Supplementary materials for PhD thesis “Managing universities in transition: moving from traditional classroom-based delivery to blended and distance learning approaches”

This dataset comprises the files contained on a CD-ROM which was attached to the thesis when it was submitted in 2005. It was uploaded to ORDO in 2024 for preservation purposes. For more information, please refer to the thesis Managing universities in transition: moving from traditional classroom-based delivery to blended and distance learning approaches on ORO.

Thesis abstract

This thesis reports on a research study undertaken to develn p an understanding of the extent to which universities in the UK are embracing the ideas of distaznce and blended learning and how they are changing their management and planning processes to facilitate this.

The contribution of this thesis is to develop a framework for UK universities wanting to embrace blended learning to anticipate and manage strategic stumbling blocks. A key factor in developing such a framework has been the integration of some of the ideas on management in the distance learning literature, with that of the models developed in the literature in more traditional university settings. In their turn, these ideas are combined with management literature from outwith the education arena.

The study is presented as a number of different case studies, allowing comparison of the different drivers and goals in institutions for blended learning initiatives, their chosen strategies and outcomes. The way in which these changes interrelate with the institutions' cultures, structures and management styles are demonstrated and some of the institutional implications are shown through detailed interpretation of interview data. A thematic analysis of the data is also presented.

Finally, a model is developed to provide a framework for the organisational development of higher education institutions (HEIs) which will help to manage change initiatives such as the introduction of blended learning, or explain difficulties in introducing institutional change.