Managing Tertiary Education in a Global Virtual Environment: Networked Educational Management

Abstract

Many conventional tertiary educational institutions have been incorporating internet-based (networked) education. Entirely virtual universities are emerging. Networked education naturally leads to participation in the global educational arena. What are the implications for academic, administrative and student management when embracing networked education? Some argue that networked education is essentially an alternative delivery mode and its management is thus no different than that of other modes. Others posit that networked education is a new educational paradigm and a response to the educational needs of the emerging information society, in the same way as the traditional class was a response to the educational needs of the industrial society. Management of networked education is therefore fundamentally different from conventional educational management particularly in a global environment. This view correlates with new forms of private enterprise management including management of the learning organization, the information-based organization and the networked organization. The writer proposes a new form of tertiary educational management for the operations of networked education in a global environment: networked educational management. The following dimensions of networked educational management are discussed: networking, student focus, globalization, its flexibility, its boundary orientation and its being information based.