WashingtonOnline Virtual Campus: Infusing Culture in Dispersed Web-Based Higher Education

Started in 1997, WashingtonOnline Virtual Campus (WAOL) consists of a consortium of 34 community colleges around Washington State to provide asynchronous online learning. WAOL bears many of the features of a loosely coupled organization with its geographically dispersed frontline instructors, fragmented external environment, modularity of courses and supervision, and its use of enhanced leadership and technology to communicate a culture. Recent surveys of its administration, instructors, and staff found disparities in various constituencies’ perspectives on the organization’s culture, decision-making, values, brand or reputation, communications, and WAOL’s authorizing environment. Research suggests that WAOL benefits from some aspects of loose coupling: greater adaptive abilities and responsiveness to the State’s college system; “fast” course development and launching; and isolated breakdowns. There is, however, a persistent difficulty in conveying a cohesive culture. There is a perception of WAOL’s invisibility among its varied constituencies. This organization is at a crossroads, with the threat of colleges disconnecting from this consortium. WAOL should redefine its direction and purpose, such as coupling with local universities to provide not only associates degrees but full Baccalaureate and/ or Masters degrees. It may strengthen its position by improving learner supports, publicizing its decisions, creating a stronger sense of virtual community among the instructors (as in its recent creation of an online community for instructors), increased participative decision-making and use of line faculty and staff insights, and greater course varieties. Keywords: leadership, culture, organizations, organizational culture, consortiums, partnership, disintermediation, virtual organization, loosely coupled organization, distance learning, virtual leadership, virtual teams, virtual culture, technology mediation, community college, higher education, email communications, online student services

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The Regulatory Environment of Non-Profit Higher Education and Research Institutions and Its Implications for Managerial Strategy

Handbook of Research on Emerging Business Models and Managerial Strategies in the Nonprofit Sector - Advances in Public Policy and Administration ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-2537-0.ch017 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 336-351

Author(s):

Marian Mahat ◽

Alan Pettigrew

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Decision Making ◽

Medical Education ◽

Regulatory Environment ◽

Research Institutions ◽

Non Profit ◽

Loosely Coupled ◽

Research Institutes ◽

Managerial Strategy ◽

Market Pressures

The concept of strategy in non-profit higher education is a contested issue. It is argued that strategy, in the business sense, does not apply to a substantially public and more institutionalized sector such as higher education and is not achievable in complex, loosely coupled organizations such as universities. Additionally, strategy does not sit easily with organizations operating in regulated contexts limiting competitive market pressures. This chapter discusses the regulatory environment of non-profit higher education by focusing on one of the most highly regulated disciplines: medical education and research. The chapter will begin by developing a context for discussion by firstly mapping the landscape of Australian medical education and research. Subsequently, the chapter argues that medical schools and research institutes need to exercise as much discretion as they can in the area under their control, develop sound strategies to deal with their changed circumstances, and develop a coherent and defensible basis for decision making through assessing their environment.

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Sense of Virtual Community in Wikipedia Online Community for Technology-Enhanced Learning in Higher Education

Research and Innovation Forum 2020 - Springer Proceedings in Complexity ◽

10.1007/978-3-030-62066-0_18 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 233-245

Author(s):

Anu Helena Suominen ◽

Jari Jussila

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Online Community ◽

Virtual Community ◽

Technology Enhanced Learning ◽

Enhanced Learning

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Converting Online Community Visitors into Online Consumers

Encyclopedia of Virtual Communities and Technologies ◽

10.4018/978-1-59140-563-4.ch011 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 54-60

Author(s):

Lee Moh Shan ◽

Juliana Sutanto ◽

Atreyi Kankanhalli

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Sense Of Community ◽

Online Community ◽

Virtual Communities ◽

Real Life ◽

Virtual Community ◽

Decision Making Process ◽

Consumer Decision Making ◽

Four Dimensions ◽

Online Consumer

Virtual communities have been studied using various perspectives (Hagel & Armstrong, 1997; Jones, 1998; Rheingold, 1993). Amongst these, Hagel and Armstrong’s (1997) interpretation of the virtual community as a business tool to encourage greater customer loyalty and higher revenues, has the greatest commercial implications. However, as virtual communities often have a high risk of failing, researchers have predominantly concentrated on discovering what factors render some virtual communities successful and others failures. Previous studies (Blanchard & Markus, 2004; Koh & Kim, 2004) suggest that members in successful virtual communities have a strong “sense of virtual community” (SOVC). The presence of SOVC distinguishes a virtual community from other noncommunity-like online social structures, for example, virtual publics. Four dimensions of the “sense of community” have been postulated, that is, feelings of membership, feelings of influence, integration and fulfillment of needs, and shared emotional connection (McMillan & Chavis, 1986). These dimensions contribute to create the affective bonds that distinguish real-life communities from neighborhoods. The presence of SOVC signifies strong bonds among the members in the community. These affective bonds are crucial in ensuring that members continue participating in that particular virtual community. One of the problems all commercially oriented virtual communities face is that frequently, many of them have visitors but not consumers. Essentially, the e-business hopes that each visitor will make the transition from being a mere surfer to becoming a repeated customer. Affective bonds with other members and a developed obligation toward the community can hasten this process. This article thus focuses on how to convert an online visitor into an online consumer. The stages of the consumer’s decision-making process are reviewed and online and off-line consumer behavior is contrasted, whilst concentrating on changes in consumer perceptions. The literature regarding the stages and changes in the participatory status of a virtual community member is integrated with the consumer decision-making process literature. A framework that considers the needs of the online consumer is then proposed, and some measures facilitating this conversion from visitor to consumer are highlighted.

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Who Calls the Shots? Sports and University Leadership, Culture, and Decision Making: Ashe Higher Education Report, Vol. 30, No. 5

International Journal of Educational Advancement ◽

10.1057/palgrave.ijea.2150021 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

pp. 264-266

Author(s):

Patrick Meldrim

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Decision Making ◽

University Leadership ◽

Leadership Culture ◽

Education Report

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Evaluation of the Academic Setting in Spain 1This study was financed by the University of Oviedo.

European Journal of Psychological Assessment ◽

10.1027/1015-5759.11.2.133 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 133-137 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Juan Fernández ◽

Miguel A. Mateo ◽

José Muñiz

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Decision Making ◽

Social Climate ◽

Three Dimensions ◽

Academic Setting ◽

Teaching And Research ◽

Evaluation Questionnaire ◽

University Teachers ◽

The University

The conditions are investigated in which Spanish university teachers carry out their teaching and research functions. 655 teachers from the University of Oviedo took part in this study by completing the Academic Setting Evaluation Questionnaire (ASEQ). Of the three dimensions assessed in the ASEQ, Satisfaction received the lowest ratings, Social Climate was rated higher, and Relations with students was rated the highest. These results are similar to those found in two studies carried out in the academic years 1986/87 and 1989/90. Their relevance for higher education is twofold because these data can be used as a complement of those obtained by means of students' opinions, and the crossing of both types of data can facilitate decision making in order to improve the quality of the work (teaching and research) of the university institutions.

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To Investigate the Critical Influencing Factors for Decision Making Process of Students Who Want to Study Abroad

Restaurant Business ◽

10.26643/rb.v118i11.11545 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 118 (11) ◽

pp. 619-624

Author(s):

JueJueMyint Toe ◽

Ali Abdulbaqi Ameen ◽

Sui Reng Liana ◽

Amiya Bhaumik

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Decision Making ◽

Study Abroad ◽

Education Level ◽

Decision Making Process ◽

International Level ◽

Continuing Higher Education ◽

Clear Trend ◽

The People ◽

Study Overseas

Myanmar is the developing country and its education system is not yet to international level. Hence, most of the young adults, who like to upgrade their knowledge global wide and to gain international recognized higher educational certificates, choose to study overseas rather than continuing higher education after their high education nowadays, that becomes the trend of young people to study overseas since the competency among the people is getting intense based on the education level in every industry. The purpose of this research is to understand that students’ decision making process of selecting university. The study will be conducted to see clear trend of Myanmar students’ decision making of studying in abroad. This research will cover the context of what is Myanmar students’ perception of abroad, how they consider among other countries and explaining those factors which determine Myanmar students’ choice and how they decide to study abroad.

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Collaborative Action Research In Academic Administration

West East Journal of Social Sciences ◽

10.36739/wejss.2019.v8.i3.30 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 227-252

Author(s):

Bradley C. Thompson

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Action Research ◽

Collaborative Action Research ◽

Team Members ◽

Academic Administration ◽

Leadership Culture ◽

Collaborative Action ◽

Working Together ◽

Upper Level ◽

Action Process

This research involved a study exploring the changes in an academic institution expressed through decision-making in a shifting leadership culture. Prior to the study, the school was heavily entrenched in authoritarian and centralized decision-making, but as upper-level administrators were exposed to the concept of collaborative action research, they began making decisions through a reflection and action process. Changing assumptions and attitudes were observed and recorded through interviews at the end of the research period. The research team engaged in sixteen weekly cycles of reflection and action based on an agenda they mutually agreed to and through an analysis of post-research interviews, weekly planning meetings, discussions, and reflection and action cycles. Findings revealed experiences centering around the issues of:  The nature of collaboration- it created discomfort, it created a sense of teamwork, it created difficulty.  The change of environment in the process- team members began to respect each other more, and the process became more enjoyable.  The freedom and change in the process- freedom to voice opinions and to actively listen, the use of experience to lead elsewhere in the school.  How issues of power are better understood by working together- the former process was less collaborative, politics will always be part of the process. As a result of this study, members have started using this decision-making methodology in other areas of administration.

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A Survey on Edge Performance Benchmarking

ACM Computing Surveys ◽

10.1145/3444692 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 54 (3) ◽

pp. 1-33

Author(s):

Blesson Varghese ◽

Nan Wang ◽

David Bermbach ◽

Cheol-Ho Hong ◽

Eyal De Lara ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Future Internet ◽

Coupled Systems ◽

Operational Conditions ◽

Loosely Coupled ◽

Performance Benchmarking ◽

The Past ◽

Geographically Dispersed ◽

Tightly Coupled ◽

History Of

Edge computing is the next Internet frontier that will leverage computing resources located near users, sensors, and data stores to provide more responsive services. Therefore, it is envisioned that a large-scale, geographically dispersed, and resource-rich distributed system will emerge and play a key role in the future Internet. However, given the loosely coupled nature of such complex systems, their operational conditions are expected to change significantly over time. In this context, the performance characteristics of such systems will need to be captured rapidly, which is referred to as performance benchmarking, for application deployment, resource orchestration, and adaptive decision-making. Edge performance benchmarking is a nascent research avenue that has started gaining momentum over the past five years. This article first reviews articles published over the past three decades to trace the history of performance benchmarking from tightly coupled to loosely coupled systems. It then systematically classifies previous research to identify the system under test, techniques analyzed, and benchmark runtime in edge performance benchmarking.

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