Microcomputers are now ubiquitous and mini/mainframes are becoming rare. Product and market developments have moved microcomputer equipment in the direction of a commodity product. Now all Intel-based microcomputers offer essentially the same features, run the same operating system and application software, and individual purchases are frequently based on just price or convenience rather than unique capability or a proprietary operating system. This year, the business schools reported owning a total of 49,245 microcomputers, an average of 221 per school, a slight increase from the 215 per school as reported last year. This small increase seems to confirm the conclusion that the number of microcomputers per school has reached saturation. The average number of business school owned laptops decreased by 14% and may be partially explained by the increase in the number of schools recommending or requiring student desktop/laptop ownership. Overall, Windows now has a combined 92% share of the desktop operating system usage, up from the 87% reported last year. It appears that almost all of the DOS only systems have now been replaced.
Further, both the faculty-per-micro densities and the quartile median student-per-micro densities show very little change from last year. Eighty-four percent of the undergraduate schools and 91% of the MBA schools indicate that there is usually very little waiting for microcomputer access at a density level of 17 (that is 17 students sharing access to a single microcomputer). They also indicate that when 24 or more students are required to share access to a single microcomputer, there will always be a wait. The median density levels were calculated to be seven for the first quartile schools, 13 for the second, 20 for the third, and 57 for the fourth. Thus the quartile density levels, except for the fourth quartile, again indicate microcomputer saturation. Commercial systems have now allowed also e-mail to become ubiquitous. This yearís data shows that 92% of the faculty, 94% of the staff, 77% of the undergraduate, and 87% of the MBAs now use e-mail regularly.
In contrast to this stability in basic operations and technological infrastructure, access to and utilization of the infrastructure is showing dynamic developments. Together with distance learning, the Internet and the Web are becoming one of the business schoolsí most frequently used application resources. An increasing number of faculty members are using the Internet and Web resources for classroom support. More and more students are using these resources for business research. Ninety-eight percent of the schools indicated having a Web site, provided their URL, and answered the series of questions regarding their Web environment. As could be expected, all of the schools use text on their Web site and almost all are also now using graphics capabilities, increasing from only 23% in last yearís data. However, other media are showing increasing usage with animation features now reported by 29% of the schools (up from 5% last year) and audio capabilities reported by 23% (also up from 5% last year). Video is the least common media, being reported by only 15% of the schools (up from 6% last year).
Forty-four percent of the schools indicated having a formal Web team and almost all of these schools delineated its membership. Together with the establishment of the basic support team and hardware infrastructure, however, there must also be a simultaneous focus on the actual design and development of the Web pages. Compared to last year, usage of all of the development tools has increased. For instance, the percent of schools using MS Frontpage has increased from 52% in 1997 to 74% in 1998, Netscape Gold from 29% to 67%, and MS Word from 5% to 28%. The use of graphics tools has increased as well. The percent of schools using Adobe PhotoShop has increased from 11% to 67% and Corel Draw from 5% to 33%. The largest increase was in the usage of programming and database tools, with many more Web pages now including executable scripts and applets.
Two hundred seven schools estimated the percent of their business school faculty using the Web for classroom support. Of these, three responded that their entire faculty is using the Web for classroom support. On average, it was estimated that 29% of the faulty used the Web for classroom support. Most schools provide the basics such as posting syllabi, class notes, shared files, and handouts, some schools provide adjunct materials and grade posting, and a few schools integrated tools for chat and/or other communications formats. Some faculty are also using online discussion groups to bring students together with real-world managers to discuss management issues, problems, and solution techniques.
The data in this survey also emphasizes that distance learning is in a rapid growth phase. Thirty-nine percent of the respondents (88) indicated that their business school offered distance learning programs. Analysis of the operational data shows these schools, utilizing their information technology in a more expansive scope, have allocated more resources to their computer operating budget. On average, the distance learning schools are spending $481 dollars per student as compared to $359 for the total sample. The commitment of business school policy makers is also reflected in a higher computer/school operating budget ratio, a mean of 4.5% as compared to the total sample mean ratio of 3.5%. Yet, a comparison of the demographics show that the distance learning schools are surprisingly similar to the total sample. No one particular set of schools (such as the top quartile schools) is attempting to capture the niche in this emerging form of education.
The organizational units that generally provide distance learning are either the business school, offering their courses as part of the regular curriculum, or extended education. For the undergraduate programs, most (48%) of the distance learning is in the form of separate courses offered in the regular curriculum. In contrast, although there is a considerable percent (36%) of the MBA distance learning being offered as separate courses as part of the regular degree program, a larger percent (47%) of the distance learning involves complete degree program packages. The business schools report very little distance learning involving either certificate or training programs at either the undergraduate or the MBA level.
The target user groups may be described as primarily part time students who are not in close proximity to the business schoolsí actual locations. This pattern follows the stereotypical understanding of the user group that might be interested in participating in this format to achieve their educational goals. It is surprising to note, however, that there is a large percentage of full time students who are in close proximity to the business schoolsí physical locations, indicating that the concept of distance learning is expanding beyond its early application, that is of providing education to distance learners. This data suggests that the concept of distance learning now seems to have been expanded to encompass the provision of a convenient education. This convenience is seen in the scheduling of educational sessions, location of education, and in the speed of education, a convenience referenced by the phase "any time, any place, and at any pace." In support of this expanded interpretation of distance learning, 80% of the respondent schools indicated that students enrolled in their regular on-campus programs were also allowed to enroll in their distance learning courses. More variance, however, was seen with regard to the fee structures. Only 61% of the schools indicated no difference in the fees paid by their regular students and their distance learners.
Faculty support and training were shown as rather significant barriers
to the development of distance learning programs. The variety of
roles that the business schoolsí full time faculty plays in distance
learning programs seems to offer an understanding for these barriers.
Over sixty percent of the distance learning schools indicated that their
full time faculty were involved in curriculum development and revision,
governance and program supervision, and actual teaching of all of the distance
learning courses. These large response percentages indicate the extent
to which some of the full time faculty has obviously embraced this emergent
form of education. They also assist in understanding more fully how
faculty support and training can be perceived as barriers. All of
these roles involve an extensive amount of time and energy on the part
of the full time faculty, and as limited resources, this time and energy
must be taken away from their other business school commitments.
The largest percentage of the distance learning schools indicated that
their faculty and students interacted through the use of e-mail (89%) and
fax (65%). Lower interaction response percentages were seen with
video and audio conferencing, yet these could be expected because of the
requirements of more extensive technological infrastructures. Seventy-eight
percent also indicated that their distance learning programs involved some
sort of collaborative projects, with these schools suggesting that, on
average, 49% of their distance learning classes required some sort of group
effort. While many schools indicated that there was very little difference
between their on-campus classes and their distance learning classes with
regard to collaborative projects, multiple schools stressed the importance
of distance collaboration for future managers and emphasized their strong
emphasis for student experience in virtual teams. A smaller percent
of the schools, 31%, indicated offering interactive Web-based courses.
As a final indicator of the excitement shown by the schools, sixty-nine business schools providing brief statements of their innovative and/or exciting uses of computer information technology and distance learning.
One approach many schools are considering to "get out of the box" is distance learning programs. In this year's report we have documented many aspects of the emerging distance learning programs being offered at our business schools. However, to marshal a distance learning program requires much more than acquiring and applying technology. Unfortunately, too often there is a push to set up the technological infrastructure (the "easy" part) without building an adequate business case. Several key questions that any school contemplating a distance learning program ought to consider include:
1. Why does your school want to get into the distance learning business?
2. What is the market demand for the kind of program or specific classes you are prepared to offer?
3. Who is your target audience (e.g., those seeking a degree, those seeking continuing education)?
4. Who will champion the distance learning program? Will the champion be responsible (and rewarded) for finding instructors, identifying the course content which fits a distance learning format (e.g., lecture classes may be work while case oriented course may not), and head the marketing effort to reach the potential audience?
5. Who will manage the distance learning program (e.g., coordinate the overall effort, the logistics for the far sites, the technology at the local and far sites, distribution of materials, work with obtaining copyright protection for materials produced and now available online)?
6. Who will train instructors in online teaching approaches (the "how to" aspect of distance learning)? The pedagogy for face-to-face instruction does not easily translate to a remote contact environment.
7. Who will produce the supporting multimedia courseware needed for a distance learning program? Who will own the intellectual property rights to these assets? If they are in CD-ROM format who collects royalties? If they contain copyrighted materials, who will negotiate the permissions?
8. Who will handle the course logistics (e.g., registration, monitor, and support the students) for a distance learning program?
9. Who is going to collecting fees and how will they be divided between the university, school, instructors, course designers, and technologists?
10. Should your school contract with a third party (non-campus entity)
to support the evolution of your distance learning program?
The economics of distance learning program are still unclear.
As more schools experiment with the various programs and approaches, more
data will emerge and we will be better able to judge the real costs and
understand the revenues necessary to sustain these efforts. The next
few years will most likely see many schools entering the distance learning
market with the likelihood of a few programs being very successful.
As we track these programs, the differentiating variables will begin to
emerge.