MDDE 605: Planning and Management in Distance Education and Training

Delivery mode: Grouped study using Moodle

Credits: 3 - Core course

Prerequisites: Any other MEd course, and instructor's consent

Instructor Spring 2012: Roger Powley

Overview

Distance education professionals are eventually required to perform some form of management role within their organization.  This may include team leader, project manager, unit manager, production manager or programme director in either a public or private sector institution or company.   In some cases individuals may find themselves leading an existing DE organization or creating a new DE unit or company. 

These management roles require individuals to employ different skills and knowledge.  The aim of this course is to prepare students to plan, manage and successfully lead a distance education organization.

Course Goals

Upon completion of MDDE 605, you will be able to produce an implementation plan for the creation of a new distance education enterprise or distance training unit within an existing academic institution, corporate organization, or government department. The distance education implementation plan will:

1. Be founded in a specific business or educational opportunity that reflects the reality of the business expertise of the target organization.

2. Reflect the strategic direction of the target organization, and be founded in sound strategic planning.

3. Reflect an appropriate distance learning business structure.

4. Be financially viable and embrace the principles of effective financial planning.

5. Identify ways to measure business success.

6. Reflect sound leadership and management in the planning and implementation of the proposed distance learning enterprise.
   

Course Outline

MDDE 605 consists of six units.  Each unit builds upon the last.  Each unit consists of required readings, detailed overview, examples, unit discussions and self-directed questions/exercises to be completed based on the unit content.  The units are broken down into two or three lessons.  Each lesson has Supplementary Readings and reflective exercises.

Unit One explores the business planning process and it application in the creation or re-engineering of distance education organizations.  It discusses the different options for structuring a distance education organization and the types of products and services provided by a DE organization.  Finally this unit explores the potential for distance education and e-learning as a new business opportunity.

Unit Two will guide students through the completion of business analysis of a potential distance education opportunity.  The unit will prepare individuals to define a potential DE business opportunity and to conduct a market analysis and competitor analysis to determine the viability of the opportunity.  At the end of the unit you will be ready to produce a formal Business Analysis for a proposed DE enterprise.

Unit Three will examine the strategic planning process.   It will provide examples of effective vision, mission and value statements.  The unit will provide guidance on how to create effective strategic goals and objectives and it will discuss how to complete an environmental or SWOT analysis.  At the end of the unit you will begin the process of constructing a strategic planning document based on your earlier business proposal.

Unit Four describes the different sections of a business plan and how to relate it to your business analysis and strategic plan.  The unit will provide examples of how to project your potential sales and how to produce a work flow estimate that will help the planner identify the number of personnel required and the type of processes needed to implement to grow the business.  The unit will discuss the governance approach, the legal structure and the management requirements of the new business.  At the end of this unit students will begin to create a business plan.

Unit Five will describe how to calculate the cost of planning, implementation and operation of a distance education organization.  The unit will explain and give examples of liabilities, revenues, direct costs, indirect costs, capital expenses and annual operating expenses.  It will guide learners through the creation and interpretation of simple financial statements and discuss the concepts of financial management.  At the end of the unit you will begin the process of producing a financial plan to support the business plan started in Unit Four.

Unit Six will discuss the change management process as it applies to the planning and implementation of a distance education enterprise.  It will address issues of change and the requirement for effective leadership on the success of the distance education organization.  The unit will describe how to create a performance management process and how to use a balanced scorecard to measure the success of your proposed business.  At the end of the unit you will complete and submit the final business plan.

Student Evaluation

Everyone will be required to complete a course project consisting of three related assignments, each structured around the completion of two units of instruction.  The assignments will build upon one another.  As learners complete one assignment they are expected to make modifications based on the feedback from the instructor and to continue to build on their next assignment based on the previous one.   The assignments will consist of the creation of business proposal, the creation of strategic plan based on the proposal and the production of a business plan to implement the distance education organization.

• Assignment 1 —Produce a Business Proposal for a DE Organization
  Course Weight: 25%

• Assignment 2 —Produce a Distance Education Strategic Plan
  Course Weight: 30%

• Assignment 3 —Create a Distance Education Business Plan and Financial Plan
  Course Weighting: 35%

• Active participation in discussions
  Course Weighting: 10%

Course Materials

• Online study guide and readings

• Text: Norlin,  E. M., &  Travis,T. A. (2008).  E-Learning and business plans: National and international case studies.  Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecrow Press Inc.
  

Get Started Early

Access to the Learning Management System, Moodle, begins one week before the official start date of your course.

 

CDE - Last updated by MM February 06, 2012