The Planning and Management of Distance Education, Greville Rumble Beckenham, Kent: Croom Helm, 1986 |
Considering the rapid growth and development of Distance Education throughout the world during the past two decades or so, the need for proper planning and management assumes vital importance for the successful organization of distance education institutions. Dr. Greville Rumble's book, The Planning and Management of Distance Education, will therefore be of great relevance to the planners, organizers, faculty members, and administrators in the field of distance education. The book is a comprehensive and in-depth study of the various issues that need careful understanding and close attention in the planning, organization, and running of distance education institutions.
In the opening chapter, Dr. Rumble talks of the concepts, definitions, diversity, and characteristics of distance education and discusses three models of distance education: the systems model, the holistic model and the transactional model.
In Chapter Two, the author reviews the general educational models - institution-centred, person- centred, and society-based - and relates these to the distance education system. According to Dr. Rumble's analysis, most of the distance education institutions can be classified under the institution-centred model because they aim at democratizing educational opportunities, supporting modernization programmes, providing continuing education and exercising control over what is learnt and where and how it is learnt.
Chapters Three and Four present a detailed political and economic perspective - social need, political motivation, and cost effectiveness. These chapters bring out the sociological relevance of distance education in enlarging and equalizing educational opportunities and in meeting the continuing education needs of adults. Under the economic perspective the author has rightly cautioned planners not to regard distance education as self-supporting, though it may be comparatively cost effective when it caters to large numbers. The integration of various media, student support services, and an adequate administrative infrastructure would mean a considerable increase in costs, which the governments and the planners should not grudge since this sort of integration would add to the effectiveness and efficiency of the distance education system and help bring education to the doorsteps of large and varied clientele who cannot benefit from the conventional system of education.
The underlying philosophy, mission, goals, and objectives of the institution to be set up and crucial issues like pre-planning and planning are exhaustively dealt with in Chapter Five. It also discusses the need for adopting appropriate strategies and ways to achieve the objectives and goals set forth for the institution.
From the pre-planning and planning stage, the book leads us on, in Chapter Six, to the most important aspect of organization. The author lists four basic functions of a distance education institution: academic development, teaching, materials production, and distribution and administration. Then he discusses three main models of distance education institutions: the classic structural model, the mixed mode system, and the consortia model.
Chapter Seven deals with different approaches to staffing categories and staffing levels on the basis of the institution's underlying philosophy, the type of the institution (purpose - built, mixed-mode, or consortium), its size, the choice of media, and student support services.
In Chapter Eight, "Planning and Budgeting," the author emphazises the need to plan at a variety of levels: definition of mission, strategic and operational planning, and budgeting. Planning, he asserts, should also keep in mind the political climate within which the institution has to operate and the availability as well as limitations of resources and funds.
Chapter Nine deals with issues connected with leadership and the management of staff involved in key areas like the development of materials, support services for student learning, the interface between the academic and operational and administrative areas to ensure integrated decision-making, and so on. According to the author, the overall management of distance education institutions need to be stronger and more rationally oriented than in conventional educational institutions.
Chapter Ten highlights the need to integrate curriculum planning, course design, and teaching with the production, distribution, and delivery of course materials. The author also dwells on the implications of the new technologies being evolved for the development, production, distribution, and delivery of distance education. These developments, Dr. Rumble feels, are likely to be rapid and may give a new complexion to distance education, affecting its pedagogy, cost structure, and staffing pattern.
Chapter Eleven is concerned with evaluation. Dr. Rumble admits that it is difficult to evaluate the teaching process in distance education because courses are developed for use over a number of years and also because it is difficult to evaluate how students study and make use of the materials. But he rightly feels that, in spite of these difficulties, it is necessary for distance education institutions to evolve an evaluation system so that the institutions will:
In the concluding chapter, Dr. Rumble commends the systems approach as an effective analytical tool for the planning and management of distance education systems. He feels that distance education has certain distinct features which add to the complexity of its management. He also foresees that the new computer-mediated communications systems (CHCS) will result in radical changes in the transactional patterns in distance education systems which would call for a networked organizational structure in place of the hierarchical pattern. The references and index given at the end of the book have been thoughtfully prepared. Dr. Greville Rumble's book, The Planning and Management of Distance Education, is indeed a very valuable contribution to the literature on distance education.