Uys, P.M. (2000). Towards the Virtual Class: Key Management Issues in Tertiary Education. Unpublished PhD thesis, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Available online: http://www.globe-online.com/philip.uys/phdthesis

 

TOWARDS THE VIRTUAL CLASS:

KEY MANAGEMENT ISSUES IN TERTIARY EDUCATION

 

 

 

by

 

 

Philippus Marthinus Uys

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Victoria University of Wellington

2000


 

TOWARDS THE VIRTUAL CLASS:

KEY MANAGEMENT ISSUES IN TERTIARY EDUCATION

 

by

 

Philippus Marthinus Uys

 

 

 

 

A thesis

submitted to the Victoria University of Wellington

in fulfilment of the

requirements for the degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

in Communications

 

 

 Victoria University of Wellington

2000

 


 

ABSTRACT

 

This study set out to identify what the key management issues are when implementing the virtual class within conventional tertiary education in New Zealand. It endeavoured to do this by establishing how the implementation of the virtual class infrastructure as well as the operations of the virtual class within conventional tertiary education are to be managed.

 

The expression “virtual class” as used in this study refers to the phenomenon of a class based on Internet and Intranet technologies, called networked education.

 

The action research approach that was followed, used the implementation of networked education at Wellington Polytechnic as its primary case study.

 

The outcome of this study is embodied in a set of heuristics as a tentative model for managing the implementation of the virtual class infrastructure in conventional tertiary education as well as in a description of a new tentative educational management paradigm for the virtual class, called networked educational management.

 

In this research it will further be suggested that the diffusion of innovation theory of Everett Rogers (1983), which proposes a bottom-up approach when the innovation emerges from outside senior management, needs to be augmented by a top-down component, which includes both senior and middle management for effective diffusion of the virtual class in conventional tertiary education.

 

This research questions whether conventional tertiary education is capable of adapting its management approaches and processes to the extent that is required for the effective and widespread use of the virtual class.

 

 

 

 

 

 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

 

There are many to whom I owe thanks for the encouragement, advice, inspiration and support that made this research possible.

 

To God, my heavenly Father who has given me everything I need for life and godliness through the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

 

To my wife Helene for her constant encouragement and sharing in the load of editing, working through and completing this thesis.

 

To my children, Marike, Comien, Hanli and Christiaan, for their support and patience.

 

To my father and mother, Chris and Retha Uys, and my father-in-law and mother in-law, Neels and Molly Meiring, for their encouragement and care.

 

To my principal supervisor, Emeritus Prof John Tiffin, and second supervisor, Dr Lalita Rajasingham, for their valuable critique, advice and availability.

 

To Dr Noel Bridgeman, Nick Zepke and Alison Viskovic for their collegial advice, input and critique on this research.

 

To Bob Bubendorfer, former president of Wellington Polytechnic, for sharing in the vision of networked education and for being the initial sponsor of the HYDI project.

 

To the HYDI team for the joint effort put into pioneering networked education at Wellington Polytechnic.

 

To the Wellington Polytechnic (now Massey University at Wellington) for permission and financial support to do this research.

 

I take full responsibility for any shortcomings in this research.

 

 

 

RELATED PUBLICATIONS AND PAPERS

 

A number of the interim research findings were explored by the author in publications and papers, which thus allowed for the findings of this study to be scrutinised and commented on by peers both nationally and internationally.

 

The details are:

 

Butterfield, S., Chambers M., Moseley, B., Prebble, T., Uys, P., Woodhouse, D. (1999). External quality assurance for the virtual institution. (AAU Series on Quality Number 4). Wellington, New Zealand: Academic Audit Unit.

 

Uys, P.M. (1999, July). Towards the Virtual Class: Technology Issues from a Fractal Management Perspective. Proceedings of the ED-MEDIA 99-World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia & Telecommunications. Seattle, USA: AACE

 

Uys, P.M. (1999, January). Towards the Virtual Class in Southern Africa: Vision, Myths and Realities. Keynote address presented at the Technology in Interactive Education (TIE) Conference, Durban, South Africa.

 

Uys, P.M. (1998). Towards the Virtual Class: On-line Hypermedia in Higher Education, 55-72. In Hazemi, R., Hailes, S. & Wilbur, S. (Eds). The Digital University: Reinventing the Academy. 55-72) London: Springer-Verlag.

 

Uys, P.M. (1998, April). New Educational Technology And The Global Village: Key Management Issues In Higher Education. Proceedings of Towards the Global University: Strategies for the Third Millennium Conference. Tours, France: University of Central Lancashire.


 

Uys, P.M. (1998, June). From Vision to Reality: The Development of Distributed On-line  Education  at Wellington Polytechnic. Proceedings of TFL '98 - New Dimensions in the Application of Technology for Education Conference. Palmerston North: Massey University

 

Uys, P.M. (1997, October). Towards the virtual class: trends in cyberspace education.

a) Paper presented at Virtual Technologies in Tertiary Education: A Vision for New

 Zealand Conference, Auckland, New Zealand

and in

b) Zepke, N. (Ed.). (1998) Connections, 47, Wellington, New Zealand.

 

Uys, P.M. (1997a, June). Managing a hypermedia courseware development project: dynamics and conclusions. Proceedings of 18th World International Council for Distance Education Conference. Pennsylvania: ICDE.

 

Uys, P.M. (1997b, June). Supporting cyber students over the Web: the on-line campus of Wellington  Polytechnic.  Proceedings of 18th World International Council for Distance Education Conference. Pennsylvania: ICDE.


 

DISCLAIMER

 

1. Victoria University of Wellington and its Council, its members, staff, employees, students and agents undertake no duty of care in contract, tort, or otherwise to users (whether direct or indirect) of this Ph.D. research report and make no warranties or representations of any kind whatsoever in relation to any of its contents.

 

2. The Ph.D. research report is only made available on the basis that all its users, whether direct or indirect, should take appropriate legal or other expert advice in relation to their own circumstances and should rely solely on their own judgment and such legal or other expert advise.

 

3. Under no circumstances will Victoria University of Wellington and its Council, its members, staff, employees, students or agents be liable in any way whatsoever, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), for the breach of any statutory or regulatory duty (to the fullest extent permissible by law), or otherwise, to any user (whether direct or indirect) of this Ph.D. research report for any loss or damage whatsoever arising directly or indirectly as a result of the use in any way of this

     Ph.D. research report.

 

4. Each exclusion in the clauses of this disclaimer or each protection given by the latter is to be construed as an exclusion or protection applying and surviving separately, even if for any reason whatsoever any of the exclusions or protections are held inapplicable in any circumstance.

 

 


 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

ABSTRACT..................................................................................................................... iii

Acknowledgments............................................................................................................ iv

Related Publications and Papers..................................................................................... v

Disclaimer....................................................................................................................... vii

List of Figures................................................................................................................ xiii

List of Tables................................................................................................................. xiii

 

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................... 1

1.1 Research Problem ...................................................................................................... 11

1.2 Objectives of this Study .............................................................................................. 13

1.3 Research Question ..................................................................................................... 14

1.4 Research Approach .................................................................................................... 15

 

 

 

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW.............................................................................................. 21

2.1 External Technological Environment ............................................................................ 21

2.2 External Socio-economic Environment ........................................................................ 27

2.3 Management Processes .............................................................................................. 35

2.3.1 Conventional Educational Management ............................................................. 36

2.3.2 New forms of Educational Management ............................................................ 36

2.4 Strategy ..................................................................................................................... 54

2.4.1 Educational reform ........................................................................................... 54

2.4.2 Implementing innovation..................................................................................... 58

2.4.3 Managing technological innovation .................................................................... 63

2.5 Roles and skills of individuals ...................................................................................... 65

2.6 Structure..................................................................................................................... 69

2.7 Technology ................................................................................................................ 71

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY......................................................................................................... 75

3.1 Action Research.......................................................................................................... 75

3.2 Rationale for using Action Research............................................................................. 77

3.3 Validity....................................................................................................................... 78

3.4 Research implementation............................................................................................. 84

 

CHAPTER 4

CYCLE 1 – TOWARDS THE VIRTUAL CLASS....................................................... 88

4.1 Plan............................................................................................................................ 89

4.2 Act and Observe......................................................................................................... 90

4.3 Reflection.................................................................................................................. 106

4.3.1 Managing the implementation of the virtual class infrastructure .......................... 107

4.3.2 Managing the operations of the virtual class ..................................................... 121

4.4 Conclusion................................................................................................................ 125

 

CHAPTER 5

CYCLE 2 – FIRST NETWORKED COURSE........................................................... 127

5.1 Plan.......................................................................................................................... 128

5.2 Act and Observe....................................................................................................... 129

5.3 Reflection.................................................................................................................. 147

5.3.1 Managing the implementation of the virtual class infrastructure ..................... 147

5.3.2 Managing the operations of the virtual class ................................................ 154

5.4 Conclusion................................................................................................................ 142

 

CHAPTER 6

CYCLE 3 - FIRST COMMERCIAL NETWORKED COURSES............................ 160

6.1 Plan.......................................................................................................................... 161

6.2 Act and Observe....................................................................................................... 163

6.3 Reflection.................................................................................................................. 171

6.3.1 Managing the implementation of the virtual class infrastructure .......................... 171

6.3.2 Managing the operations of the virtual class ..................................................... 177

6.4 Conclusion................................................................................................................ 179


 

CHAPTER 7

CYCLE 4 – NETWORKED EDUCATION IN OPERATION.................................. 182

7.1 Plan.......................................................................................................................... 183

7.2 Act and Observe....................................................................................................... 183

7.3 Reflection.................................................................................................................. 190

7.3.1 Managing the implementation of the virtual class infrastructure .......................... 190

7.3.2 Managing the operations of the virtual class ..................................................... 199

7.4 Conclusion................................................................................................................ 208

 

CHAPTER 8

MANAGING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE VIRTUAL CLASS INFRASTRUCTURE IN CONVENTIONAL TERTIARY EDUCATION ........................................................ 210  

8.1 Strategy.................................................................................................................... 213

8.2 Roles and Skills of Individuals.................................................................................... 219

8.3 Organizational Structure............................................................................................. 223

8.4 Technology............................................................................................................... 224

8.5 Augmenting Rogers' Diffusion Theory......................................................................... 226

 

CHAPTER 9

MANAGING THE OPERATIONS OF THE VIRTUAL CLASS: NETWORKED EDUCATIONAL MANAGEMENT......................................................................................................... 231 

9.1 Networking .............................................................................................................. 234

9.2 Student Focussed ..................................................................................................... 239

9.3 Globalisation ............................................................................................................ 242

9.4 Transitory ................................................................................................................. 243

9.5 Adaptability............................................................................................................... 245

9.6 Transcending Time ................................................................................................... 247

9.7 Market Orientation ................................................................................................... 248

9.8 Computer Mediation ................................................................................................ 251

9.9 Collaboration............................................................................................................ 253

9.10 Convergence .......................................................................................................... 255

9.11 Boundary Orientation ............................................................................................. 257

9.12 Information Based .................................................................................................. 259


 

CHAPTER 10

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ............................ 262

10.1 Managing the implementation of the virtual class infrastructure .................................. 264

10.2 Managing the operations of the virtual class ............................................................. 268

 

REFERENCES............................................................................................................. 272


APPENDICES............................................................................................................   304

Appendix 1 Draft Project Proposal.................................................................................. 304

Appendix 2 HYDI Presentation....................................................................................... 310

Appendix 3 Project HYDI: Progress Report 1................................................................. 313

Appendix 4 Proposed Change Process for Project HYDI................................................ 317

Appendix 5 Extract......................................................................................................... 318

Appendix 6 The Internet and Education: Possibilities and Challenges................................. 319

Appendix 7 Cycle 1: A Selection of E-Mail Messages...................................................... 324

Appendix 8 Memo: Report On USA Visits and Ed-Media Conference............................. 333

Appendix 9 Progress Report to SMG: March 1996......................................................... 339

Appendix 10 Progress Report to SMG: May 1996.......................................................... 340

Appendix 11 Cycle 2: A Selection of E-Mail Messages.................................................... 341

Appendix 12 New Media Group - Concept..................................................................... 356

Appendix 13 Cycle 3: A Selection of E-Mail Messages.................................................... 357

Appendix 14 Extracts From the Three-Year Plan 1998 - 2000 ....................................... 369

Appendix 15 Extracts From 1997 Performance Agreement.............................................. 373

Appendix 16 Evaluation Meeting..................................................................................... 374

Appendix 17 Discussion with Business Analyst................................................................. 377

Appendix 18 First Draft Guidelines and Regulations for On-Line Education...................... 379

Appendix 19 Position Outline.......................................................................................... 381

Appendix 20 Media Release............................................................................................ 383

Appendix 21 Invitation to Propose a Short On-Line Course for Web Delivery.................. 384

Appendix 22 Business Plan.............................................................................................. 385

Appendix 23 Memorandum: Your ‘Home’ for 1997 and Beyond..................................... 398

Appendix 24 Cycle 4: A Selection of E-Mail Messages.................................................... 400             


 

LIST OF FIGURES

           

Figure 1.1 Internet Growth.................................................................................................. 5 

Figure 1.2 Graphical Representation of this Research......................................................... 15 

Figure 1.3 MIT90’s Schema.............................................................................................. 20

Figure 2.1 The Innovation Adoption Curve........................................................................ 61

Figure 3.1 Action Research Process.................................................................................. 87 

Figure 5.1 Prototyping Development Methodology as used in this Study........................... 132 

Figure 5.2 Wellington Polytechnic On-line Campus positioning......................................... 140

Figure 9.1 Networked Educational Management.............................................................. 233 

 

 

LIST OF TABLES

 

Table 8.1 Heuristics of managing the implementation of the virtual class infrastructure in conventional tertiary education   213