Elements of Quality Online Education cation

Instructional Technology Graduate Programs in Support of Corporate E-LearningI. INTRODUCTIONCollaborations between higher education and external partners in private and government sectors relatedto e-learning are becoming more common [1]. Such partnerships may evolve for differing purposes, byvarious approaches, and through a variety of entities within a college or university. While support unitssuch as outreach, distance education, and learning technology centers often work with outside agencies inthe development of e-learning initiatives, academic program areas also directly interact with externalclients for such purposes.Instructional technology (IT) programs in university settings are uniquely suited to support the e-learningefforts of corporate and government organizations, particularly advanced degree programs that prepare ITprofessionals at the master’s and doctoral levels. Composed of faculty charged with the primary missionsof research, outreach, and preparation of the future professoriate and students ready to apply new skillsand knowledge related to instructional design and technology, instructional technology programs providenatural partners for businesses seeking assistance with distributed learning efforts. Historically, ITprograms have advanced the research base on human learning and the application of such researchoutcomes for the creation of effective mediated-learning environments. This paper describes the rationalefor academic-business partnerships for e-learning, the qualities and characteristics of IT programs as e-learning liaisons, the state of such partnerships in Research I graduate programs, and finally, a case studyof an ongoing collaboration between IT at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (VirginiaTech) and a nonprofit educational corporation.A. Existing ResearchWhile a great deal of research has been conducted related to the design, development, and implementationof distance instruction in higher education (see Journal of Asynchronous Learning Environments,Educational Technology Research and Development, American Journal of Distance Education, Journalof Open and Distance Learning, and so forth) and also distributed training in business and industry (seeTraining and Development, Performance Improvement Journal, International Journal of Training andDevelopment, and so on) a gap in the literature exists related to e-learning initiatives and interactionsbetween higher education and corporate organizations.However, while little has been published on e-learning partnerships across business and academia per se,literature does support the union of industry and higher education for the advancement of research ingeneral. An impressive report conducted by the Business-Higher Education Forum [2] details theadvantages, challenges, and critical issues involved in research collaborations between universities andindustrial organizations. In this document developed by an array of top-level administrators fromacademia, corporations, and the government, the benefits of joint research initiatives are described forboth industry and academia. For businesses, the advantages are access to external expertise, access tostudents as potential employees, and the growth of the industrial laboratory as a result of additionalcontacts through the university sector. For universities, the advantages include financial support forresearch efforts, engagement in the service mission of the institution, the broadening of the experience ofstudents and faculty, and the enhancement of regional economic development. Additionally, the Review ofUniversity-Industry Research Relationships [3] developed by the University of Southern Californiaidentifies cost savings for both parties related to shared research efforts. As research and developmentbudgets become the target of budget cuts, businesses can ally with universities to stretch research dollarsand often seek government funding through programs targeted solely for such relationships.118