Critical Success Factor No.1
DEFINE YOUR VALUE PROPOSITION
Any college contemplating to start offering Distance Learning (DL) must first establish how it intends to manage the "distance" in DL.
It is important to be aware that "distance" is the number one problem a distance learner hopes to overcome. He or she desires to enjoy the benefits of full-time and on-campus learning but circumstances of commitments to work, family or business are a hinderance. The student has the choice to look at the different colleges promising to deliver the training to where he or she is. When decided the student will exhange money with the value of benefits being promised.
All forms of business are grounded on this fundamental principle that a customer is exchanging their money for a value promised to them.Trouble begins when the the seller of a product or service doesn't actually possess the value they are proposing to the client. I believe a number of colleges and universities in Zambia are caught up in this trap. I call it "trap" because many such institutions actually do not accurately know the real underlying cause of various bottlenecks they experience in managing their distance learning departments, and as long as there is ignorance of a critical success factor in a business process, failure is inevitable. There is no recovery without discovery!
Here it is, for an institution to succeed in effectively managing its Distance Learning unit it must define its value proposition to the prospective students. A value proposition must not be an academic paper exercise, it should be a result of a truthful well thought-through strategy. The starting point should be understanding features that characterise on-campus learning and later strategising on how the same features can be incorporated in DL.
On-campus learning is characterised by various benefits which include:
It is important to be aware that "distance" is the number one problem a distance learner hopes to overcome. He or she desires to enjoy the benefits of full-time and on-campus learning but circumstances of commitments to work, family or business are a hinderance. The student has the choice to look at the different colleges promising to deliver the training to where he or she is. When decided the student will exhange money with the value of benefits being promised.
All forms of business are grounded on this fundamental principle that a customer is exchanging their money for a value promised to them.Trouble begins when the the seller of a product or service doesn't actually possess the value they are proposing to the client. I believe a number of colleges and universities in Zambia are caught up in this trap. I call it "trap" because many such institutions actually do not accurately know the real underlying cause of various bottlenecks they experience in managing their distance learning departments, and as long as there is ignorance of a critical success factor in a business process, failure is inevitable. There is no recovery without discovery!
Here it is, for an institution to succeed in effectively managing its Distance Learning unit it must define its value proposition to the prospective students. A value proposition must not be an academic paper exercise, it should be a result of a truthful well thought-through strategy. The starting point should be understanding features that characterise on-campus learning and later strategising on how the same features can be incorporated in DL.
On-campus learning is characterised by various benefits which include:
- Direct interaction with trainers and peers. Such a collaborative atmposhere is information-rich and naturally enriches a student's learning experience.
- Interactive feedback. When a student hasn't understood an explanation by a lecturer he or she can pose a question and get immediate feedback. Other follow-up questions can be asked and other students can particpate in the discussion.
- Readily available guidance in practical subjects. It is a great experience to actually be in a workshop and perform hands-on tasks. Your supervisor or lecturer is readily available to guide you in performing your work.
- Heads of departments. These officers supervise the day-to-day training activities. They ensure lecturers deliver training as scheduled. They ensure lecturers give tests to students on specified dates. Furthermore, they ensure tests are marked and results released on scheduled times. Heads of departments also provide information on exam-registration matters. A student with a question or an exam-related query can easily go to the head of department in person. In all this we see that the office of head of department gives students a sense of certainty regarding their information needs (of course different organisations have different operational structures but the important matter being addressed here is the existence of a role for coordinating various academic activities of a programme or sets of programmes).
Now, no instituion can effectively deliver DL until it has very clear answers on how it intends to enable a distance learner experience the above benefits away from campus! A Learning Management System - such as Moodle, Blackboard or Astria - is what is needed to manage the distance in DL. Learning Management Systems present an opportunity for a college to propose great value to a prospective student. The Zambian Open University (ZAOU), for example, truly lives upto its motto of being a "university without walls". All a ZAOU student needs is a laptop with an Internet connection and learning materials and interaction with fellow classmates will be a click away. What is most fascinating in all this is that an LMS such as Moodle is all free! It is an open source programme used by many renowned universities and organisations around the world.
Learning Management Systems virtualise a learning environment so that:
Learning Management Systems virtualise a learning environment so that:
- A distance learner is able to electronically interact with trainers and peers. Learning Management Systems have portals for accessing lecture notes and have tools for embedding videos for visual illustrations.
- Learning Management Systems now have very intuitive interfaces equipped with chat facilities that are very similar to those of social media applications.
- Using virtualisation technologies, video illustrations, gaming applications, and simulations, can now enable a distance learner to follow through and practice a practical lesson.
- A student with a querry can easily message his ot her lecturer or head of department.
If I am work-engaged and do not have time to attend regular school surely I would be willing to pay for the value of enjoying the above benefits.
But, here is a paradox: there are institutions with a Learning Management System in place but yet fail to effeciently manage their distance learning business processes. Well, its not a paradox at all. In my next blog post I talk about Critical Success Factor number 2 - Aligning your LMS strategy to your business strategy.
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ReplyDeleteIf I can analyze your points in the first paragraph, it appears that you have missed out on some of point that the Authors has brought out on the use of LSM in distance learning. You will agree with that he has not just talked about the great benefits of e-learning per say but also alluded the importance of on- campus learning which still leaves a gap of putting in place measures that will allow learning to take place despite the distance. Believe me you, technology has advanced to point that even on campus student can download tutorials even when they don't do distance learning. Lets appreciate this art its just the matter of ensuring privacy, accuracy, property rights and accessibility to data and information kept.
Deletea). with regards to the blog, i agree that Distance Learning can only be a success if learners are able to obtain the benefits listed which o-compass students obtain such as interactive feedback and interaction with peers. The provision of an intuitive interface makes learning interesting and easy. it is also indeed an advantage for working classes. (b). students benefit from these learning platforms because they are separated from the teacher by geographical space and time for the whole or part-time program using technology to bridge the instructional gap.(Wilis,2001). This is helpful for learners as recorded suitable packaged lessons and learning materials makes learning effective. This also leads to access to data and more computing skills. when implementing a learning management system, the computer ethics should be a priority.(wiener,1948). the proposed ethics abbreviated as (PAPA) are a priority in this case. the first "P" for privacy ensures proper way of of protecting students data from intrusion. accuracy comes in by ensuring correctness i record keeping of students performance and other data. besides, accessibility is also important in implementing the learning management system for purpose of students having the ability to access data.however, PAPA just so important that it promise security accessibility accuracy and a sense of belonging for students to enjoy the learning platforms such as moodle and Astria. LAIZER JERE.
ReplyDeleteLaizer, would you agree with IF I say that Distance learning is only good for working class? Look, if an individual applied for a course on full time base I think this system has no great benefits because they are usually found in class having lectures on a face- face interactions with instructors on scheduled time which and this can also allows them to do things of their own aside from school assignments, engagements in co-curricular activities.
DeleteFor undergraduate, I think this LMS system does not have great benefits to do practical experience no matter the number advantages it has. The student needs hands on experience. e.g. a Teacher student.
With reference to the author's article. The tremendous improvement in information and communication technology increase in the use of internet brought lots of opportunities to different fields and especially to instructional technologies.Based on these new technologies , learning environment are able to provide a wide range of educational alternatives for learner's.Distance learning is of these alternatives which has become attractive where students and instructors are physically in different location and time (Ozkul,2003). By using distance learning tools, education can be more flexible with respect to place and time constraint.As widely known, distance learning is costly and cost effectiveness become more important as the institution become large of people for the least cost. (b)Learning management system are an integral part of the e-learning design and development process, e-learning tools enable learning designers to make content interactive. Each learner has unique preference and learning goals, it makes it possible to carter individual needs. It allows learners to choose their learning path and navigate at their own pace. LMS , provides unlimited access to e-learning materials, once you upload e-learning course materials onto the LMS and publish them,students have unlimited access to the information they need.Learning management system provides a centralized cloud based platform, updating existing content is comparatively easy. The PAPA model is the massive use of computer science and information technology in the business world and other institutions has brought many ethical issues and concern.Privacy means the right to be free from secret and to determine whether one's personal or the college information is to be revealed.The privacy Act 1988 regulates how personal information is handled.Privacy is very important aspect when implementing learning management system platforms in learning institutions because of growth of information technology with its capacity of computing and data security.Accuracy, accurate information is error-free, complete and relevant to the decision that are based on it. Learning management system should be safeguarded when its been implemented such as controls audits are necessary to maintain information accuracy.Property is one of the most complex issue faced as a society is the question of intellectual property rights.The right to property is largely secured in the legal domain and it concern ownership of information or who it belongs to. The concept of intellectual property is related to both law and ethics. Accessibility deals with authority and right to obtain learner's data and the type of information one should have access to. The issue of accessibility relates both to the technology and the learner from which the data is derived. E-learning environment require policies balancing different expectations of participants and considering how the user perceive ethics during online learning. BANJI BOKA.
ReplyDeleteI wish to take this opportunity to agree with you based on the fact that LMS has indeed improved the quality of learning in an effective and efficient way to impact knowledge , skills and attitudes in students. It is true it has brought about improved educational mode of learning that allows individuals learn at their own pace with different technological instructions that facilitates learning. And also learners can access a variety of information. But it is very important that not to over look the fact that there should proper accessibility to the data and information kept at a convenient time.
DeleteDefinitely there is always something that will prompt an institution like a college or university even a business firm to go about to implement an on- line management system to address the issues of distance as to accommodate its clients and continue offering quality services. I do agree with the author on the point where he emphasized the trap that most institutions find themselves in due to negligence and lack of consistency to maintain integrity in handling and managing information of its clients especially when it comes to accuracy of information kept, how to access it, the surety if it’s not exposed to third parties and who is responsible of handling the data kept. Digital Learning enables learners acquire knowledge, skills and attitudes as well the instructors to facilitate learning outside classroom situation and most materials are readily made available to learners with different multimedia options (audio, visual, text etc.) to allow learners have an interactive way of learning and learn at their own pace.
ReplyDeleteHowever, this powerful tool of ICTs should not in any way eliminate the role of an instructor who must involve a number of teaching and learning strategies and methods to ensure learning has taken place. A lot has to fall in place for the institution to effectively and efficiently achieve its educational goals as outlined in their curriculum.
Most, if not, ethical fundamental principles are usually overlooked by most institution providing services and products using these systems. I`m in total support with the author of this article based on the facts that he has not only focused on the good side or factors leading to the implementation of these systems but he also mentioned the drawbacks if certain measures are not put in place like there should be acceptance of the potential costs, duties, and obligations for the decisions you make on these systems as well the mechanisms are to be in place to determine who takes responsible action, and who is responsible and lastly, to extend the concept of responsibility further to the area of laws if individual have committed unlawful access to an information system they should be prosecuted in by the courts of law.
SIMEON LUNGU
Yes, LMS are beneficial to students for a number of reasons as stated earlier. However, With reference to the four ethical principles that address the social and ethical issues of information system in this case the PAPA an acronym that stands for Privacy, Accuracy, Property and Accessibility, You will discover that Digital Learning has a lot to do with privacy issues. This calls for serious attention to colleges implementing this art if it is to be beneficial to students because a lot of factors has to be considered as I will elaborate. Now, given an example of a LBTC College that handles information for students, there issues to do with tracking students and lecturers` computer use, managing their profile as well location tracking. All these are as a result of a key concept in sorting out a person`s expectation of privacy. By using the system, who is responsible for the authentication, fidelity and accuracy of information matters as well. Additionally, when it comes to property an issue which has to do with who owns the information and who controls access, an example of Astria Learning Management system (does the LBTC institution who bought the system fully controls and owns the system). Lastly, it is a concern of accessibility which has a lot to do with what information an organization have the right to collect and under what safeguards.
ReplyDeleteSo, I concluded to say, for as long as these fundamental principles are put in place there will be great benefits to enjoy using these learning management system based on distance learning.
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ReplyDeleteIn agreement with the article, an LMS helps in delivering and managing instructional content .some LMS identifying progress towards learning or training goals. Learning management systems possess a number of capabilities and resources which can be used as a basis of competitive advantage. Some LMS systems are capable of managing more than only eLearning competency and talent management.
ReplyDeleteAn LMS system is very much beneficial to a student in that, learners can access their eLearning environment from anywhere, at any time, at their own pace and without draining additional company resources or incurring travel expenses.it can also be said to be beneficial in the provision of information of student assignments, quiz etc., manage the information of students, increases the efficiency of managing the course for student.
Following the PAPA model what every college has to consider when implementing an LMS system is privacy which mainly has to do with security e.g. logging in details ,the other aspect is accuracy of data that is to be captured and corrected into the system is of great concern. There are also issues to do with access, where questions like “who has access to the data that’s collected”? Lastly, issues of ownership and this refers to property. TITAMENJI NJOBVU