DEPM 622 9040 The Business of Distance Education & E-learning Module 1: Reflections and learning activities The Global Knowledge and Economy
Does education create customers for its programs?
The definition of education is an “act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life” (Dictionary.com) “In the context of business, learning is the process by which people acquire new skills or knowledge for enhancing their performance” (Rosenberg, Ch. 1) Learning continuously process due to the learners needs and the needs for the organization to improve.
Should students be regarded as customers?
An instance, “Companies want salespeople to learn new selling techniques, so they can improve their sales results, which goes right to the business’s bottom line. A hotel wants its desk clerks to learn more about customer service, so they can be more helpful to guests, and, as a result, the hotel can increase occupancy rates and solidify brand loyalty” (Rosenberg, Ch. 1). In response students not exactly be regarded as customers but as it stated that “Training is the way instruction is conveyed; it supports learning, which is our internal way of processing information into knowledge. But since there are many ways we can learn; an effective learning strategy must transcend training” (Rosenberg, Ch. 1).
What about credentialing and the more recent education trend of edupunks and digital badge certification? Do we really need degree programs for every career niche?
The digital badge certification is one of the ways of training that support learning to contribute to a job done for a company. As a degree program may consider a form of training to acquire learning and so forth. As also the reading course has stated “Training can be delivered in many ways—in the classroom, over the phone, through a computer or via satellite, to name a few. And a variety of instructional approaches are used to get the job done, including lecture, case study, simulation, drill and practice, laboratories, and small group work. In the end, training has the format of elements: 1. An intent to enhance performance in a specific way, typically derived via needs assessments and reflected in learning goals and instructional objectives. 2. A design reflecting the instructional strategy that is best suited to the learning requirement and the learner’s attributes, as well as the measurement strategy that gauges the effectiveness of the training. 3. The means and media by which the instruction is conveyed, which may include the classroom, a variety of technologies, independent study, or a combination of approaches. 4. In high accountability situations, a more formalized assess-mentor certification capability” (Rosenburg, Ch.1)
Source: Learning Is a Lot More Than Training. Chap 1 Rosenberg