Managing Telecommunications
edited by
Olumuyiwa Arowosafe and Mary Lu Epps
In Chapter 1, Teaching via Telecommunications, themes critical within the framework of distance education related to focusing on the student, humanizing the environment, organizing and planning in advance, being competent and comfortable with the technology, and evaluating success and correction deficiencies. In Chapter 2, Learning via Telecommunications, relevant themes included learner-centered learning, student interaction, authentic learning of higher order thinking skills, and outside resources. Consideration and inclusion of these themes related to teaching and learning via telecommunications within a successful telecommunications program require management and administration of the program: successful teaching and learning within the world of telecommunications necessitate proper management and administration of the telecommunications environment.
A close look at this environment reveals that the management of telecommunications programs appears to occur at two levels: micro-management and macro-management. In addition, the administration and management of telecommunications requires successful planning, development, communication, and technical skills (Schrum, 1996; Thach and Murphy, 1994).
Micro-management
Micro-management involves the day-to-day decisions regarding projects, budget, equipment, training, personnel. There are many diverse but related issues that managers deal with on a routine basis which include needs assessment to identify target learners, ensuring adequate infrastructure and technical support, identifying key personnel, awareness of changes brought on by telecommunications and resistance to those changes, and acting as an advocate in the community and with upper management (Harasim, et al., 1995).
Moore's editorial presents several guidelines for managing a distance education program to include awareness of issues involving reorganization caused by change, awareness of the role of distance learning in the business community, learner support, and curriculum design issues. Again, these are diverse yet related issues (Moore, 1996).
Micro-managing such diverse, individual issues is time consuming and could possibly result in decisions counter-productive to the overall intent of learning through telecommunications; these concerns should be made clear to those involved such as the stakeholders in the telecommunications project.
Macro-management
Macro-management involves the structure and process which provides direction and purpose to the organization and serves as the basis for micro-management decisions. Macro-managing, the effective coordination of all components to achieve a common purpose, requires an overall guiding plan, usually referred to as a strategic plan. Such strategic planning is often overlooked in the haste to get a project off the ground, yet such planning is most important because it sets the foundation for all action decisions (Willis, 1994).
In addition, macro-managing requires the consideration of the stakeholders involved with the telecommunications environment. The stakeholders include the learners, the teachers, the administrators, the managers, and the community involved and affected by the telecommunications program.
Planning
Management and administration of a distance education course require many areas to be taken care of at the onset of the project to insure a successful project. One of the most important areas to be considered is planning which should be done before the course begins. When planning, have a team approach that pays attention to all areas of consideration for the course. Take time to design the project properly and start out with a small successful project, before beginning a huge undertaking. Provide communication methods between the distant students and the instructor. Have a support staff that works well together as a team to create a successful course for everyone involved.
When taking the time to design and plan the telecommunications project, administrators and managers should remember that teachers can be impatient to see the DE system at work. Sometimes the design is not complete. Because the DE environment is filled with modern technology, planning teaching strategies well ahead and spending time designing instruction will increase the chances for success. The management of distance learning systems must be strategic in anticipating and overcoming the challenges to the enterprise. Murgatroyd and Woudstra (1989) caution that distance educators cannot take for granted that their mandate is inviolate. "Success will require a plan and a clear sense of purpose" (p. 8).
Moore and Kearsley (1996) provide a good outline for administering a distance education (DE) program which includes planning as one of the first tasks of management. Such planning is strategic to the success of a program and involves numerous steps: developing a mission and goals, balancing those goals with an existing budget, needs assessment, tracking technology and anticipated budget for the future. This planning should take place before a DE program is implemented. In addition, consideration must be given to the faculty and staff involved with the program. Adequate training for the faculty and staff in the technology and preparation for use of multiple technologies are necessary as an important part of staff support. It is also critical for the success of a DE program that faculty obtain benefits or rewards for participation (Thach & Murphy, 1994).
The planning process provides a systematic approach to the management and administration of the telecommunications environment to be carried out by a committee of stakeholders, those individuals who have an interest in the organization. When this process is carried out by the stakeholders and the results are a consensus of the group, the plan reflects the needs of a broad group and has a higher chance of success than if a single manager wrote the plan (Brody, 1995; Willis, 1994). This plan provides for the development of the structure and process for decision making about issues pertaining to personnel, budget, projects, and evaluation.
Development
The development of a telecommunications project must address the mission of the program, a needs assessment for the program, goals and action plans for the program, budgeting for the program, and evaluation of the program. To insure that the distance learning system develops in maximally beneficial ways, it must be recognized as being consistent with and supportive of the culture and mission of all parts of the institution. Albrecht and Bardsley (1994) state that a clearly stated mission statement demonstrating that the institution has placed distance learning in its mission objectives is essential for success of the distance learning initiative.
The mission statement of a telecommunications program is a broad, visionary statement about the purpose of the program. This leads into statements of guiding principles which address the beliefs of the stakeholders involved which are in turn clearly addressed in a statement of goals for the telecommunications program. In addition, as a part of the development of the telecommunications program, management and administration address actions plans which address the goals of the program and expressly state who is going to do what to achieve that goal and how.
One area that many times is overlooked in managing a telecommunications program is the allocation of a budget. Using the most efficient and necessary technology sometimes leads to an over extension of the allocated budget, although a slightly less efficient technology is available at a much reduced cost. In the management of a distance learning system, it is imperative that educators approach the task from a decidedly business orientation. Management of distance learning systems must be strategic in anticipating and overcoming the challenges to the enterprise. As a means of addressing these concerns, budgeting is an essential part of the management and administration of a telecommunications project. Delivering the best quality education at the least cost while serving areas unserved by others are important concerns for any telecommunications project (Murgatroyd and Woustra, 1989). By addressing the issue of availability of funds, the administrators and developers of DE programs can make better decisions regarding new courses, changing existing courses, hiring new instructors, and purchasing technology. Although the ideal DE course would be created if we had access to unlimited resources, this is most often not the case, so using the available funds to maximize the quality of the telecommunications program is the most appropriate action.
Before proceeding with management and administration, an assessment of how much support is available needs to be made. Then the type and extent of the telecommunications-based program can be planned (Moore, 1996). This involves targeting who the learners are, what their needs might be, what is available at present and what is needed to meet the needs of these learners. A needs assessment should also include consideration for the other stakeholders within the program such as the teachers and the support and training they will need. Relevance is essential to distance learning success; the needs of the stakeholders must be met (W. A. van Schoor, 1992).
Concerns about evaluation relate to the service and to the needs of the system which should be clearly identified (Pearson, 1989; Stratford, 1995). Management and administration of telecommunications programs must include within the program development provision for evaluation which gives all of the stakeholders involved a method or methods by which they may determine if the goals and the mission of the telecommunications program have been met (Brody, 1995; Willis, 1994).
Communications and Technical Skills
Communications and technical skills are crucial for professionals working in distance education. The top three competencies for these professionals are interpersonal communications skills, planning skills, and collaboration/teamwork (Murphy and Thach, 1994). Administration and management must address the communications and technical skills needed by the learners and the teachers in order to develop a successful telecommunications program. Planning for technology systems and telecommunications programs must include a realistic solution for communication and technical support. The larger the network, the larger the technical staff required to maintain the system (Weiss, 1996).
Lack of communication and lack of technical support prevent teachers and learners from using technology to its full potential. Teachers report that having someone available on campus, at all times, to help troubleshoot technical problems and answer questions makes a big difference in how technology is used in the classroom. "The essential link for empowering all teachers with the ability to make effective use of technology is someone in every school dedicated, full-time, to technology" (Pearson, 1995). When help is not immediately available, technical problems consume valuable instructional time and learners may become discouraged and frustrated. This issue is so important that many state and federal grant programs are now requiring schools seeking funding for technology to set aside 30 - 40 % of funds for training, technical support, and maintenance. Access to immediate technical support is crucial to the successful implementation of technology into educational programs.
Management and administration via telecommunications is an involved and complicated process that should be addressed with time and expertise dedicated to both the macro-management and the micro-management along with the administration of the telecommunications program. When proper management and administration of a telecommunications project provides for strategic planning, project development, communication, and technical skills, a successful, dynamic program is the result.
References:
Albrecht, R., & Bardsley, G. (1994). Strategic planning and academic planning for distance education. In B. Willis (Ed.)., Distance education: Strategies and tools (pp. 67-85). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications.
Brody, P. J. (1995). Technology planning and management handbook. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications.
Harasim, L., Hiltz, S. R., Teles, L., & Turoff, M. (1995). Learning networks: A field guide to teaching and learning online. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
Moore, M. G. (1996). Editorial: Tips for the manager setting up a distance education program. The American Journal of Distance Education, 10(1), 1-5.
Moore, M. G., & Kearsley, G. (1996). Distance education: A systems view. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Murgatroyd, S., & Woudstra, A. (1989). Issues in the management of distance education. The American Journal of Distance Education, 3(1), 4-19.
Pearson, V. W. (1989). Critical factors considered in the planning for the administration and implementations of long distance interactive video instruction. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK.
Pearson, K. (1994). Empowering teachers for technology. The Computing Teacher. 22 (1), 70-71.
Schrum, L. (1996, March). Teaching at a distance: Strategies for successful planning and development. Learning and Leading with Technology . 6, 30-33.
Thach, L., & Murphy, K. L. (1994). Collaboration in distance education: From local to international perspectives. The American Journal of Distance Education, 8(3), 5-21.
van Schoor, W. A. (1992). Institutional relevance in distance education: the role of strategic planning. Paper presented at the 16th World Conference of the Council for Distance Education, Bangkok, Thailand. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. HE 026 340).
Weiss, A. M. (1996). SYSTEM 2000: If you build it, can you manage it? Phi Delta Kappan, 77 (6), 408-415.
Willis, B. (Ed.). (1994). Distance education strategies and tools. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications.