Diverse Models of Distance Teaching Universities PDF

727 Diverse Models of Distance Teaching D Universities Sarah Gur...

727 Diverse Models of Distance Teaching D Universities Sarah Guri-Rosenblit The Open University of Israel, Israel INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND traditionally offered solely conventional instruction are now becoming distance education providers. The Universities offering studies through distance teaching democratization of higher education and the emergence methods vary enormously in how they were initiated, of the new information and communication technologies the clienteles they aim to serve, how they are funded, constitute the main reasons for this change of bound- and the kinds of programs they offer. Distance teach- aries. The new technologies have prompted nearly ing at university level is provided currently through at all higher education institutions to enter the ‘distance least five major organizational models: Single-mode education business’ at various levels of experimentation distance teaching universities; dual- and mixed-mode and application (AFT, 2001; Allen & Seaman, 2004; universities; extensions; consortia-type ventures; and Bates, 1999, 2005; Bradburn, 2002; Collis & Moonen, virtual technology-based universities. 2001; Evans & Nation, 2000; Littleton & Light, 1999; Each of these models can be divided into additional National Research Council, 2002; Selinger & Pearson, sub-groups. The fully-fledged distance teaching univer- 1999; Trow, 1999). sities, for instance, are treated in the relevant literature The new information and communication technolo- as a generic group, but differ from each other in many gies have drastically changed the status of distance respects (Guri-Rosenblit, 1999). Some are operating as education within the academic world. Traditionally, huge national universities, while others function on a distance teaching was considered as operating on the limited provincial level. Few adopted an open admis- margins of higher education systems (Guri-Rosenblit, sion policy, while most others require the same entry 1999, 2005). Since the nineteenth century, correspon- requirements as their conventional counterparts, etc. dence institutions, extensions and distance teaching The dual- and the mixed-mode universities, as well as universities opened the gates of academe to diverse the consortia-type ventures, constitute nowadays the clienteles that for a variety of reasons were unable to leading models of distance teaching provision. They attend regular face-to-face classes and remained outside operate in many national settings, and represent a rich the conventional universities. The target populations, composition of diverse higher education institutions, studying through distance education, were considered as such as: research versus mainly teaching-oriented distinct and special, usually older than the age cohorts universities; large and small establishments; fully at classical universities, and mostly ‘second chance’ accredited or experimental in nature; offering mainly students according to a variety of criteria. Nowadays, continuing education courses versus full academic millions of people, both traditional students and working degrees. However, this overview analyzes only the adults, are studying through distance teaching methods underlying premises of distance teaching in each of the for a plethora of reasons and purposes. five major models. Its scope does not allow discussing This overview puts a special focus on examining in detail the sub-groups contained in each model. both the merits and problems associated with the uti- In spite of the visible differences between the various lization of the new information and communication models of distance teaching at university level, there technologies in the context of each of the five major is a common trend of blending boundaries between models of universities teaching via distance education distance and campus universities that took place in methods. the last decade all over the world. Institutions that Copyright © 2009, IGI Global, distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited.  Diverse Models of Distance Teaching Universities MAIN FOCUS: DIVERSE MODELS OF technologies demands a major overhaul of their whole DISTANCE LEARNING operation, and another huge investment in setting up a totally new infrastructure for developing and deliver- Single-Mode Distance Teaching ing their courses (Bates, 2001; Guri-Rosenblit, 1999, Universities 2005). The new technologies enable the updating of study materials on an ongoing basis, and facilitate in- Most of the large single-mode distance teaching univer- teractions between students and teachers, and among sities were established since the early 1970s, following students. In other words, they alleviate two of the major the model of the British Open University. There are disadvantages of traditional distance teaching, but at currently over thirty such institutions in various parts the same time they highlight the importance of interac- of the world. Some argued that the distance teaching tions with expert teachers in the actual study process. universities have been a natural evolution from prior Most of the large-scale distance teaching universities generations of distance education, as they raised much are based on relatively small academic staffs, and can- of the same concerns as their predecessors (Bell & not afford the hiring of many more academics in order Tight, 1993). But most others perceive the single-mode to facilitate student-professors interaction in most of distance teaching universities as unique institutions that their large courses, studied frequently by thousands of have marked a new era in distance higher education students (Guri-Rosenblit, 2005). So, the new informa- and have provided it with a new legitimacy and pride tion and communication technologies have their pros (Daniel, 1996; Guri-Rosenblit, 1999). One conspicu- and cons in the contextual setting of the large distance ous characteristic that distinguishes these universities teaching universities. from most of their early predecessors is their being a In the debate on the ‘life expectancy’ of the large product of top-down governmental planning as large distance teaching universities, some claim that the scale universities aimed at broadening access to higher days of the large distance universities have passed. education at a lower cost as compared to campus-based Their sheer size and industrial way of working have universities (Daniel, 1996; Peters, 2001; Rumble, made them vulnerable to increasing competition in the 1996). markets of higher education. Both factors will hinder One of the main areas in which the single-mode them from responding to meet rapid developments distance teaching universities choose to excel is the in the post-industrial society (Evans & Nation, 2000; development of high quality study materials, produced Rumble, 1996). The fact is that most large distance by teams of experts and designed to stimulate and teaching universities have incorporated the new tech- improve self-study (Bates, 1999, 2005; Daniel, 1996). nologies so far to a very limited extent (Bates, 2001, The well-articulated study materials replaced the or- 2005; Guri-Rosenblit, 2005). Their study process is still dinary textbooks and the low-level correspondence based, by and large, on printed self-study materials. courses, and have been used extensively not only by The establishment of new large-scale distance teaching the distance teaching universities’ students, but also by universities has slowed down since the mid 1980s. It is many students at conventional universities in different likely that very few new single-mode distance teaching national settings. The production of such courses is most universities will emerge in the future. Part of the reason expensive. But they are developed by a small number is that there is no need for more than one large distance of academics and studied by large numbers of students. teaching university in most national systems. The well- The simple underlying formula of the distance teaching established distance teaching universities are likely to universities’ operation has stated that, as the number continue functioning and to have distinct roles in the of students increases, the cost per student decreases framework of their higher education systems. (Peters, 2001). This simple formula constitutes one of the main raisons d’être of the mega distance teaching Dual- and Mixed-Mode Universities universities (Daniel, 1996). The new information and communication tech- The dual-mode universities constitute a leading model nologies challenge this very basic formula, as well as in current distance education provision. Before the the whole organizational infrastructure of the single- emergence of the new technologies, this model has been mode distance-teaching universities. The shift to new activated mainly in Australia and in Canada, as well as 728 Diverse Models of Distance Teaching Universities in several Eastern European countries (Evans & Nation, There is a great variety of mixed-mode institutions 2000; Guri-Rosenblit, 1999). Dual-mode universities that range from elite research universities to community D teach simultaneously on-campus and off-campus stu- colleges. Obviously, different-type higher education dents, and the same admission requirements apply to institutions operate on different premises. The academic both categories of students. The underlying idea behind goals, potential clienteles and organizational infrastruc- the dual-mode model is that the same curricula can be ture of the elite research sector, for instance, differ offered to both on- and off-campus students through meaningfully from those of huge mega-universities, appropriate channels of communication. teaching dozens of thousands of students. These differ- Distance education at university level has a long ences influence the goals and the ways in which new history in Australia and in Canada due to the vastness technologies are mobilized in each context to achieve of their lands and the huge distances between different different end-products (Blumenstyk, 2003; CHEPS, cities and inhabited areas. The sheer size of these two 2002; Collis & Moonen, 2001; Harley et al., 2002; countries has turned the provision of distance teaching Littleton & Light, 1999; National Research Council, from elementary to tertiary level education to a must. 2002; Ryan, 2002; U.S. Department of Education, Australia has deliberately decided not to establish a 2002; Van der Molen, 2001). single-mode distance teaching university, but rather to distribute responsibility for distance education provision Extensions between different campus universities. In 1989, eight national distance education centers were established University extensions are mainly an American model in leading Australian universities. Many Canadian (Rasmussen, 1989; Trow, 1999). The foundation of a universities offer various forms of distance education correspondence program at Illinois State University in to part-time adults since the end of the nineteenth cen- 1874 can be taken as the start of distance education at tury. Canada operates both single-mode and dual-mode university level in the USA. In 1883 the State of New distance teaching universities. In the former Soviet York authorized the Chautauqua Institute to award Union, hundreds of departments within conventional degrees through its methods. Chautauqua was a sum- universities offered correspondence education since mer training program for Sunday school teachers who the 1920s (Guri-Rosenblit, 1999, 2001). continued to receive instruction by mail after they re- Evidently, the new information and communica- turned to their homes. The University of Chicago under tion technologies facilitate the provision of courses to William Harper offered the first university sponsored distant students, and enable an ongoing interaction with correspondence course in 1891; and the University of them in the study process. The new technologies have Wisconsin offered an extension course in 1892 (Guri- actually turned the dual-mode provision into a leading Rosenblit, 1999). model in most higher education systems worldwide, as Distance education courses at American universities many conventional universities decided to adopt them have been provided by independent study divisions for offering various forms of distance teaching. within the extension colleges or continuing education The mixed-mode model has evolved from the dual- departments of conventional universities. Many univer- mode universities, and was initiated mainly by on- sity extensions have been initiated by the Smith-Lever campus students, that take online courses concurrently Act of 1914. The extension movement purported to with attending regular face-to-face sessions. It came aid in diffusing useful and practical information on as a surprise in some universities when some enrolled a variety of themes among the people of the United students on campus decided to take courses online in States by the land-grant universities. Currently, most preference to attending classes on campus (AFT, 2001; of the American universities, including many of the Bradburn 2002; Trow, 1999). Those students have tes- leading research universities, have an extension divi- tified that they are glad to have the freedom to do the sion, providing courses for adults in a large variety of work of these online courses at their own convenience subjects. Many of these courses are not in the frame- and their own speed, and that they like the combination work of degree programs, but rather in the domains of the two types of academic delivery. It is most likely of continuing education and professional upgrade or that the dual- and mixed-mode universities will expand are delivered for widening general knowledge and considerably in the near future. recreational purposes. Many of the extensions have 729  Diverse Models of Distance Teaching Universities adopted eagerly the new technologies for their use partners, and the impact of the corporate world on the (Bradburn, 2002; Trow, 1999). Unquestionably, the future development of universities, mainly the research new technologies have strengthened the status of the universities (Guri-Rosenblit, 2005; National Research extension divisions within American universities, and Council, 2002). Partnerships, if successful, create are likely to contribute in the near future to the blurring greater strengths. The basic rationale behind coopera- of boundaries between conventional campus teaching tion is that the whole may be greater than the sum of its and the extension operations. parts. But at the same time, the participating parties in any consortium might feel less dedicated to the common Consortia-Type Ventures cause of their mutual enterprise, as compared to their main agenda. The reality is that successful collabora- Consortia-type ventures for the offering of distance tions between higher education institutions, and between education are another leading model that has devel- universities and the corporate world, are immensely oped in the last decade. A number of universities join difficult to achieve and sustain. Many failures have been forces, either within national higher education systems reported (Ryan, 2002). Nevertheless, inter-institutional or as an international enterprise, to offer a variety of collaborative ventures in distance teaching provision distance teaching programs. Many university consortia are likely to proliferate in the future. do operate in European countries, such as Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Italy (CHEPS, 2002; Collis Virtual Technology-Based Universities & Moonen, 2001; Van der Molen 2001). Many new consortia have been formed in the last decade between The new technology-based universities constitute a most universities across oceans. One such consortium was diverse group. This group contains all higher educa- established between English, Canadian and Australian tion institutions that are relying more, than any of their universities to offer business administration programs predecessors, on distance teaching delivery through in Vietnam. Britain is now in the process of establishing the new information and communication technologies. a major E-University (Guri-Rosenblit, 2005). Partner- Frequently, these universities are referred to in the ships have been contemplated between British leading distance education literature as ‘virtual universities’. universities, including the British Open University, Some are stand-alone fully accredited universities (such as well as with institutes outside Britain, including as Phoenix University and the National Technology universities in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore University in the United States) while others operate and the United States. This planned E-University will just as a website with little content of their own (as was focus solely on teaching and will carry no research. the California’s Virtual University). Many are private Instruction will rely on web pages enhanced with ventures, while a few are sponsored by national govern- hyperlinks, video, sound and graphics. ments (Keegan, 2000; Ryan, 2002). Some are offering Many of the consortia partnerships are created a whole range of academic degrees, whereas most of between universities and the corporate world. For the others provide a limited number of professional instance, Microsoft has launched at the end of 1999 a diplomas and continuing education courses. collaborative venture with MIT to create an ‘I-Campus’. The new ‘virtual universities’ are delivering their Microsoft has devoted $25 million for that purpose for a courses through different technologies and are based period of five years. Under terms of the agreement, the on diverse organizational infrastructures. The National intellectual property financed by Microsoft, but done at Technology University, for instance, operates as a the MIT, will belong to the university. But Microsoft mediator between leading universities (such as MIT will have the right to license it without paying royal- and Berkeley) and hundreds of business enterprises. It ties. In research done jointly at Microsoft and MIT, has no academic faculty of its own. It offers a limited however, Microsoft will have the first option to patent number of graduate level courses in engineering through it (International Harold Tribune, 1999). teleconferencing by a satellite. A small percentage of The consortium model has been greatly enhanced the students who take these courses are earning credits by the new technologies. At the same time, it raises towards degrees. The bulk is engaged in professional many crucial dilemmas as to the ownership of the continuing education (Trow, 1999; Guri-Rosenblit, intellectual property produced by several cooperating 2005). 730 Diverse Models of Distance Teaching Universities The Western Governors University was set as a very will continue to be - to widen access to higher education ambitious enterprise between 16 Western American by reaching out to students who cannot attend or gain D states as a non-profit, independent corporation with a access to conventional universities. They will continue board of trustees composed of the governors from each to operate mainly on the industrial model paradigm participating state and one additional person appointed which produces economies of scale and enables to enroll by each governor. It was planned as a fully-accredited large numbers of students at relatively low marginal university empowered to grant degrees on demonstrated costs well below those of campus universities. competencies that will be recognized by both employ- Dual- and mixed-mode institutions and consortia- ers and the academia. The courses were planned to be type ventures will constitute the leading models of delivered through electronic media. The emphasis on distance education in academe. A most diversified range assessing competencies, whether learning has occurred, of institutions will offer distance education at various rather than on who provided the learning and how long levels of higher education studies. Many of these in- the student attended classes, constituted a most daring stitutions will utilize the communication capabilities and challenging notion. So far, the Western Governors of the new interactive media. The new technologies University has not realized its initial promise, and will greatly contribute to growing flexibility in aca- operates on a most limited scale. demic study patterns (Bates 2001; Collis & Moonen The University of Phoenix is a flourishing distance 2001; Guri-Rosenblit, 2005). Flexible learning offers teaching university in the United States. It is a for-profit students many opportunities to adjust their interests, institution. It has no central campus, and provides dis- needs and learning styles to a variety of learning settings tance courses of its own design. It combines between and media combinations. Hybrid courses, combining conventional face-to-face teaching in many locations various components of face-to-face encounters with in major cities throughout the United States and online online provision will emerge as a growing pattern in provision. In many respects it resembles the “older” academic institutions. single-mode distance teaching universities in Europe, The university extensions in many American univer- in the sense that it combines self-study materials and sities are likely to grow in the future. The utilization of online communication with face-to-face tutorials. the new technologies will enable the extensions to reach From this brief description of a few examples out to many more distant students. With the growing representing new technology-based universities, it accreditation of their courses for academic degrees, follows that the meaning of the term ‘virtual universi- they will redefine some of their traditional missions, ties’ is far from being clear and self-evident. A wide and shift more to providing academic programs towards array of different type universities operate under this graduate and post graduate diplomas. generic term. The establishment of totally new for-profit ‘virtual universities’ will slow down in the coming decade. A few years ago many analysts, such as Morgan Keegan FUTURE TRENDS AND CONCLUSION (2000), projected billion dollar e-education and e- training markets globally. Virtual networks of colleges This article examined five major organizational models and universities became a marker of a new economy. of distance teaching in various higher education systems Several years later costly experience has caused many with a special emphasis on the functional roles that the higher education institutions to question the increasing new informational and communication technologies costs of their commitments to digitization and wired play in the context of each model. Distance educa- campus programs (Ryan 2002). Since many for-profit tion at university level will grow in the coming years ventures had failed, it is most likely that new business and will attract new student clienteles. How will the enterprises will cooperate with well-established cam- five models be affected by the expansion of distance pus universities in designing new distance education education? programs. The status of the large single-mode distance teaching universities will remain stable, and their main mandate 731  Diverse Models of Distance Teaching Universities REFERENCES Guri-Rosenblit, S. (2001). Virtual universities: Current models and future trends. Higher Education in Europe, AFT (2001). A virtual revolution: Trends in the ex- XXVI (4), 487-499. pansion of distance education. Washington D.C.: Guri-Rosenblit, S. (2005). Eight paradoxes in the imple- Author. mentation process of e-learning in higher education. Allen, E. & Seaman, J. (2004). Entering the main Higher Education Policy, 18, 5-29 stream: The quality and extent of online education in Harley, D., Henke, J., Lawrence, S., Maher. M., Gawlik the US: 2003 and 2004. Wellesley, MA: The Sloan M. and Muller, P. (2002). 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KEY TERMS Mixed-Mode Distance Teaching Universities: Universities that provide both traditional face-to-face Consortia-Type Distance Teaching Venture: A study frameworks and online courses for their on-cam- collaborating venture between several universities or pus students, and teach as well distant students. between universities and other partners, joining forces Single-Mode Distance Teaching Universities: to offer together distance teaching programs. Universities that were founded for teaching solely Distance Teaching Universities: Universities that distant students. Most of these universities were es- teach students via a wide range of distance education tablished since the early 1970s, and have followed the methods and technologies. model of the British Open University. Dual-Mode Distance Teaching Universities: Virtual Technology-Based Universities: Uni- Universities that teach concurrently on-campus and versities that teach students mainly through the new off-campus students. Usually, the same admission information and communication technologies. 733