Distance Strategyin the UAS School of Management

Dr. Mark SpeeceAssociate Professor of Marketing

(past Department Chair & MBA Director)

University of Alaska SoutheastJuneau, Alaska, USA

http://www.uas.alaska.edu/som/faculty.html

The Seventh International Conference on eLearning for Knowledge-Based Society

16-17 December, 2010 Assumption University,

Bangkok, Thailand

frequently, no coherent strategy

• 72% of e-learning initiatives have no cost-benefit analysis (Pratt 2005)

• unrealistic expectations but no market assessment (Ennew & Fernandez-Young 2006)

• no definition of market (Marginson 2007)• no adaptation to market and competitive

conditions (Beaudoin 2002)

why do DE programs fail?

DE core is about academic content & access, not technology

• learning outcomes must determine technology choices (IHEP 2000)

• technology-driven organizations often fail to understand the market (Ennew & Fernandez-Young 2006)

• “demand-driven model” of DE (Moore & Kearsley 2005)

acquiring technology is not strategy

• who is our market?• what does that market want, need, or demand?• what are the characteristics of this target market?• what service can we provide to fulfill those needs?• how do we allocate and organize resources to

accomplish this?

key strategic questions

Figure1: 3 term moving sum of credit hoursacademic year (Summer, Fall, Spring)

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HCase: collapse of demand

for UAS business programs

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end of the 1990s:

20 % decline of SCH in just a few years

UAS market historically 80 % part-time adult-learners

most stay in Alaska, use degree to advance in the State

online education began growing in late 1990s no need to quit job, move to Juneau to study

continued loss of adult learners at UAS

Index of student headcount by age

0.40

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2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

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traditional

25-29

30-39

40-49

over 50

but we have reversed this in SOM

how?

estimating Alaska’s management education needs

• Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development statistics & projections

• interviews and interaction with business leaders• surveys of existing students• interaction and partnerships with community

colleges and UAF/UAA Schools of Management• national data on student trends• population projections for Alaska

SOM demand projections

estimate 100 BBA graduations per year once program is operating at full capacity

i.e., SOM aims to educate about 6.4 % of the people who fill management jobs

estimate 20-25 MBA graduations per yearonce up to full capacity.

about 15 % of Alaska’s MBA demand

target market: adult learners

• Juneau Borough: 4.9 % of Alaska’s population,cannot support strong residential programs.

• about 1/3 of Alaska residents do not live closeto any campus with a bachelors or masters.

• UAS distance delivery reaches them;they can stay with family and keep jobs,employers don’t lose needed expertise.

Juneau

adult learner educational & delivery needs

education must directly help careers,practical content, Alaska focus.

cannot ignore family and job responsibilities;must have flexible education schedules,requirement for physical classroom presence

makes it very difficult to pursue education

basic strategic principles

non-competition with UAF, UAA:we are all part of the same system;too small to beat them, anyway.

Board of Regents wants“clear and cost-effective mission differentiation”

University of Alaska Board of Regents. 2003. The University Of Alaska System Strategic Plan 2009: Building Higher Education For Alaska's Golden Anniversary. http://www.alaska.edu/bor/2009Plan/2009.html

Basic strategic principles

focus on un-served parts of market,where SOM can provide high quality& make big impact meeting State needs.

cooperate with branches to feed upper division

what is available in Alaska?

UAA & UAF offer classroom-based programs;this makes sense; 64 % of Alaska’s population lives within an

hour’s drive of UAA or UAF.

the young generation needs university,and even many adult learnerscan take evening & weekend classes.

New Service Development has three critical components

• service conceptquality business education; this has not changed.

• service systembut program content depends on context;job demand Alaska mainly in service industries, resource extraction is capital intensive, and little manufacturing.

• service delivery process – top priority initiallythis is the distance education component at first.

first priority: access = service delivery

mostly asynchronous web-based courseswith non-required synchronous elements(AAS, BBA, MBA)

synchronous satellite courses, web support(MPA)

coordination with branch campuses(AB, AAS level courses)

SOM program delivery

locallower division

market

statewideupper division

market

Figure1: 3 term moving sum of credit hoursacademic year (Summer, Fall, Spring)

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Hreverse the decline

of UAS business programs

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SCH 3 term moving sum

move to online & satellite courses:

reversed decline, but then demand leveled out.

delivery system made feasible to buy but once students have access, program issues become critical

need to offer full programs that are tailored to Alaska

student responseto UAS distance delivery

• “The fact that I am able to keep a full-time job while pursuing this degree was/is most important to me.”

• “I liked the fact that I could attend school and at the same time work.”

(UAS MBA student response to anonymous survey on why decided to apply)

continued improvement: service system issues

full programs, required courses available every term,simple path.

Alaskanize program contentmost UAS BPA students intend to stay;want education to help them move upin Alaska.

competitors have these, no advantage, they simply make UAS equally attractive

outside competitors cannot do this, Alaska market is too small to customize for it

SOM Programs: stepping stone approach

lower division certificate = 30 credits

AAS & AB = 60 credits

undergrad advanced cert. = 18 credits specialized

BBA (multiple emphases) = 120 credits

graduate certificate = 12-15 credits

MBA, MPA = 36 credits

undergrad minor (non-business students)

SOM programs: high end of market

high quality programsdistance = accessible to working adults;it does not mean easy or low standard.UAS programs aim for top quality level.

accrediting agencies set minimum standards,no long-term market for lower quality, anyway.

what is quality?

program coherence: interconnected courses, building expertise, close attention to building competencies.

“6.3 Students understand the holistic and systemic nature of the organization and its internal and external environment.” (UAS BPA competencies 2006)

what is quality?

integrated course sequence

course1

course2

course3

repeat relevant themes

etc.reuse

some cases

repeat some examples

what is quality?

advisor attention to student progress allocated a staff position to full-time advising,

filled with a masters qualified staff member,funded study for a graduate certificate in advising.

makes sure students are aware of ‘stepping stones’,keeps them in sequence so they can handle contentcoordinates with branch advisors for easy transferissues periodic progress reports

student response

rigorous, challenging courses:

“Kept hearing from students how tough the program was; guess I figured that was an indicator of quality!”

(UAS MBA student response to anonymous survey on why decided to apply)

what is quality?

practical orientation: employers want business grads to actually be able to do something.

UAS: learn the concepts, but substantial attention to application;

professors have real-world experience as well as excellent academic credentials.

student response

Alaskanized program content:

• “The program was geared toward Alaskan business ...”

• “the program rotated around Alaskans and Alaska Industries …”

(UAS MBA student responses to anonymous survey on why decided to apply)

what is quality?

professor attention to the courses: as general policy, core courses are taught by full time faculty;adjuncts are for a few specialized topics.

UAS is somewhat at odds with current practicebut very consistent with what DE expertsand accrediting agencies say is necessary.

what is quality?

conscious integration of DE best practice:professors must be DE teaching experts,as well as experts in their fields.

no laissez faire approach, teamwork to build courses,we look carefully at what each and every course must accomplish.

Figure1: 3 term moving sum of credit hoursacademic year (Summer, Fall, Spring)

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Hback to growth

of UAS business programs

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shift from courseto program focus

and recovery

tacticalerror

four terms: Fall07, Spring08, Fall08, Spring09

mean SCH growth per term: 21%

top among 32 unitsof UA system