Abstract:
This paper responds in part to a special edition of this journal (39/
2) on dual-mode provision. We were concerned that contact providers
might drift into distance education provision through
extending campus-based online learning without first thinking
through the underpinning implications of its administrative systems,
an issue that was not addressed in the special edition.
Proceeding from a pragmatic and constructivist perspective,
while adopting a transactional orientation drawing on systems
theory and hermeneutics, this paper focuses on the challenge for
administrative staff and systems of the changing nature of provision
in terms of both the underpinning learning and business
models. Based on experience and reflection, we conclude that
the move into dual- and multimode provision is inevitable and
that this requires agility on the part of both administrative staff
and systems that is often overlooked in planning and review
processes.
