Indiana Partnership for Statewide
Education Course Development Grant Proposal
Continuing Development of Certificate Series in Management
Purdue University
Proposal Abstract
Purdue’s Krannert Executive Education Programs (KEEP) and Continuing Engineering Education (CEE) request a total grant of $9,000.00 (half of which, or $4,500.00, to come from IHETS/IPSE; the remaining half to come equally from the Krannert Graduate School of Management and Purdue’s Schools of Engineering) to fund 3 faculty/staff to develop 3 courses (@ $3,000.00 each, which includes payment for development, plus fringe benefits) to support distributed learning course development. Specifically, the 3 faculty/staff will adapt 3 courses from KEEP’s/CEE’s non-degree on-campus program, Engineering/Management, into a new 3-course series delivered via distributed learning (combining satellite/video conferencing and on-line delivery), completion of which will earn a non-degree certificate. An initial 3-course series has already been funded and is in development. This request is for development of a second 3-course series. Additional 3-course series are anticipated. Courses are collaboratively sponsored by KEEP and CEE and will be delivered to the existing base of technical professional customers who already receive mostly technical programming from CEE (via videotape, satellite downlink, and limited on-line delivery) at over 100 industrial and institutional sites throughout and surrounding Indiana.
1. & 2. Need to be addressed and learners to be served:
The technical professionals already served by CEE are typically mid-career managers and professionals with at least five years of experience, who now have (or are about to add) managerial responsibilities—and have aspirations for more. Representative titles include engineer, technical specialist, technical manager, and engineering manager, among others. Not coincidentally, such individuals also compose Krannert’s traditional customer base.
These individuals already receive mostly technical programming from CEE (via videotape, satellite downlink, and limited on-line delivery) at various industrial and institutional sites. As such, these customers are already aware of—and have made a significant commitment to—using Purdue’s continuing education offerings.
Generally absent among those offerings, however, are a systematic series of management development courses delivered in the same convenient distributed learning format to which this group is accustomed. That is, occasional courses on professional development (for example, teamwork skills, finance for non-financial managers, etc.) have been offered by CEE. Still, the consistent request by this customer segment (as well as by CEE) is to find a way to add significantly more management coursework, to complement the technical offerings. Hence, we propose listening to the voice of a significant customer segment—as well as building on a long-standing and valued partnership to further serve that customer segment—by responding with this new class of management courses delivered via distributed learning.
3. Rationale for choice of course and technologies to be used:
We respond to this request in this manner for two reasons:
a. Quite simply, development of non-degree programming can be accomplished in a more expedient manner than development of a new degree program—yielding a quicker response to this customer/collaborator request. Moreover, non-degree management courses will complement the many non-degree technical courses already offered to this customer segment by CEE.
b. Delivery of management content via distance learning has traditionally been resisted due to its suspected lack of fit with the case method of teaching—and the method’s concomitant requirement of “live bodies” in class for discussion. However, we believe we have identified an instructional design plan that optimally addresses such resistance. We elucidate this plan in the fifth section of this narrative.
4. Institution’s capacity and commitment to the course-development project:
On an overall basis, Purdue has signaled its commitment to distributed learning by institutionalizing and funding an Office of Distributed Learning Services within its Center for Lifelong Learning. On a school and departmental basis, KEEP has been a recognized leader since the mid-’80s in its supplemental delivery of course content via distributed learning in the various iterations of its Executive Master of Science in Management Program. Moreover, KEEP has negotiated a unique agreement with Harvard Business School (HBS) Publishing to make HBS business case studies available in a secure location of KEEP’s Web site for participant access prior to the Engineering/Management Program. And, as noted above, CEE already enjoys a reputation as a major provider of degree and non-degree technical education via distributed learning to over 100 industrial and institutional sites. In short, KEEP’s and CEE’s capacity and commitment to take this next step in distributed learning delivery is assured in a memo from Assistant Dean Logan Jordan, who is responsible for the infrastructure that supports delivery of educational programs at Krannert (see Appendix A to this narrative).
5. Instructional design and delivery plan:
We propose adapting 3 courses from KEEP’s/CEE’s non-degree on-campus program, Engineering/Management (E/M), into a new 3-course series delivered via distributed learning (combining satellite/video conferencing and on-line delivery), completion of which will earn a non-degree certificate. Moreover, we are designing roughly similar amounts of materials into both the real-time, on-campus versions of the courses (each of which is 9.2 in-class hours) and their distributed learning variants.
We have already designed (and are developing materials for) an initial certificate series comprising 3 courses (or a total of about 27 hours per certificate), delivered via distributed learning. The initial series, Human Resource Management, includes the following courses:
a. Managing
the Transition from Technical Specialist-to-Manager
b. Techniques in Negotiation and Dispute Resolution
c. Leadership Across the Organization
In order to provide further training beyond the initial series, this request is for development of a second certificate series, Accounting and Financial Management. This series will include adaptations of these E/M courses:
a. Managerial Accounting and Financial Analysis
b. Managing Capital Investment Decisions
c. Activity-Based Costs and Activity-Based Management
Then, to keep further flow of new product in the pipeline, we envision developing a third certificate series, General Management. That series will include adaptations of these E/M courses:
a. Marketing for Technical Managers
b. Operations and Supply Chain Management
c. Sources of Competitive Advantage and Organizational Capabilities
6. How the instructional design will serve target audience needs:
In order to provide targeted participants with a consistent, user-friendly course design, we are striving to implement a generic template design approach to each course. Our aim is to standardize the look and feel of each course, while simultaneously providing a variety of educational activities that will readily fit with our participants’ busy schedules.
For example, the adaptation of the first Human Resource Management course listed above, Managing the Transition from Technical Specialist-to-Manager, to distributed learning delivery is as follows:
a. An introductory session (delivered via satellite/videoconference, also videotaped for delayed viewing) of 2 hours, including:
- Overview of the course, its objectives, and its schedule
- Introductory content (for example, review of Linda Hill’s [Harvard] research on the 4 tasks of transformation that new managers experience)
- Assignment of a case study that exemplifies/applies the introductory content
b. An application session focusing on the assigned case (with case discussion prompted by assigned study questions and facilitated by the instructor within a prescribed timeframe via on-line discussion groups). Participants will be expected to devote about 2.5 hours of work on such application.
c. A follow-up session (delivered via satellite/videoconference, also videotaped for delayed viewing) of 1 hour, including:
- Wrap-up summary of participants’ reactions to the case study, instructor’s reactions, plus additional content.A
- ssignment of a second case study that exemplifies/applies the additional content
d. A second application session, focusing on the
second case (again, with case discussion prompted by pre-assigned study questions
and
facilitated by the instructor within a prescribed timeframe via on-line discussion
groups). Again, participants will be expected to devote
about 2.5 hours of work on such application.
e. A concluding session (delivered via satellite/videoconference, also videotaped for delayed viewing) of 1 hour, including:
- Wrap-up summary of participants’ reactions to the second case study, plus instructor’s reactions
- Concluding course content—strategies for application, additional readings. etc.
Other courses will follow the format of introduction/application/follow-up/wrap-up, but will substitute other applications as relevant—for example, financial calculations submitted via e-mail, with solutions posted on the Web, for courses in the series, Accounting and Financial Management.
7. Course evaluation plan:
Three major constituent groups guide our evaluation of these certificate series of courses:
a. CEE’s site coordinators, or the on-site
experts at the industrial and institutional sites to which training is delivered.
They have been consulted
proactively (and will remain so) in the course development process, to ensure
that the customers’ voice is embedded in our design. Their
feedback has already yielded positive support for the project, as well as constructive
suggestions for building more flexibility and slack time
into delivery of the courses.
b. Our colleagues/peers who are affiliated with
CEE, as well as Purdue’s Office of Distributed Learning Services. As noted
above, their
expertise and experience in delivering distributed learning courses will complement
KEEP’s own. Moreover, the key project personnel
(Sheahan and Bonhomme) are both active members of Purdue’s Distributed
Learning Advisory Board (DLAB).
c. The actual participants taking the courses.
Once the inaugural series of 3 courses reaches steady-state delivery, we will
closely monitor
participants’ use of, acceptance, and any concerns regarding, the courses.
8. & 9. Quality and transferability plans/strategies, course fit with other efforts in Indiana:
From its inception in 1986, the partnership between KEEP and CEE (operationalized in their E/M program) has been a model for how academic schools/departments (often separated as “silos” or “smokestacks”) should collaborate. The certificate programs we offer as a result of the requested funding will provide our constituents (most of whom are residents of Indiana) with yet another educational option from Purdue. That is, these constituents already have a variety of full-time and part-time KEEP and CEE degree programs from which to choose. Moreover, they can attend the annual on-campus E/M program, which provides a unique non-degree educational experience. Hence, the additional opportunity to participate in our certificate programs, delivered via the convenience of distributed learning, offers yet another option in a full line of lifelong learning choices. Moreover, as these latter programs will be accessed via satellite/videoconference, videotape, and online means—most frequently at the workplace—they may arguably be considered the most significant contributor to workforce development or continuing professional educational needs of all of our programs.
10. Marketing plan for courses:
CEE already enjoys a strong and focused communicative relationship with its industrial sites—personified in its person-to-person relationships with its site coordinators. Hence, we are using CEE’s normally rich and optimally redundant channels of communication to target and advertise our certificate courses to these site coordinators’ constituents. These channels include daily contact via satellite/videoconference, videotape, and online messages. These channels also include regular hardcopy mailings to site coordinators—for example, CEE’s well-designed (and well-received) newsletters and annual report. Finally, a supplemental brochure will provide further detail on each 3-course certificate series.
11. Project schedule:
As IHETS expects to notify award recipients during Spring Semester 2000, we would begin the adaptation of existing courses into this second series of 3 distance learning courses during Spring and Summer 2000. We anticipate that the first of 3 courses in this second certificate series will be offered during Fall Semester 2000, with the second and third courses following thereafter—all to be offered no later than Summer 2001. Such scheduling is particularly consistent with that suggested in critical feedback from CEE’s site coordinators—to build enough flexibility and slack time into delivery of the courses, in order to mesh with participants’ demanding work schedules.
12. Key personnel:
Co-project directors will be Michael Sheahan, Associate Director of KEEP, and Mary Bonhomme, Associate Director of CEE, who will oversee completion of all activities. Respective staff members from KEEP and CEE, largely responsible for development of on-line materials and video production, will also play key roles. Beyond course development, the certificate series will be jointly marketed by KEEP and CEE.
Finally, the three instructors who will be adapting their courses for distributed learning delivery are Professor Keith Smith, and Associate Professors Charlene Sullivan and Mark Penno, all of the Krannert Graduate School of Management at Purdue. Bio sketches of Mike, Mary, Keith, Charlene, and Mark appear sequentially in Appendix B.
Appendix A
Biographic sketches:
Michael Sheahan is associate director of Krannert Executive Education Programs (KEEP), where he develops, markets, and conducts non-degree educational/training programs. Comfortable in both academe and industry, he has managed and conducted training for Trans Union (a Marmon company), Allen-Bradley (a Rockwell company), and Exxon. His teaching interests include management and professional development and quality improvement. He has facilitated training for such clients as Trans Union, Rockwell, the Associated Credit Bureaus Inc., the National Association of Community Development Loan Funds, the Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council, and various staff groups at Purdue.
Mary Bonhomme is associate director of Continuing Engineering Education (CEE) at Purdue, where she develops and markets non-credit educational/training programs for practicing engineers. She also manages CEE’s studio, from which a broad array of credit and non-credit courses are delivered via distance learning technology to a network of industrial and educational sites. Adept in both industry and academe, she served as manager of information and communication for Cabot Corporation and for Indiana University at Kokomo. She also serves in an executive capacity on the boards of numerous professional engineering educational associations and is also active in a variety of community organizations.
Keith Smith is a professor of management at the Krannert School, where his teaching and research interests include investments, corporate finance, and working capital management. He has worked as an operations research analyst for North American Aviation and served as professor and associate dean of UCLA’s Anderson Graduate School of Management. He was dean of the Krannert School from 1979-83 and was one of the founders of the Engineering/ Management Program in 1985. His consulting experience includes litigation, and he serves on the Board of Directors of Bank One-Lafayette. His publications include numerous professional journal articles on investments and finance, as well as five books.
Charlene Sullivan is an associate professor of management at the Krannert School. She teaches corporate finance and financial accounting and has won multiple undergraduate and graduate teaching awards. She is also a faculty associate with Purdue’s Center for the Management of Manufacturing Enterprises, where she conducts studies of cost management systems and capital budgeting practices for national and international manufacturing firms. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, as well as on other association and agency boards. She is the author of numerous book chapters and journal articles on finance and is a frequent instructor in Krannert’s executive education programs.
Mark Penno is an associate professor of management at the Krannert School. His primary teaching interest is financial reporting, and his current research focus is analytical models of auditing and financial reporting. His recent works have been published in The Accounting Review, Accounting Horizons, and the Journal of Accounting Research. He is a frequent instructor in Krannert Executive Education Programs. Prior to joining the Krannert faculty, he was at the University of Chicago. His other professional experience includes auditor, Arthur Young. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).
