A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Introduction

Nevzar G. Stacey

The National Institute on Postsecondary Education, Libraries, and Lifelong Learning (PLLI) of the U.S. Department of Education commissioned papers and held a workshop in September 1997 on computer-based learning and its implications for employers and traditional postsecondary institutions. For the purpose of this workshop, computer-based education was defined as employing computers to gather and use information that has been transmitted electronically from other sites. The term computer-based education does not refer to traditional use of computers in the classroom.

The rationale for the workshop grew out of the knowledge that technology is moving swiftly into the education market, creating opportunities as well as challenges for learners, employers, and educators in the 21st century. A number of trends are observable already, including the pace of development of new learning resources available on personal computers and through the Internet, the shorter periods between retraining cycles in business and industry, and changes in the course-taking patterns of traditional students. Educational institutions, employers, and adults who participate in alternative learning strategies have a great deal at stake as these events continue to gain momentum. Furthermore, there seems to be a disconnect among course developers, such as trainers who work for consulting firms and professors who work for universities, as each one represents a different learning culture.

Such general trends have led to specific challenges that the workshop was designed to address:

• Alternative Credentials. Historically, employers have used educational credentials as signaling devices for hiring. Diplomas and degrees are considered signs of competency that help employers make better matches between individuals and jobs. But employers are beginning to view diplomas and degrees with skepticism as technological and structural changes escalate. Employers are beginning to seek new signals in recruiting or retraining employees. Initial signs of competencies developed through computer-based learning are becoming one of the alternative signals.

• New Modes of Instruction. New learning opportunities on the Internet in the United States and overseas have been mushrooming. This is both very exciting and very challenging. For example, about 9 percent of all college courses currently use World Wide Web-based resources to support instruction, up from 6 percent in 1995 (Green 1998). Cigna Corporation has teamed up with Drexel University in Philadelphia to offer an online master's degree program in information services. Another university that provides online master's degree programs is the University of Phoenix, chartered in 1978, which is now the second largest private college or university in the United States. Among others are McGraw Hill University, Ziff Davis University, and University on Line.

• Multiple Sources of Instruction. Another reason for focusing on the development of courses on the Internet is the increasing number of multisource courses of study available to learners. For example, a computer-consulting firm based in Harwich, Massachusetts, offers online courses for consultees from 700 universities around the country. As working adults return to education to upgrade their technical knowledge and skills, they are more likely to attend a variety of institutions in a number of different locations. We are observing this course-taking pattern even among traditional students.

Many similar issues are important to postsecondary institutions. Will the fast rate of course development in alternative learning environments, especially in scientific areas, cut into the traditional postsecondary institution's market? How will traditional institutions compete with nontraditional vendors who develop courses? If traditional educational institutions do not offer these options, will they be able to survive financially? Will the availability of highly technical postgraduate-level learning opportunities on the Internet escalate the growing disparity between highly educated learners and learners with little education? Is a terminology common so that customers and employers know what is provided under a specific title? Are all these courses and learning resources subject to similar scrutiny? Who is responsible for quality control? How does one assess the quality? Are employers, as customers, able to assess the courses? If the desired goal is to have learners with less education engage in more study, who should worry about the quality of resources the learners pursue? Is it possible that the less educated may end up being more confused and unable to decide what has quality and what does not?

To discuss these issues and frame research questions, PLLI sponsored a one-day workshop in cooperation with the World Bank and the Center for Work, Technology, and Organization, of the School of Engineering, Stanford University. PLLI commissioned four papers to address these issues from different perspectives. A small group of experts composed of employers, representatives of higher education institutions, associations, and the federal government convened to discuss these papers and the issues outlined. The papers and the discussion generated even more questions. Following this Introduction Stephen Barley provides a conceptual framework for the workshop.

The first two papers examine the growth of courses on the Internet that have been developed by firms and institutions of higher education. In "Are Employers' Recruitment Strategies Changing: Competence Over Credentials?", Laurie Bassi draws on a survey of employers' training and recruitment practices collected by the American Society for Training and Development, and on other data, to explore what types of firms utilize computer-based learning and for what purposes. The paper provides information on how employers assess competence in the hiring process and examines how changes in the labor market and other environmental factors have led firms to experiment with computer-based learning. Kenneth Green's "High Tech vs. High Touch: The Potential Promise and Probable Limits of Technology-Based Education and Training on Campuses" uses data from the 1996 Campus Computing Survey to explore trends in computer-based education among colleges and universities in the United States. Green details the opportunities and problems that higher education institutions face as they move into computer-based learning.

The third and fourth papers focus on the level of practice from the perspective of users and developers to provide the kind of contextual knowledge currently lacking in most discussion of computer-based learning. In "Learning Tools within a Context: History and Scope", Charles Darrah describes computer-based learning opportunities currently available via the World Wide Web. Darrah discusses how the different social contexts in which users are embedded are likely to affect the use of the medium. Darrah sounds a note of caution for predictions that the Web represents an important source of training for individuals outside corporate and university settings.

Thomas Edgerton's "Employers as Course Developers: Are They the New Educational Institutions" provides an overview of Sun Microsystems philosophy and approach to computer-based learning for its employees. The paper reviews the details of several specific projects, provides empirical evidence of efficacy, and discusses both the opportunities and constraints that Sun has encountered in its efforts to develop computer-based learning modules.

Beth Bechky summarizes the workshop discussions and suggests some unanswered questions that need to be explored. The publication ends with a conclusion, including a series of themes that emerged from the workshop.

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[Competence Without Credentials]