Development of the Educator: Allergic to the new . . .

"I just CAN'T keep up!", "They're not paying me for the time it takes to GET this stuff!", "By the time I figure this out, I could have done it MY WAY!"

I've heard this from colleagues in P12 as well as higher ed regarding the demands to use the latest and greatest software, hardware or procedures made available to the schools. This past week I overheard someone grieving the loss of their mind and time over failed efforts to use an online course management tool. I've heard this kind of talk before and all too often tech-grievers progress to the next step . . . AVOIDANCE.

Suddenly the educator becomes almost "allergic" to attempting the new; be it procedural changes in course delivery or technical updates and upgrades. We start to have physical and emotional symptoms that eventually warp our productivity, sense of control and overall satisfaction with the workplace.

Will design instructors REALLY break out in hives if the school updates to CS4 before they get a chance to learn it themselves?

Will the 4th grade teacher REALLY hyperventilate at the sight of yet another type of projector; only this time it is mounted in the ceiling and she has to depend on use of the remote?(Oh no! what if the batteries run out!?).

Will I suffer from a brain aneurism the next time that DARN NEW PRINTER beeps at me to signal that I need to press yet another button that I CANNOT find?

What should leaders do?

One thing that stands at the top of my mind would be that leaders should ALWAYS consider the intensity and reasonability of their demands.

Leaders should experience the new for themselves or observe their faculty interacting with the new, then set reachable goals. For example, they could allow faculty to play around with the online course management system one or two terms before it is implemented as if it were real, only not posted for students to see or access. All kinks and misunderstandings can be smoothed out without the DEMAND of having grades and attendance in by noon when they haven't figured out how it works or haven't had proper training on what to do if they've taken correct steps but it still doesn't work).

There are many options available to prevent outbreaks among educators experiencing the new. Most leaders would see a great return on their technical and procedural investments if they themselves invest a bit of TLC and NOT just a bunch of cheap band-aids (like "read the manual").

Institutional Competion in Distance Education

I had a discussion with a friend the other day who mentioned that traditional schools will soon HAVE to transition to offering more online courses to compete with not only each other but with these full-online schools, such as Capella University.

I began to think about competition. Honestly, HOW can traditional schools compete? Traditional schools that offer online programs carry with them the requirements to enroll. These requirements are often more demanding than the online for-profit schools that DON'T REQUIRE SAT AND GRE SCORES (I know from experience, Capella did not require GRE scores when I applied over a year ago).

If I were a BA graduate, already working but seeking an advanced degree to increase my pay, I would naturally look for a program that offers flexibility for my busy life; an online program would be great for me to pursue a masters.

If I'm busy, the last thing I want to do is jump through hoops to sign up for the program.

Opting for a traditional school would mean that I need to take time to study for the GRE or GMAT, prep samples of work to submit, transcripts, references, etc -Then if I'm awful at taking tests, I'd fail the mathematics portion!.

Opting for one of the for-profit online schools, all I have to do is write a few paragraphs about my intentions, send references, a transcript and a check. It may cost me more, but at least I'm in and I get the degree.

Questions: What can leaders in Distance Education do to remedy this situation? What can be done differently? Does the difference in application process affect quality of the program?