Choosing & Using Technologies in Education & Training
The MBA (Technology Management) and Graduate Diploma of Management (Technology Management) are offered jointly by the Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers Australia (APESMA) and Deakin University to provide postgraduate level management education for engineers and other technology professionals.
The program commenced in 1989 as a Graduate Diploma, with the MBA being introduced in 1992. Distance delivery was chosen as the mode because of the scattered location of the Association's membership and the work commitments of members. The program has been run in conjunction with Deakin Australia, the commercial arm of Deakin University, first as an independently accredited qualification and since 1995 as a qualification jointly awarded by the APESMA and Deakin University.
The MBA and Graduate Diploma are offered entirely through distance learning, via print based material (printed learning materials supported by commercial textbooks), with a range of support services. This case study focuses on the introduction and on-going development of Internet-based communication to enhance the delivery of the program.
The MBA (Technology Management) requires the completion of twelve semester length (20 weeks) units and the Graduate Diploma six semester units. Four core units are prescribed for the Graduate Diploma and a further four for the MBA. A wide range of electives is available, covering general management, specialised technology management areas, and industry- and country-based studies. Students are also able to undertake a research project or develop a unit around employer-based education and training programs.
Each unit is offered every semester, and although there is a recommended path through the units, formal prerequisites are kept to a minimum to facilitate flexible study programs that can be tailored to students' work needs. Assessment is by assignment and closed-book examination, with emphasis in the assignments on workplace based studies and applications.
A well-established educational support system has been available to students using a range of methods, including fax contact with tutors; a phone/fax service to the Principal Education Consultant; a regular newsletter and study guidelines which provide advice on such things as the establishment of study groups; lists of contacts for fellow participants living locally; and an information service for employers who wish to provide support (such as in-house tutorials) to their employees studying the program. Administrative support has been provided through phone and fax contact with the various staff organising enrolment, mailing of materials and examinations, as well as through the newsletter and the student handbook.
Regular surveys of participants and graduates have demonstrated a high level of satisfaction with the overall operation of the program, particularly with the flexibility it offers for studying in their own time and wherever their employment may take them geographically. However, these surveys indicate that some students in the program would value more contact with each other and with staff than is available by telephone or fax, particularly where geographic isolation makes those options expensive and/or inconvenient.
As a means of providing both cheaper and more timely communication systems for students, the APESMA/Deakin University MBA(Technology Management) program commenced its Deakinet service (providing Internet e-mail connection between students, teaching staff and administrators) in 1995. Over the last three years the service has been progressively improved as new software and hardware has become available and as experience suggests the new directions to be taken.
The program commenced with an Internet e-mail service for a pilot group from just one unit in Semester 1, 1995; was extended to the first four core units of the program in Semester 2, 1995; and then to all units in the program from Semester 1, 1996. In Semester 2, 1996, a Web site was introduced and enhancements to the site, such as facilities for chat groups and bulletin boards, added at the beginning of 1997.
The overall aim of the APESMA/Deakin MBA (Technology Management) program is to assist engineers and other technology professionals to acquire management skills and knowledge to complement their initial technical training.
The aims in introducing the Internet services to the program include:
As indicated in the project aims, the use of Internet communication has both educational and administrative potential, and hence benefits (and challenges) for learners, teaching staff and administrative staff.
Learner Profiles
Students come into the program having already completed a professional level (i.e. degree) qualification, usually in engineering,
science or some other technology-based discipline. As with most such programs, there is a wide spread of age groups, with a
typical profile being 25% in their twenties, 45% in their thirties, and 25% in their forties. The percentage of women in the
program has increased steadily from the 1% in the first cohort (1989) to 11% in 1997. Approximately 35% of students are
from outside capital city metropolitan areas and the number of overseas students has been rising steadily to 17% in 1997.
Enrolment Patterns
Course Enrolments. Over the three years of operation of the Deakinet project, the student enrolment in the
APESMA/Deakin MBA (Technology Management) and Graduate Diploma (Technology Management) has averaged around
3000 students and 4100 unit enrolments per semester, with numbers increasing slowly but steadily.
A typical semester enrolment pattern for the 22 units currently on offer would include 2 units with over 500 enrolments, 2 with over 400 enrolments, 5 units between 200 and 400, 2 between 100 and 200, 7 between 50 and 100 and 4 less than 50.
Deakinet Enrolments. Enrolments in the Deakinet service increased dramatically in 1997 as shown in the table below. The various changes introduced in late 1996 and 1997, such as a simpler enrolment system (see Section 5.1) and a wider range of services, may be the reason for this.
| Semester | Total Deakinet Unit Enrolments | Average Unit Enrolment |
| Semester 1, 1996 | 745 | 17% |
| Semester 2, 1996 | 750 | 19% |
| Semester 1, 1997 | 1449 | 33% |
| Semester 2, 1997 | 1570 | 40% |
In 1997, each of the four early core units has had either over 150 or over 200 students on the e-mail class list per semester, while another 5 units have around 90 to 100 students. It is these very large numbers, particularly in the early core units, that provide the greatest challenge for the administration of an Internet communication system, and even more so for the operation of group discussion via the Internet.
The study guide authors responsible for preparing the learning materials and assessment, and providing tutorial support to students throughout the semester, are employed on a consultancy basis, come from both academia and industry, and are located in a number of different Australian states and cities. A number of these staff had Internet communications available before the commencement of the Deakinet program, but others did not, and have had to be assisted with provision of the relevant hardware and software.
Given the dispersed nature of the teaching body, the centrally located team of instructional designers within Deakin Australia provide an on-going coordination role for the units, in addition to their work developing the learning materials. Each instructional designer is on the mailing lists for the units in their portfolio, and provides both study guide authors and learners with assistance in effective use of the e-mail system. In addition, the services of a Principal Education Consultant are maintained to provide program overview and general academic support.
Administrative support for the program is provided from sites in both Geelong and Melbourne and all staff are now linked by e-mail. As many student contacts require action on more than one item (e.g. a change in address affects examination arrangements as well as mailing and enrolment), the e-mail link is now providing a valuable supplement to phone and fax for rapid transmission of student information and queries. Exchange of documents between teaching, educational support and administrative staff has also been greatly facilitated by the Internet e-mail links.
Although the majority of students are studying the program as part of their own personal and professional development, many receive strong support from their employers, either through the provision of assistance with course fees, study and examination leave, or access to facilities at work. As will be discussed in Section 4.2 below, many students appear to be using the e-mail system at work rather than at home, which has a number of implications.
The nature of the learning required in an in-depth postgraduate program such as an MBA relies very heavily on the absorption and analysis of large volumes of material. In addition, although the emphasis in this program is on management, the tailoring of the course to the needs of technology professionals has resulted in the inclusion of units covering the management of specific technology areas, with consequent reliance on presentation of complex technical material in some of these units. These two factors together have convinced the design team that print is still the most effective medium for the presentation of the content material, both from the point of view of ease of reading and from the very practical aspect of where the students tell us they often have to study (on planes, in hotel rooms, on trains on the way to work, during their lunch breaks at work, etc.)
However, the initial reading of the content material is only one stage in the learning process. The learning materials provided to the students, combined with the assessment tasks, offer as many opportunities as possible for students to review their understanding of the material and to apply it in relevant contexts at work. Comments from regular student surveys indicate that study groups at work and discussions with colleagues and specialists at work form an important part of the learning process for many students. However, other, more isolated, students do not have these opportunities for discussion, analysis and testing out of ideas. It is this component of the learning process for which increased student communication and interaction is seen as being vital, and where the Internet offers exciting prospects.
Student Access to Equipment
Of primary concern in any distance education program is the equipment access that it is reasonable to expect that students will have.
A survey of its members conducted by the APESMA in 1996, showed that although 79% of the respondents had a home computer, only 18% had access to the Internet at home, while 47% had access to the Internet at work. Although the survey suggested that 70% of respondents anticipated having Internet access at home by some time during 1998 and 62% anticipated having it at work by 1998, it is clearly too early to assume that all students can, or would be willing, to gain Internet access as a compulsory prerequisite for program enrolment. The higher figures for Internet access at work were supported by a survey of a sample of APESMA Deakinet users in 1996, which indicated that approximately three-quarters of these students were accessing the Internet from work.
What is more difficult to ascertain from surveys is the proportion of students who have, or will soon have, access to the full range of Internet services (WWW, newsgroup and Internet e-mail), particularly where they are using the Internet predominantly at work sites where some of these features are not made available.
Hardware and Software for Internet Access
As will be discussed further under administrative arrangements, the mode of provision of Deakinet access has changed over
the six semesters of the project's operation. The rapid progress of technology for both development and administration of
WWW sites and the recent expansion of commercially available Internet service providers in Australia have contributed
substantially to these changes.
Course material for the APESMA/Deakin MBA (Technology Management) is predominantly print based. Students are posted a comprehensive kit of self-contained learning material at the start of each semester, and facilities are provided for purchase of the required textbooks through the Deakin University Co-op Bookshop. Access to the Deakin University Library is also available, but students are encouraged to utilise as wide a range of sources of information as possible to enhance their study of the set material, including regular reading of relevant business periodicals and relevant government and industry reports in the subject area.
The learning materials provided to students are progressively incorporating references to relevant World Wide Web resources and regular updates on useful sites are provided through the e-mail groups, the newsletter, and on the unit home pages on the program's WWW site. Some of the home pages now have "hot links" to particularly useful WWW sites. Evidence from student assignments suggests that the students are increasingly making use of Internet resources to supplement traditional print-based ones.
Costs for Students
As enrolment in the Deakinet service is optional, the cost of equipment is borne by the student. However, in order to provide
equity amongst students in different locations, all possible avenues were explored for providing all students with local call
access. The initial pilot program drew on the experience and facilities that have been developed for students in Deakin
University award programs, including the access to modem-based communication nodes at a number of locations around the
country to enable students to connect at local call charges. It became clear early on that there were insufficient nodes for this
to be a viable option in the longer term, so the use of Austpac connection was added in the second semester. A number of
students expressed a desire to use their own Internet provider, so this was also added as an option in the second semester,
with increasing numbers of students choosing it over the next year.
Servicing for Students
Students who were provided with an Internet account through the University were supplied with advice on hardware and
software requirements as well as discs with Eudora and Trumpet Winsock software and a printed user guide. The University's
Information Technology Services (ITS) unit provided a help-desk service, with most of the students' problems being either
difficulties in configuring modems or password/username problems. As the number of students increased, the help-desk
capacity became stretched when these students were added to the existing staff and student load. The use of students' own
service providers (compulsory from the start of 1997), removed this problem.
Administrative Arrangements and Institutional Costs
An additional reason for moving away from providing university accounts was that manual account creation processes had to
be used for these "irregular" students rather than the automated ones available for conventional award students. Again, with
the increasing numbers, this became a bottle-neck and added cost factor. Students now include their e-mail addresses on their
enrolment forms and these can be used to generate class lists.
The bulk of the help-desk problems are now handled by the commercial providers, with a Deakin Australia Web administrator dealing with the remaining areas such as adding or removing individuals from lists during the semester. The Web administrator also maintains the WWW site. The University's ITS department is still involved through the maintenance of mailing lists on the University servers.
Web Site
An additional feature in the form of an MBA program home page and separate unit home pages on the Web was added in
1996.
The use of a Web site provides a number of technical advantages over simple e-mail communication, particularly where the users have a range of hardware and software platforms. Large documents or those that involve layout features not available in the e-mail software and that may not be easily received as attachments can be posted on the Web site. The Web site also enables material prepared throughout the semester to be accessed in an organised format, rather than as sequential messages, and separation of academic, administrative and social interactions can be made relatively easily. Similarly, student messages posted to bulletin boards can be sorted for easier retrieval later, either when students have reached that topic themselves or during revision for examinations.
A Web site also offers the ability to connect to other sites via "hot links" and so opens up the potential for far more student interaction with the study material, and with a wider base of up-to-the-minute information.
As discussed in the administrative arrangements in Section 5.1, significant technical and administrative support resources were needed in the early stages of the project. Although the current operational system has reduced the resource needs in these areas, there is still considerable design and teaching support required for program maintenance, particularly for monitoring e-mail traffic on the group lists and developing material for the Web pages. As will be discussed in Section 6, this has been the most difficult area to resource adequately.
The current approach of having students come in through their own Internet service provider has removed most of the earlier technical problems and the large jump in numbers after the introduction of the e-mail addresses onto the course enrolment form suggests that this is administratively the most effective system.
The e-mail class lists have been by far the most successful part of the project, and are highly valued by participants, particularly those starting the program and needing the reassurance of others in the early stages of establishing their study patterns, and overseas students who are unable to make use of phone or face-to-face study groups.
The survey conducted (by e-mail) in two of the core units at the end of 1996 indicated that students appreciated all aspects of the Deakinet service: the ability to e-mail directly to the tutor, being able to ask questions of the whole group and read the comments from a range of other students, and seeing the responses from the tutor to other students' comments and queries.
Only a small percentage of students contributed comments to the e-mail discussion forum during the semester, but many of the others reported in the survey that they valued the opportunity to be silent observers, particularly when they were behind schedule and not yet ready to join in the debate themselves.
About one-quarter of the students in the survey sample reported sending messages to the tutor and two-thirds to other students, most of these sending 2 or more messages during the semester and to 2 or 3 other students. This "behind the scenes" traffic is hard to quantify more accurately, but clearly represents a very significant communication opportunity for students.
The negative features reported in the 1996 survey, which are starting to be felt even more strongly in 1997, largely centre round the volume of unsorted messages on the e-mail lists. The bulletin boards and chat groups available to students on the Web site were intended to help overcome these problems. However, lack of appropriate protocol access (Web or newsgroup) has deterred a number of students from using the chat group and bulletin board features, so that most are falling back on the e-mail group, knowing that that's "where the action is".
Even if this problem is resolved in the future by an increase in the students' access to Web/newsgroup facilities, there will still need to be an increase in administrator and design support resources to establish and maintain effective social and academic areas on the Web page, and increased teaching support resources if tutors are to be more proactive in leading discussion groups, rather than reactive as they are at present.
These have been the most difficult aspect of the program to develop and maintain. The current copyright environment precludes insertion of up-to-the-minute journal and magazine articles onto Web sites as a resource for students, so that any regular updates of information have to be prepared by teaching staff. Materials that are already available (items prepared for the newsletter for example) need to be converted for Web delivery, a process which, although being made simpler all the time by new software, still involves Web Administrator and desktop publishing staff time. Links to other sites can be relatively quickly and easily provided, but require considerable research time on the part of teaching staff to identify the most useful links, and many of the staff are not yet proficient WWW users, and don't necessarily have the time to spend "surfing". As a result, most of the unit home pages have not been well enough maintained to attract students to them. The most successful home page is for the introductory management unit, which provides links to items from later units to give students additional applications of the general management concepts, as well as a chance to see how these concepts will be developed in the later units.
The Future
One of the inherent disadvantages of relying on large-scale production runs of learning materials as a means of offering
programs more cost effectively is that it is not possible to update material as frequently as is possible in face-to-face delivery.
The WWW offers a source of up-to-the-minute information that can be used to supplement the core conceptual framework
presented in the main learning materials. It also opens up many new means for isolated students to maintain contact and
participate in the discussion and debate so valuable to their professional learning.
However, accessing the Web is still not technically an option open to all our students and is also an acquired skill (some would say an acquired taste!) which not all teaching staff or instructional designers have yet mastered to a high enough degree to support students who are also starting out in the area. The e-mail system remains, for the moment, the most effective means we have of utilising the Internet to link our students and staff together, and if the past year is any indication, is rapidly going to become an integral part of the APESMA/ Deakin MBA operation.
Thanks to Deborah Evans, Deakin Australia, for providing this case study.
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