CNIE
CNIE Program: Concurrent Sessions
Organizational Models in Dual Mode: Is the Agenda of Distance Education in Jeopardy?
Abstract
Information and communication technologies are changing the nature of teaching and learning in both traditional campus-based and distance education institutions. Dual mode institutions are responding with organizational changes that are resulting in the merging of distance education and educational technology support.
This presentation argues that the emergence of new organizational units in dual mode higher education institutions that focus on technology support for campus-based learning is overshadowing the support that has been provided for distance education students. Institutional priorities for campus based e-learning are undermining the distance education mandate in dual mode institutions. Furthermore, emphasizing the needs of on-campus students has contributed to a lack of understanding of the distinct needs of distance learners.
The presentation analyzes the impact of organizational change on DE mandates and operations at the institutional level in five higher education institutions, four in Canada (the University of British Columbia, the British Columbia Institute of Technology, the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, and the Vancouver Community College), and one in Mexico (TEC de Monterrey). It argues that, to varying degrees, the social agenda of distance education could be in jeopardy in each of these institutions and that institutions need to design strategies to respond to the needs of distance learners in the 21st Century.
