.
The E-learning Continuum
Three Types of E-learning
• E-learning as distance education.• E-learning as electronically-mediated
learning.• E-learning as facilitated transactions
software (Zemsky & Massy, 2004).
Three Types of E-learning
• Focus of this discussion on e-learning as distance education.
• To a lesser extent: mixed mode e-learning.
Academic Cultures
• The collegial culture– Autonomous faculty member.– Measurable outcomes, accountability
resisted.– Academic freedom - guiding principle.– Governance faculty-driven.– Institutional change is slow.
Academic Cultures
• The managerial culture – Work organized and directed toward
specific goals.– Evaluation and accountability highly
valued.– Fiscal responsibility, effective supervisory
skills given high priority.– Planning and management are key.
(Bergquist, 1992)
The Problem
• Effective e-learning requires a managed approach.
• Collegial culture dominates in universities.• Cultural clash.
– Academics: collegial– E-learning: managerial
• Potential for conflict.
Issues
• Managing faculty– Faculty come to e-learning from a collegial
culture but are expected to work according to managerial norms.
– Faculty resist “management”.• Academic freedom
– Fundamental principle of research universities.– Increasingly, it is being invoked to argue against a
managed approach to e-learning in which ownership of the materials created by a team of specialists resides with the institution.
Outcomes
• Organizational restructuring– Organizations will try to resolve the
conflict.– Restructuring in favor of the dominant
culture.– Loss of central support units.– E-learning development devolved to
Faculties.
Organizational Restructuring
• University of British Columbia example– Organizational restructuring.– Centralized distance education eliminated.– Reveals the power of the collegial culture.
Implications
• Quality and sustainability of e-learning at stake.– Economies of scale more difficult in
decentralized model.– Critical mass of professionals is lost.– Management needed for quality control.
• Social mandate of distance education at risk– Conventional universities serve “traditional
students”.– DE units have tended to be advocates for the
“non-traditional” learner.
Solutions
• Centralized e-learning support units must be strongly integrated with academic departments
• Academic freedom issue cannot be ignored• E-learning support departments must embrace
change– learn to adapt to the collegial culture without
sacrificing benefits of the managed approach
For Further Information
• [email protected]• http://www.bcit.ca/ltc• http://homepage.mac.com/markbullen/bcit