Distance Education at University of the 5th Age (U5) -- Action Plan
Prepared for: U5 DETC
Introduction
The purpose of this action plan is to aid the DETC in deciding the immediate future and long term plan of U5’s distance education programs. The recommendations you will find in this plan are based on a careful analysis of the problem, as well as consultation with experts in the field of distance education. It is my hope that this plan will help the DETC to define a vision for U5’s distance education program that is in line with U5’s mission to “advance and educate both youth and adults so that they can become better people.”
The situation at hand
U5 currently operates three distance education programs: the Master of Teaching (MT), the Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Educational Leadership (CAGS), and the continuing education video courses for teachers. The MT and the video courses are marketed, maintained, and distributed by a partner of the university that is no longer able to provide these services going forward. Meanwhile, the CAGS program utilizes a different partner that will continue to provide the university access to an online learning management system (LMS).
With little distance education expertise currently employed by U5, difficult decisions must be made in short order. The immediate decisions to be made include whether to replace the outgoing partner with a similar entity; perform the activities of the outgoing partner in-house; convert the MT and video courses into fully online DE courses and utilize the existing partner or a new partner; or discontinue the MT, CAGS, and/or video courses all together. The implications of choices made by the DETC must be part of a broader vision of how (or whether) to continue implementation of distance education at U5.
Current strengths and weaknesses
Each DE program at U5 is different in certain ways, so each must be analyzed in their own context.
The MT program is a hybrid solution to distance education, currently requiring a partner with the ability to perform video production, distribute the course materials, and handle marketing and recruitment. While it is possible to find a new partner to handle this role, this would possibly lead to a reoccurrence of the current predicament – this new partner may eventually choose to end the partnership, leaving the university and its students at a loss. Since the university simply does not have the in-house expertise to perform the role the contractor plays, it must either find a new partner or discontinue. If the MT program was losing money or not serving an important role in the university’s mission, it would make sense to discontinue it. But the contrary is true – the MT is both highly profitable and the largest single academic program at U5.
The CAGS program, although its contractor is still in place, has its own issues. With its enrollment low and showing no improvement, the program generates little to no profit for U5. As the sole U5 marketed DE program, CAGS would appear to either show a deficiency in the university’s ability to adequately market distance education, or reveal that the content of the CAGS program is not as desirable by students as U5’s other academic programs.
The profitable video teaching courses also may reveal an issue with U5’s marketing of DE programs. Since the video courses are generating 15 times the number of continuing education enrollments as the CAGS program, and they are marketed by the outgoing contractor that has successfully marketed the MT program, it would seem that this contractor has marketing skills in distance education that U5 lacks. In other words, the ability of the outgoing contractor to effectively market both the MT and the video courses may prove to be the most significant void to fill upon their leaving.
Strategy for change
The easiest change to make is to simply discontinue all of the distance education programs at U5. This would only require layoffs or reassignment of faculty and staff. Yet this strategy fails U5 in several ways: the university would lose its most popular program, the students who are in need of a distance education solution for these types of courses would be left with one less option, the income of the university will decrease sharply, and the stature of the university would likely be lessened. For these reasons, it is recommended that the DETC seek to implement the distance education courses in a new way.
The ultimate recommendation is to first, utilize the remaining months with the outgoing contractor to transfer as much marketing knowledge as possible, while simultaneously seeking a new partner, or possibly a new executive level hire, who can assist U5 in becoming a force in the marketing of distance education programs. Second, U5 should transition the MT and video courses into online offerings, utilizing the CAGS partner for the LMS. Finally, the new distance education arm of the university, with its experience in converting hybrid courses to online, and effectively marketing them, should then work to implement online alternatives to some of the most popular courses, and eventually programs, offered by U5.
To implement this change, it is proposed that the DETC utilize Kotter’s (1996) eight stage process for creating major change (p. 20). Luckily, the university has already begun the first two stages: establishing urgency and forming a guiding coalition. To improve upon what the university has already done, though, it is suggested that U5 clearly explain to both staff and students that the loss of the university’s partner is not a crisis, but a welcome opportunity. Now the university can become a leader in the field of DE, instead of just a dabbler. Likewise, to improve upon the guiding coalition, the DETC, it is recommended that at least two more members be added – one with true authority, such as the new president, and one who has significant experience with distance education.
Next, the DETC would formulate and promulgate a clear and straightforward vision for the university’s DE program in which it has the faculty and staff with the skills to market and create world-class distance education courses. Kotter (1996) recommends that this vision be imaginable, desirable, feasible, focused, flexible, and communicable (p. 72). The DETC must ensure that this new vision will be one that does not seek to simply prop up those who are supporters of DE, but one that can be supported by those faculty members and staff who fear that DE will diminish their jobs.
Once the vision is clear, the faculty members and staff must feel empowered to make the vision a reality. One way to make this happen is to create a new structure in which distance education is not a separate part of the university, but one in which it crosses the spectrum of the university’s departments. So the distance education marketing staff will work with the traditional education staff, the distance education faculty will be a part of the traditional education faculty, and the DE support staff will be members of the traditional support staff. In this way, if a particular DE program becomes popular, it is a success for all faculty members and staff, not just the “DE” staff and instructors. Kotter (1996) explains that an organization’s structure can either undermine or empower the vision for change (p. 105). So in order to effectively create a world-class DE program at U5, it will take the ideas, efforts, and skills of U5’s entire organization.
Early in the change process, the university must reach certain short term goals to ensure that the staff remains excited and energized about the path to fully changing the DE program at U5. Each sector must be able to clearly understand what goal(s) they are striving for both short and long term, as set by the DETC. As an example, for the marketing staff, the short term “win” could be the complete and successful transition of marketing operations from the outgoing contractor to the in-house marketing staff. Additional “wins” for the marketing staff could be the enrollment of the 1000 student since the transition or the graduation of the 1000 student since the transition.
As was already discussed, the transition of the MT program and the video courses to online courses, as well as the strengthening of the marketing team, are not the only changes that should be implemented by the DETC. The implementation of online alternatives to some of the most popular U5 courses (and eventually U5’s popular programs) should be the next change emphasis that should be tackled by the DETC. Finally, by infiltrating the entire university with DE programs, the changes sought by the DETC should be embedded in the U5 culture.
Leadership style
U5 will need leadership, not management, to create the changes proposed within this action plan. As Kotter (1990) explains, unlike managers, leaders “prepare organizations for change and help them cope as they struggle through it”, which is exactly what the DETC must do (p. 3). While there are several theories of leadership, this plan suggests that the DETC employs a Participative style in the mode of Likert (1967). In this leadership style, the DETC members must implement participative methods, such as encouraging staff at all levels of the university to take part in decision-making. The intention of this style is that the U5 staff and faculty members will grow closer at a psychological, allowing everyone to work towards a unified goal.
Conclusion
With the ever-growing popularity of distance education, this crisis has become U5’s opportunity to develop a new methodology for sustaining profitable distance education programs, while continuing to offer exemplary traditional programs of study, thus fulfilling the U5 mission to “advance and educate both youth and adults so that they can become better people.”
References
Kotter, J. P. (1996). Leading change. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
Kotter, J. P. (1990). What Leaders Really Do. Best of Harvard Business Review (2001). Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. Retrieved June 2010 from http://cursos.puc.cl/eaa100a-4/almacen/1268702262_cvelascp_sec1_pos0.pdf.
Likert, R. (1967). The human organization: Its management and value. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
The purpose of this action plan is to aid the DETC in deciding the immediate future and long term plan of U5’s distance education programs. The recommendations you will find in this plan are based on a careful analysis of the problem, as well as consultation with experts in the field of distance education. It is my hope that this plan will help the DETC to define a vision for U5’s distance education program that is in line with U5’s mission to “advance and educate both youth and adults so that they can become better people.”
The situation at hand
U5 currently operates three distance education programs: the Master of Teaching (MT), the Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Educational Leadership (CAGS), and the continuing education video courses for teachers. The MT and the video courses are marketed, maintained, and distributed by a partner of the university that is no longer able to provide these services going forward. Meanwhile, the CAGS program utilizes a different partner that will continue to provide the university access to an online learning management system (LMS).
With little distance education expertise currently employed by U5, difficult decisions must be made in short order. The immediate decisions to be made include whether to replace the outgoing partner with a similar entity; perform the activities of the outgoing partner in-house; convert the MT and video courses into fully online DE courses and utilize the existing partner or a new partner; or discontinue the MT, CAGS, and/or video courses all together. The implications of choices made by the DETC must be part of a broader vision of how (or whether) to continue implementation of distance education at U5.
Current strengths and weaknesses
Each DE program at U5 is different in certain ways, so each must be analyzed in their own context.
The MT program is a hybrid solution to distance education, currently requiring a partner with the ability to perform video production, distribute the course materials, and handle marketing and recruitment. While it is possible to find a new partner to handle this role, this would possibly lead to a reoccurrence of the current predicament – this new partner may eventually choose to end the partnership, leaving the university and its students at a loss. Since the university simply does not have the in-house expertise to perform the role the contractor plays, it must either find a new partner or discontinue. If the MT program was losing money or not serving an important role in the university’s mission, it would make sense to discontinue it. But the contrary is true – the MT is both highly profitable and the largest single academic program at U5.
The CAGS program, although its contractor is still in place, has its own issues. With its enrollment low and showing no improvement, the program generates little to no profit for U5. As the sole U5 marketed DE program, CAGS would appear to either show a deficiency in the university’s ability to adequately market distance education, or reveal that the content of the CAGS program is not as desirable by students as U5’s other academic programs.
The profitable video teaching courses also may reveal an issue with U5’s marketing of DE programs. Since the video courses are generating 15 times the number of continuing education enrollments as the CAGS program, and they are marketed by the outgoing contractor that has successfully marketed the MT program, it would seem that this contractor has marketing skills in distance education that U5 lacks. In other words, the ability of the outgoing contractor to effectively market both the MT and the video courses may prove to be the most significant void to fill upon their leaving.
Strategy for change
The easiest change to make is to simply discontinue all of the distance education programs at U5. This would only require layoffs or reassignment of faculty and staff. Yet this strategy fails U5 in several ways: the university would lose its most popular program, the students who are in need of a distance education solution for these types of courses would be left with one less option, the income of the university will decrease sharply, and the stature of the university would likely be lessened. For these reasons, it is recommended that the DETC seek to implement the distance education courses in a new way.
The ultimate recommendation is to first, utilize the remaining months with the outgoing contractor to transfer as much marketing knowledge as possible, while simultaneously seeking a new partner, or possibly a new executive level hire, who can assist U5 in becoming a force in the marketing of distance education programs. Second, U5 should transition the MT and video courses into online offerings, utilizing the CAGS partner for the LMS. Finally, the new distance education arm of the university, with its experience in converting hybrid courses to online, and effectively marketing them, should then work to implement online alternatives to some of the most popular courses, and eventually programs, offered by U5.
To implement this change, it is proposed that the DETC utilize Kotter’s (1996) eight stage process for creating major change (p. 20). Luckily, the university has already begun the first two stages: establishing urgency and forming a guiding coalition. To improve upon what the university has already done, though, it is suggested that U5 clearly explain to both staff and students that the loss of the university’s partner is not a crisis, but a welcome opportunity. Now the university can become a leader in the field of DE, instead of just a dabbler. Likewise, to improve upon the guiding coalition, the DETC, it is recommended that at least two more members be added – one with true authority, such as the new president, and one who has significant experience with distance education.
Next, the DETC would formulate and promulgate a clear and straightforward vision for the university’s DE program in which it has the faculty and staff with the skills to market and create world-class distance education courses. Kotter (1996) recommends that this vision be imaginable, desirable, feasible, focused, flexible, and communicable (p. 72). The DETC must ensure that this new vision will be one that does not seek to simply prop up those who are supporters of DE, but one that can be supported by those faculty members and staff who fear that DE will diminish their jobs.
Once the vision is clear, the faculty members and staff must feel empowered to make the vision a reality. One way to make this happen is to create a new structure in which distance education is not a separate part of the university, but one in which it crosses the spectrum of the university’s departments. So the distance education marketing staff will work with the traditional education staff, the distance education faculty will be a part of the traditional education faculty, and the DE support staff will be members of the traditional support staff. In this way, if a particular DE program becomes popular, it is a success for all faculty members and staff, not just the “DE” staff and instructors. Kotter (1996) explains that an organization’s structure can either undermine or empower the vision for change (p. 105). So in order to effectively create a world-class DE program at U5, it will take the ideas, efforts, and skills of U5’s entire organization.
Early in the change process, the university must reach certain short term goals to ensure that the staff remains excited and energized about the path to fully changing the DE program at U5. Each sector must be able to clearly understand what goal(s) they are striving for both short and long term, as set by the DETC. As an example, for the marketing staff, the short term “win” could be the complete and successful transition of marketing operations from the outgoing contractor to the in-house marketing staff. Additional “wins” for the marketing staff could be the enrollment of the 1000 student since the transition or the graduation of the 1000 student since the transition.
As was already discussed, the transition of the MT program and the video courses to online courses, as well as the strengthening of the marketing team, are not the only changes that should be implemented by the DETC. The implementation of online alternatives to some of the most popular U5 courses (and eventually U5’s popular programs) should be the next change emphasis that should be tackled by the DETC. Finally, by infiltrating the entire university with DE programs, the changes sought by the DETC should be embedded in the U5 culture.
Leadership style
U5 will need leadership, not management, to create the changes proposed within this action plan. As Kotter (1990) explains, unlike managers, leaders “prepare organizations for change and help them cope as they struggle through it”, which is exactly what the DETC must do (p. 3). While there are several theories of leadership, this plan suggests that the DETC employs a Participative style in the mode of Likert (1967). In this leadership style, the DETC members must implement participative methods, such as encouraging staff at all levels of the university to take part in decision-making. The intention of this style is that the U5 staff and faculty members will grow closer at a psychological, allowing everyone to work towards a unified goal.
Conclusion
With the ever-growing popularity of distance education, this crisis has become U5’s opportunity to develop a new methodology for sustaining profitable distance education programs, while continuing to offer exemplary traditional programs of study, thus fulfilling the U5 mission to “advance and educate both youth and adults so that they can become better people.”
References
Kotter, J. P. (1996). Leading change. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
Kotter, J. P. (1990). What Leaders Really Do. Best of Harvard Business Review (2001). Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. Retrieved June 2010 from http://cursos.puc.cl/eaa100a-4/almacen/1268702262_cvelascp_sec1_pos0.pdf.
Likert, R. (1967). The human organization: Its management and value. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.