Program Stay
Behind the
Technology “Wave”?
John A. SorrentinoTemple University Ambler, USA
Abstract
Starting with a quote from Herbert Simon to that effect, this chapter questions whether distance education programs should strive to be on the cutting edge of information technology. The general perspective taken is that of the Value Net. A provider of distance education can be seen as a Firm linking Suppliers and Customers while interacting with Competitors and Complementors. The Supplier-Firm-Customer chain can be seen as education production, and the chapter briefly discusses the debate over whether quantitative production models can explain the education process. Theoretical generality is sacrificed in favor of a discussion of the actual mechanics of an online course taught to MBA students by the author. Mean numerical grades in face-to-face and online sections of the course
are compared to show that educational outcomes face-to-face and online are not significantly different. Enrollments in the course are stable. Hence, the course is thought to be viable, as a program of such courses might be. The results of a survey of MBA students reveal that most students consider the professor more important than the technology in their learning and satisfaction. Taken together, the two results provide the beginnings of a case for Distance Education programs staying behind the technology wave.
In the coming years, many new technologies will be proposed to you for use in your university, and you will have the task of raising difficult questions in order to decide when and how these technologies can contribute to the mission of the university. … we must resist the temptation to use technology just because it is available.
(Herbert Simon, Late Nobel Prize Winner in Economics, 2001, pp. 62-63)
Introduction
Few reasonable people would disagree with the observation that the econo- mies of the world are being influenced more and more by Information Technology (IT). Very few aspects of human life, at least in developed countries, are not affected by computer hardware, software, and appendages. The rapid pace of change in IT gives one the impression of riding on a technology wave, and staying on the crest of that wave is often perceived as integral to one’s survival. Moore’s Law for Intel CPUs informed us that processing power doubled every year and a half. Although the pace of growth in processing power may be decelerating (Markoff, 1999; Watson, 2000), “bang-for-the-buck” in processing is still increasing. Increasing bandwidth is allowing the expanded movement of data/information among expanding net- works. Internet2 has 200 universities worldwide collaborating with industry and government on the Next Level. The consortium is working on developing and deploying advanced networking technologies, including high-quality col- laborative and interactive technologies across the myriad of user platforms. The education sector has not been exempt from IT influence. As education is the process of expanding knowledge and skill, what better milieu can it inhabit
than the expanding universe of IT? Every past issue of National Geographic on one CD-ROM! Full medieval texts within a click’s notice! Satellite teleconferencing with international academic superstars! Wireless everything!! What can be wrong with any of this? Does the “leading” edge have to be the “bleeding” edge?
Yes, there is a Dark Side, Luke. Norman (1993) warns that “… the technology that is intended to aid human cognition and enjoyment more often interferes and confuses than aids and clarifies” (p. 9) and “Technology is used much too often for dramatic effect, without worrying about content…” (p. 252). The seductive lure of technology must not blind us to a basic tenet of economics — for every
benefit side of the ledger, there is a cost side. Because institutions have limited
budgets, they must be careful to spend them on things that have the highest net benefit, i.e., [total benefits minus total costs]. Spending on IT is no exception. As John Oberlin (1994, 1996a, 1996b) points out, when obsolescence- induced replacement and burgeoning support requirements are factored in, the cost of educational IT will be far from decreasing over time. The dot.com shakeout and the retreat from many distance-education ventures by universities show the power of cost-benefit analysis.
Distance Education (DE) can be described as using one or more forms of
communications technology to convey knowledge and skills to “clients” who are not in the same physical location as the “server” of this knowledge and these skills. Some say Distance Education dates back to the postal mailing of materials to those who took correspondence courses. Courses by closed circuit TV seemed to be the next to fit the description. In the modern portfolio of DE options are TV courses (broadcast/analog), courses videoconferenced in real-time (i.e., synchronous) over fiber-optic cables, and World Wide Web- based courses over broadband cable, networks, and phone lines (i.e., asyn- chronous). Each option uses infrastructure and has a set of inputs, outputs, and a technology that transforms inputs into outputs. The benefits of time- and space-flexibility, such as avoided travel costs, 24/7 communications options, and worldwide access to information vary over the portfolio.
For the purposes of this chapter, viable means capable of sustaining enroll- ments and achieving the same educational outcomes as traditional methods. It is thought that imposing the condition of breaking even or better financially would be unduly restrictive, as cost allocation would need to be extremely fine- tuned for this calculation to be made (Rumble, 1997). A program is a collection of courses the completion of which will lead to an academic credential, e.g., a
Master of Business Administration (MBA) diploma. Enrollments in MBA programs have been booming over the past decades, and many companies are more than willing to pick up the tab as their employees increase their human
capital. That additional human capital often involves the ability to use IT and
Information Systems (IS). Programs often compete on their capacities to instill such abilities in their students and on their use of IT/IS to increase access to their programs. They complement each other in providing a market for IT/IS vendors to sell their goods and services and in providing IT/IS-capable potential employees to those vendors. All this takes place in a “Value Net,” a network of interrelationships among the principal agents in the market. In this chapter, a Value Net perspective will be taken to discuss “education production.” This is followed by a section that steps down from the theory pedestal, discusses a particular MBA course taught by the author, and sets up a comparison of grades in face-to-face and online sections of that course. Also found in that section is a discussion of a survey given to MBA students in general, assessing student perceptions and preferences regarding technology in their program. Next, the chapter has a section that contains the empirical results and inferences. Conclusions and suggestions for future research are then discussed.
The question in the title is addressed, if not answered, with the following logic: A behind-the-wave course is one that does not use the most current hardware and software in course delivery. It is shown that one online, behind-the-wave, MBA course sustains enrollments and achieves comparable educational out- comes to face-to-face sections. It has been ascertained by a survey of MBA students that the quality and availability of the professor exceed the input of technology in importance to self-assessed student learning and satisfaction. It can be reasonably assumed that with instructors similar to this author in their commitment to preserving face-to-face topic coverage and to paying careful attention to each student, a program that stays behind-the-wave can be viable. Such a program can provide most of the benefits that sustain enrollment and corporate subsidies, while avoiding the cost involved with staying on the edge.