As technology continues to rapidly evolve, so does the higher education industry and the need for university administrators to provide an evolutionary path through technology to allows students the flexibility that they demand. It would be more noble and timely if the higher education community became more proactive in redefining the chief aim of education while embracing new ideas, decoupling university functions, unbundling teacher roles, and perhaps creating some open exchange modules to seek sustainable higher efficiency for all. When such evolution takes place, maybe no one needs to be left out of a newly thriving higher education ecosystem.
The purpose of this study is to explore the slow development of online learning initiatives at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Specifically, the research has investigated the relationship between academic and executive-level administrators in a four-year private university and Roger’s Theory of Diffusion as it relates to their establishing quality distance education courses and programs. The findings show a strong connection between (1) administrators’ knowledge and experiences with online education and Roger’s Innovation Concept, (2) the primary drawbacks and roadblocks toward increasing online education programming and Roger’s Nature of the Social System, (3) the prevailing attitudes toward online education among administrators and Roger’s Communication Channels, and (4) the knowledge of competing postsecondary institutions with regard to online education programming among administrators’ and Roger’s Innovation Concept. Furthermore, this study identified the degree to which particular concerns were perceived to be present at HBCUs. This study provides a base of knowledge as it relates to the higher education administrators and their knowledge of the growth of distance education in historically black colleges and universities.
Managing organizational change and improvement is one of the most complex tasks of university administrators. As Fullan (1993); Sparks & Hirsh (1997), and others point out, school leaders need to understand the change process in order to lead and manage change and improvement efforts effectively. They must learn to overcome barriers and cope with the chaos that naturally exists during the complex process of change (Fullan & Miles, 1992).
As technology continues to rapidly evolve, so does the higher education industry and the need for university administrators to provide an evolutionary path through technology to allows students the flexibility that they demand. It would be more noble and timely if the higher education community became more proactive in redefining the chief aim of education while embracing new ideas, decoupling university functions, unbundling teacher roles, and perhaps creating some open exchange modules to seek sustainable higher efficiency for all. When such evolution takes place, maybe no one needs to be left out of a newly thriving higher education ecosystem.
University administrators have the daunting task of helping faculty and other stakeholders build effective teams by developing new organizational structures and creating a shared vision that focuses on authentic student learning (Maeroff, 1993). Such inspired and informed leadership is critical to the success of universities as they seek to build online programs. Florida Memorial University administrators, although more slow than several peer institutions, have begun to explore distance education as viable mode of educating students. Whether this reflects a different leadership style, or a different read of the environment of the institution, or a different set of values or beliefs, is undetermined. The role of institutional leadership in the development and growth of online learning is an area that demands continued research.
The purpose of this study is to explore the slow development of online learning initiatives at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Specifically, the research has investigated the relationship between academic and executive-level administrators in a four-year private university and Roger’s Theory of Diffusion as it relates to their establishing quality distance education courses and programs. The findings show a strong connection between (1) administrators’ knowledge and experiences with online education and Roger’s Innovation Concept, (2) the primary drawbacks and roadblocks toward increasing online education programming and Roger’s Nature of the Social System, (3) the prevailing attitudes toward online education among administrators and Roger’s Communication Channels, and (4) the knowledge of competing postsecondary institutions with regard to online education programming among administrators’ and Roger’s Innovation Concept. Furthermore, this study identified the degree to which particular concerns were perceived to be present at HBCUs. This study provides a base of knowledge as it relates to the higher education administrators and their knowledge of the growth of distance education in historically black colleges and universities.