Norah Jones and Alice Lau
The aim of this paper is to explore e‐learning’s potential as a change agent for higher education using an e‐learning project, E‐College Wales (ECW), as a case study. E‐College…
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to explore e‐learning’s potential as a change agent for higher education using an e‐learning project, E‐College Wales (ECW), as a case study. E‐College Wales was a large scale, four‐year, longitudinal project which provided a good opportunity to evaluate the potential of e‐learning as an institution‐wide change agent in higher education practices. The findings of this case study are reported via the five dimensions for sustainable implementation of e‐learning, namely learning and teaching, organisation, technology, culture, and strategy and management. The methodology used was qualitative and the data collection methods included interviews and focus groups with the tutors and management of the University at both the beginning and the end of the project. These included looking at their attitudes in their own teaching and learning practice, as well as the way e‐learning was managed as part of the University’s strategy, in order to compare their expectations with what they experienced. The findings from the ECW project showed that e‐learning triggered some initial but vital changes to the University – such as pedagogical discussion that has long been absent – and introduced a more student‐centred learning model, new organisational structure and procedures to support technology‐enhanced learning, and a clear vision and culture that are more responsive to change.
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Michael J. Schill and Elizabeth Shumadine
This case examines the April 2007 decision of British music company EMI to suspend its annual dividend as the company struggled to respond to the effect of digital audio…
Abstract
This case examines the April 2007 decision of British music company EMI to suspend its annual dividend as the company struggled to respond to the effect of digital audio distribution on its core business. The EMI case is intended to serve as an engaging introduction to corporate financial policy and themes in managing the right side of the balance sheet. The case contrasts EMI's storied success with artists such as the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Pink Floyd, and Norah Jones with its recent inability to succeed in financial markets. In light of takeover threats and restructuring costs, EMI's CFO Martin Stewart must recommend EMI's dividend policy.
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Norah Jones, Esyin Chew, Catherine Jones and Alice Lau
Using the analogy of e‐learning as “the perfect storm”, the aim of this paper is to explore the disruptive nature of e‐learning in higher education.
Abstract
Purpose
Using the analogy of e‐learning as “the perfect storm”, the aim of this paper is to explore the disruptive nature of e‐learning in higher education.
Design/methodology/approach
Taking a case study of a university, the paper explores the movement from an e‐intensive approach to e‐learning into an on‐campus blended learning approach. What are the lessons for higher education and how responsive are we to the new challenges. Is blended learning creating a new stability after change, or is it placing the university in the eye of the storm, a still small moment within an ongoing change process?
Findings
The paper presents findings from the E‐College Wales (ECW) project, looking at the disruptive effect on such a learning organisation from student, staff and management perspectives. It concludes by moving the focus from the e‐intensive ECW project to focus on the developments during the first year of a blended learning project and the disruption endemic in such a development
Originality/value
The paper will be of special interest to the blended learning policy maker, practitioners and educators. It includes a journey of a case study concerning blended learning.
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There has been unprecedented change in education in the last decade since the 1988 Education Reform Act (ERA), and there is little doubt that these changes in education are…
Abstract
There has been unprecedented change in education in the last decade since the 1988 Education Reform Act (ERA), and there is little doubt that these changes in education are causing profound shifts in the nature of the headteacher’s role. This paper investigates the role of the primary headteacher and is based on empirical evidence from experienced primary headteachers, all working in schools in one of the South Wales Valleys. There are three qualitative methods used to gather data: participant observation, interviews and Repertory Grids. The results from the empirical data reveal many changes in the role of the primary head; the most significant of the changes is an increase in management activities. The changes do not support the view that an increase in management leads to a deprofessionalisation; the core values of the primary head remain rooted in their philosophies of education. The results support the view that there is a changing management agenda, a new professional emerging, a New Public Management where the head manages but retains the core education sector values and visions.
Norah Jones, Arthur Morgan and David Turner
Existing quality assurance arrangements do not consider the variations in design and delivery opportunities offered through the utilisation of emerging technologies and its…
Abstract
Existing quality assurance arrangements do not consider the variations in design and delivery opportunities offered through the utilisation of emerging technologies and its application in non‐traditional forms of educational arrangements. One particular form of delivery, aided by technology, is on‐line delivery, either to the workplace or the home. This mode offers considerable significance for developing the role and principles of work‐based learning in providing a much broader population the opportunity to participate in higher education. This article reviews the development of the online E‐College and its role in work‐based learning with particular focus on the arrangements for quality assurance.
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To remain globally competitive, there is increasing pressure for universities to incorporate a greater use of technology and innovation into their curriculum. In response, many…
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To remain globally competitive, there is increasing pressure for universities to incorporate a greater use of technology and innovation into their curriculum. In response, many higher education institutions have adopted a blended learning approach, which combines traditional face‐to‐face delivery with online teaching resources, to deliver course content. At Victoria University this is now policy and all units offered by the University are required to have an online presence by the first semester of 2009. Our first‐year core accounting unit is taught in Australia and overseas locations including Hong Kong, Malaysia and Beijing. There are a number of variations of how this blending occurs and the extent to which it is used may be influenced by a number or factors. These include the technical skills and time allocation of the teaching staff, professional IT support, student motivation, internet speed and access, explicit connection to assessment, and ease of use for assessment tasks. Some of these issues were addressed when this unit was moved to the online learning platform of WebCT. This paper documents the design and implementation of e‐assessment and online resources in this introductory accounting unit and monitors its impact on learning outcomes.
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Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.
Abstract
Purpose
Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.
Design/methodology/approach
This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.
Findings
The article offers some interesting insights into a comparatively new approach to teaching, without coming to any definitive conclusions. It will probably come as a relief to many readers to see that limits to the value of e‐teaching have been observed.
Practical implications
Provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.
Originality/value
The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy‐to‐digest format.
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The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the issues surrounding the implementation of an online reading list system at the University of Glamorgan.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the issues surrounding the implementation of an online reading list system at the University of Glamorgan.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper reports on an implementation project, using Talis List, which took place between November 2005 and March 2006.
Findings
The project itself was a success, with the target number of reading lists made available being exceeded. As with any new system, the development of the processes involved in its day‐to‐day running can be unpredictable. Workflows did not develop as anticipated; the ways in which reading lists were collected from academics varied, as did the styles of the lists themselves. Some issues were encountered around linking to electronic resources and embedding the system into the university's virtual learning environment (VLE).
Originality/value
This paper will be of value to those interested in the development and use of online reading lists.
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The Library of the University of Leeds, at the invitation of the Nuffield Foundation, carried out a survey of the borrowing use made of it by the staff, research students, and…
Abstract
The Library of the University of Leeds, at the invitation of the Nuffield Foundation, carried out a survey of the borrowing use made of it by the staff, research students, and undergraduates of the university during the calendar year 1957, and a report on this survey was published in the Journal of Documentation in March 1959. The results were of value in showing in great detail what demands were made upon the library's stock by different groups of borrowers; it did not show how much use was made of the library for reading on the premises, or how much users of the University Library were able to draw upon external or private resources. The statistics for borrowing showed that undergraduate students ranged fairly widely in their borrowing, and that, for example, many of them made good use of the periodicals in their fields of studies, but it also showed that many of them borrowed from the university libraries only once or twice in a year, or not at all. What other resources had these students? How much did they read and work in the library without borrowing, and how much did they depend upon outside libraries, upon private borrowing, and upon their own book buying? Evidently a more comprehensive account of students' use of the library was needed to show the relative importance of the various means at the student's disposal in his need for books.