Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
This article was downloaded by: [McGill University Library]On: 16 October 2014, At: 09:17Publisher: RoutledgeInforma Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registeredoffice: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK
Studies in Continuing EducationPublication details, including instructions for authors andsubscription information:http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/csce20
Australian higher educationinstitutions and the provision ofcontinuing educationJohn G Hedberg aa University of New South WalesPublished online: 03 Aug 2006.
To cite this article: John G Hedberg (1989) Australian higher education institutions andthe provision of continuing education, Studies in Continuing Education, 11:2, 142-160, DOI:10.1080/0158037890110205
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0158037890110205
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE
Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the“Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis,our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as tothe accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinionsand views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors,and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Contentshould not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sourcesof information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims,proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoeveror howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to orarising out of the use of the Content.
This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Anysubstantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing,systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms& Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions
142 Studies in Continuing Education, Vol.ll, No. 2,1989.
Australian higher education institutions andthe provision of continuing education
John G HedbergUniversity of New South Wales
A survey of continuing education courses in all higher education institutions in Australiawas undertaken in the second half of 1987. This paper describes the range of course andsubject provision, and the difficulties experienced in achieving common descriptions fromthe highly individualistic survey data. It explores the extent of the largely unrecognised rolethat can be and is played by the institutions as they provide continuing education programs.In particular, it discusses some innovative delivery strategies which a few institutions haveemployed to develop courses of professional relevance and to ensure that they recover costs.
While there has been increasing recognition that the provision of continuing educationprograms can play an important role in the reskilling and development of the workforce,the role of higher education institutions in providing for this development has beenlargely unexplored. Continuing education departments have been working mainly withthe responsibility for supplying "extensions" to the academic programs of the institution,and as the program orientation of the institution has changed so the courses offered havealso moved more into the professional development of graduates.
In 1987 the Department of Industry, Technology and Commerce (DITC) proposed that theCommonwealth Tertiary Education Commission survey the provision of non-award fee-paying courses in order to produce a directory of such courses. Professor Richard Johnson,Spedal Commissioner, sent out a simple survey questionnaire; the proforma was to becompleted for all non-award continuing education courses offered by tertiary educationinstitutions in 1986 and 1987. Each institution was asked for the following details onindividual courses:
Course titleYear(s) of offeringBrief description of courseDuration of courseFrequency of offeringPrerequisites (if any)Clientele/target audienceLocation
Dow
nloa
ded
by [
McG
ill U
nive
rsity
Lib
rary
] at
09:
17 1
6 O
ctob
er 2
014
Studies in Continuing Education, Vol.11, No. 2,1989. 143
• Fee charged• Enrolment numbers (in 1986 and 1987)• Future of course (one-off or to be repeated)
Seventy-six higher education institutions in Australia were surveyed. Fifty-eight institu-tions responded (763% response rate). For those institutions with very little continuingeducation provision responding to the survey was a relatively simple task. On the otherhand, those with a major commitment in continuing education found the task onerous anddifficult, and their responses varied in format and consistency. While the data returnedwas far from complete, the fact that it was the most comprehensive survey in a grosslyundocumented area makes it an invaluable starting point for future investigations in thearea of course provision by higher educational institutions.
The interest of the Department of Industry Technology and Commerce in continuingeducation provision is recognition of this area's contribution to economic growth and itssignificance for national human resources planning and development. The recentstanding conference of Directors of Continuing Education in Higher Education held atMonash University (April 1988) in a response to the Green Paper (Dawkins 1987),identified the role of continuing education as, firstly, widening participation and providingopportunities for adults who have had limited access to formal education, and secondly as aservice for people...
who need to extend their education but who do not need or wish, at that stage toembark on a full degree or diploma course. In particular, it provides
• updating and diversification in a great range of vocations...;• assistance to individuals and organisations, in coping with rapid social, eco-
nomic and technological change;• flexibility and responsiveness, both in content and methodology, to emerging
needs for new or added skills;• a forum for bringing together professional and research groups which, other-
wise, seldom interact.
and, overall, its diversity gives it great strength as a testing ground for newinitiatives. Often, it provides a real cutting edge of educational developments, sinceits infrastructure is capable of servicing, far more quickly than can the awardeducational system, a very broad range of needs.
It should be recognised that tertiary education institutions are but a small segment of theoverall provision of continuing education nationally. Even given the inherent difficultiesin monitoring the continuing education provision by this sector it is still more easilymonitored than the host of other business and informal providers. Other types ofinstitutions and organisations which are known to be involved in the provision of non-award fee-paying courses include:
• Technical and Further Education Colleges• professional societies• government agencies
Dow
nloa
ded
by [
McG
ill U
nive
rsity
Lib
rary
] at
09:
17 1
6 O
ctob
er 2
014
144 Studies in Continuing Education, Vol.11, No. 2,1989.
business and industrieshospitals and other health service organisationstrade union training authoritiesprivate educational organisationsevening collegescommunity based adult education agenciesself-instructional retail courses
The very broad impact of this total provision of education and training by continuingeducation on the economic growth of the nation goes largely unrecognised, undocu-mented and uncoordinated. The 'increasing' cost of higher education and the largenumbers of capable people who fail to get into universities and colleges make it essentialthat appropriate recognition is given to non-award educational training and professionaldevelopment. Facilitating more flexible ways of accrediting the work undertaken incurrent non-award programs could improve the efficiency of higher education provisionin that non-award courses generally cover their costs, and topics covered have direct andimmediate application for the participants.
This survey reports on but a small proportion of the total area of provision, but the issuesand information it contains will provide a useful picture of the range of provision and theenergy of the sector in meeting national and education goals.
The survey responses
The single, most significant finding of this survey was the difficulty faced by institutionsin making a reasonable response which demonstrated the range and flexibility of provi-sion. That so many did so, using extensive staff time and effort, is an indication of the levelof dedication in this area of higher education. The complexity and diversity of this areaof educational activity and the lack of uniformity in the structures of operation withininstitutions has been well documented by Smith (1985), and Johnson and Hinton (1986).
The complexity of provision and the difficulties of monitoring activities were highlightedby this survey. Major providers are involved through the operation of many agenciesincluding departments, schools and faculties, centres of academic interest, venturecompanies, centres of continuing education and community or recreation programs suchas seasonal schools, public lectures, seminars and concerts. The nature of provision variesfrom one institution to another. The practice of auditing mainstream undergraduatecourses for example, is identified by some institutions as part of their continuing educationeffort with students paying fees according to whether they merely 'sit in' on lectures andtutorials or if they seek tutorial support and assessment feedback. These courses were notalways included in the survey results and the increasing numbers of adults who chooseto study this way is largely undocumented.
The question of defining continuing education activities becomes increasingly difficultand at the same time, a major hurdle for a successful survey of provision. In this case,respondents were asked to report on the provision of "non-award, fee paying continuingeducation courses" offered in 1986 and 1987. The burden of the request was acknowl-edged in the letter of request and respondents were invited to provide partial information
Dow
nloa
ded
by [
McG
ill U
nive
rsity
Lib
rary
] at
09:
17 1
6 O
ctob
er 2
014
Studies in Continuing Education, Vol.U, No. 2,1989. 145
rather than none at all. Despite these limitations, the survey of the 4656 coursessuccessfully coded represents an attempt to monitor this area of provision in Australia.
The survey instrument was kept deliberately brief, a one page proforma to be duplicatedand completed for each course identified as non-award and fee paying. The majority ofrespondents attempted to complete the survey using the form provided. Some providedadditional information in the form of promotional literature, newspaper supplements,advertisingbroadsheets, prospectuses or annual reports. A minority, approximately 20%,ignored the proforma entirely and submitted data only in the form of promotionalliterature.
The use of non-standardised returns created some incompleteness in the data gathered.For example, not all enrolment numbers are available nor are answers to questionsconcerned with cost recovery or the future of the courses. In a few cases, the promotionalliterature gave no indication of whether the courses actually eventuated. For coursesrecorded with nil enrolments, some doubt must be raised as to whether the course actuallyran. However, excluding these courses would underestimate the work involved inestablishing and implementing programs.
Methodology
Each course was classified according to the Department of Employment, Education andTraining (DEET) Field of Study Classification of Tertiary Education Courses which has athree tiered structure of increasing specifidty. For the purposes of this survey the leastspecific classification comprising the following eleven broad fields was used:
01 Land and Marine Resources, Animal Husbandry02 Architecture, Building, Surveying03 Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences04 Business, Administration, Economics05 Education06 Engineering, processing07 Health, Community Services08 Law, Legal Studies09 Sdence10 Services, Hospitality, Transportation11 General Education
It was found that three additional categories were required. These were necessary toidentify spedfic areas of activity which provide a greater insight into the activities ofproviders. These additional (non-official) categories were:
35 Languages95 Computing12 Personal Development
The Languages and Computing categories made it easier to separate two spedfic areas ofcourse provision known to be popular in the continuing education sector while keeping
Dow
nloa
ded
by [
McG
ill U
nive
rsity
Lib
rary
] at
09:
17 1
6 O
ctob
er 2
014
246 Studies in Continuing Education, Vol.11, No. 2,1989.
within the DEET field of study classification system. Category 12 was required for therange of courses offered in leisure retirement, recreation and personal development areasnot clearly identified within the classification system.
It was possible to sort data according to selected fields and to calculate sums andpercentages within specific columns. Courses were classified by title and by clientele(target audience) into two categories: professional and adult. The professional categoryreferred to clientele in a vocational or professional grouping usually closely related to thecourse offered. The adult category was applied to courses offered to the general publicwith no identifiable characteristics other than an interest in the course. The coursedescriptions were used to confirm details and to check subject categories for those titleswhich gave no clues as to their field of study.
Results and discussionThe fifty-eight institutions which responded of the seventy-six surveyed represent aresponse rate of 76.3%. While this response rate was apparently high, the complexity ofidentifying providers of continuing education has led to incomplete responses in twoareas: intra-institutional response and course data response. The survey has thus raisedthe problem of co-ordination and control of continuing education provision.
Intra-institutional Response
The survey request was sent directly to the institutions concerned, marked for theattention of the directors of continuing education where they were known to exist and tothe most senior officer of the institution for distribution. Some of the letters returned withthe completed survey forms expressed disaffection with the size of the survey task and thestrain this had placed on existing resources. Further concerns were - why was theinformation required, and how would the results of the information gathered be used?The logical relationship between this call for monitoring provision and the current climateof financial stringency in tertiary education generated the following comment:
that continuing education courses should be fully self-funding will make it virtu-ally impossible for the College to run these courses and cater for the needs of theregion's industry.
The sheer size of the task led to idiosyncratic ways of meeting the request, one respondentinterestingly provided data only on selected courses as he saw:
little point in reporting every individual activity, many of which might never berepeated. ...tried to include those activities which have become, to some extent,institutionalised
The problems arising from the intra-institutional response were identified as:
• ad hoc decisions about who was responsible for completing the data;• difficulties in supplying the data in the form requested;• difficulties in coding responses to some questions due to the variety of course provision
and teaching strategies
Dow
nloa
ded
by [
McG
ill U
nive
rsity
Lib
rary
] at
09:
17 1
6 O
ctob
er 2
014
Studies in Continuing Education, Vol.ll, No. 2,1989. 147
• questions about the utility of a directory of courses which are individual and highlyresponsive to local or client needs.
These problems led to easily identifiable gaps in the information returned. The exampleof one university illustrates this point. Survey information was received from theContinuing Education Centre which provided full details of the university's extra-muralliberal arts courses offered by the Centre. However, no information was included fromother faculties and departments and consequently, the institutional profile developedfrom the data misrepresents the institution's total level of activity.
Even when the instrument was distributed to every department and centre of activitythere can be no surety that non-responses were followed up. Hard-pressed academicdepartments and institutes have other priorities; obtaining information about what non-award fee-paying courses they run is often seen as marginal to their 'real' activities. Thoseinstitutions who were able to distribute the survey systematically and who therefore,provide a valuable institution-wide profile of activity were either small enough to makethis no great task or well-developed in terms of coordination and identification of thediversity of sub-agencies.
The very widespread lack of co-ordination of activities leads to duplication of courses andcompetitiveness for client groups. Some large metropolitan campuses especially, areillustrative of this, with faculties, departments, continuing education centres and institu-tional venture companies running the same courses (at least by title and description ofcontent) for similar client groups. This is most apparent for courses in the business,administration and management areas.
Institutions as providers
The fifty-eight institutions which responded reported operating through a total of 344agencies, an average of six agencies per institution. The complexity of co-ordinating andbalancing the program offerings of particular institutions is shown by the fact that a totalof ten institutions each operate with more than ten providing agencies; two institutionshave over twenty. Table 1 shows the distribution.
Table 1: Number of providing agencies within institutions
No. of agencies
20+11-196-102-5Sole agencies
No. of Institutions
44
122413
The diversity of providing agencies within particular institutions is usually a reflection ofthe size and complexity of the institution itself. As increases in this area are likely, giventhe need to develop alternative sources of revenue, it seems relevant to examine the roleof continuing education units in co-ordinating and supporting academic staff in the
Dow
nloa
ded
by [
McG
ill U
nive
rsity
Lib
rary
] at
09:
17 1
6 O
ctob
er 2
014
148 Studies in Continuing Education, Vol.U, No. 2,1989.
development and marketing of courses. Some institutions offer a range of courses througha central unit or small number of major providers within the institution, while others offercourses through individual departments and schools. It is not always easy to determineif the number of providing agencies truly represents multiple administrative resources.
Course Data Response
A total of 3483 course titles and 4656 courses have been documented by this survey. Thisdistinction occursbecause some course titles are offered a number of times within the year.The breakdown of the course data responses according to the two broad categories ofclientele: professional and adult, is shown in Table 2.
Table 2: Continuing Education Courses by Clientele
Titles % Courses %
Courses for the general public (adult)Courses for professionals
1131 32.5% 1630 35%2352 675% 3026 65%
Total 3483 4656
That such a large percentage of course provision is for professionals is significant andchallenges the view that continuing education provision is somewhat peripheral to themain work of universities and colleges of advanced education. Tertiary education policymakers cannot ignore the political significance of courses which upgrade skills andqualifications, and which, in turn, impact on Australia's economic growth, nor can theyignore the preference of mature aged, employed people for short and other convenientlydelivered courses, relevant to their own professional development.
Course titles form the central focus of this analysis. In most cases, they were sufficient toclassify the courses according to field of study classifications. Where the course titleprovided insufficient guidance, reference was made to the descriptions provided in thesummary of course content section of the survey form. Table 3 reveals the distribution ofcourses by field of study classification.
By sorting the data in Table 3 into three groups (see Table 4), it is easier to identify thedominant areas of course provision, and those with less prominence. When grouped, thefour major fields of study are:
Business, Administration, EconomicsComputingArts, Humanities and Social SciencesHealth, Community Services
These four fields alone cover over 60% of the total course provision. If Languages areincluded with Arts, and Computing is included with Science that proportion rises to 70%of course provision in only four field of study categories.
Dow
nloa
ded
by [
McG
ill U
nive
rsity
Lib
rary
] at
09:
17 1
6 O
ctob
er 2
014
Studies in Continuing Education, Vol.11, No. 2,1989. 149
Table 3: Courses and course titles by field of study
DEET DescriptionCategory
Titles
01 Land and Marine Resources, Animal Husbandry. 14002 Architecture, Building, Surveying03 Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences35 Languages04 Business, Administration, Economics05 Education06 Engineering, Processing07 Health, Community Services08 Law, Legal Studies09 Science95 Computing10 Services, Hospitality, Transportation11 General Education12 Personal Development
Totals 3478
Courses
14074
57919285012724735242
1854356387
105
4.03%2.13%
16.65%552%
24.44%3.65%7.10%
10.12%1.21%532%
1251%1.81%250%3.02%
16684
67123298216626444747
207714113125438
357%1.80%
14.41%4.98%
21.09%357%5.67%9.60%1.01%4.45%
15.34%2.43%2.68%9.41%
4656
Figure 1: Courses and course titles by DEET field of study
Personal Development
General Education
Services, Hospitality, Transportation
Computing
Science
Law, Legal Studies
Health, Community Services
Engineering, Processing
Education
Business Administration, Economics
Languages
Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Architecture, Building, Surveying
Land and Marine Resources, Animal Hus.
Dow
nloa
ded
by [
McG
ill U
nive
rsity
Lib
rary
] at
09:
17 1
6 O
ctob
er 2
014
250 Studies in Continuing Education, Vol.11, No. 2,1989.
The classification is a little arbitrary. If the Personal Development area is listed by coursetitles, it falls in the third group, if it is listed by courses it falls in the bottom of the firstgroup. Table 4 does provide an insight into this developing area, representing almost 10%of all courses offered. However, when this course provision is contrasted with enrolments(Table 6), only 3% of all enrolments sign up for these courses. A comparison might bedrawn with Health, Community Services which has a similar amount of course provisionbut which services 13% of all enrolments. These differences might be explained by thedifferent teaching strategies and group sizes employed in these two fields, but the data isnot sufficiently detailed to answer the speculation.
Table 4: Dominant course provision by fields of study
DEET Field of study descriptionCategory
Group 1. Dominant course provision
03 Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences(excluding Languages)
04 Business, Administration, Economics07 Health, Community Services95 Computing
Totals
Group 2. Middle range course provision
35 Languages06 Engineering, Processing09 Science
12 Personal Development
Totals
Group 3. Minor course provision
Titles Courses
579 16.65% 671 14.41%
850 24.44%352 10.12%435 1251%
63.72%
192 552%247 7.10%185 532%105 3.02%
20.96%
01 Land and Marine Resources, Animal Husbandry. 14002 Architecture, Building, Surveying 7405 Education 12708 Law, Legal Studies 4210 Services, Hospitality, Transportation 6311 General Education 87
982 21.09%447 9.60%714 15.34%
60.44%
232 4.98%264 5.67%207 4.45%438 9.41%
2451%
4.03%2.13%3.65%1.21%1.81%250%
16684
16647
113125
357%1.80%3.57%1.01%2.43%2.68%
Totals 14.33% 15.06%
Dow
nloa
ded
by [
McG
ill U
nive
rsity
Lib
rary
] at
09:
17 1
6 O
ctob
er 2
014
Studies in Continuing Education, Vol.11, No. 2,1989. 151
Computing, as a narrow focus field within what are otherwise broad classifications can beidentified as the single most dynamic subject area. The classification 9.5 included onlycomputing courses of a general nature. Applications of computing to specific fields ofinterest were classified according to the field of interest e.g.
C Programming for Engineers classified as Engineering (06)Lotus 1-2-3 Accounting Applications classified as Business (04)Computing for nurses classified as Health (07)
Courses on computing languages, introduction to software and hardware e.g.,Structured ProgrammingIntroduction to Data CommunicationDatabase TechnologyAdvanced dBase III
were all classified as Computing (9.5).
That computing education flourishes in higher education continuing education offeringsas well as in the private sector is an indication of the impact of new technology both ineducation provision and in society as a whole.
The Business Administration and Economics (DEET 04) field of classification was by farthe largest with 21% of courses falling into this category. The majority of those courseswere in management studies such as financial management, marketing, training and de-velopment, personnel management and computing. The total number of enrolments inthis field were: 28,248 representing 21% of the enrolments overall.
Courses in this area are amongst the most competitive, not only in the open market withprivate enterprise but within particular institutions where faculties of commerce competewith centres for management studies for continuing education clientele. The reasons forthis competitiveness arise from the high profitability of courses in this field. Business andindustry pay highly for their employees to upgrade their skills, a reflection of theperceived worth of this professional development area to improve commercial perform-ance.
Duration and Frequency of Courses
Continuing education courses vary considerably in duration from one hour up to 100hours or longer as courses run over the whole year or intensively over several weeks.While a relatively high number of courses are intensive programs held over several days,still the most common pattern for continuing education courses appears to be 2-3 hoursa week over a number of weeks (typically ten).
The variation in patterns of provision made it difficult to elicit comparable statisticalinformation, in a survey response where 3 days is given as the course duration, the 3 daysmight be 6 hours x 3 days or 1 hour by 3 days or a residential weekend. Each will resultin different student contact hours. To standardise the units of time would have meant re-examining all of the raw data and making some ad hoc judgements. Future surveys willneed to distinguish these different patterns of course duration.
Dow
nloa
ded
by [
McG
ill U
nive
rsity
Lib
rary
] at
09:
17 1
6 O
ctob
er 2
014
152 Studies in Continuing Education, Vol.11, No. 2,1989.
A course title that is conducted three times a year attracts three times the income andenrolments and streamlines the preparation required. However, a one-off course de-signed for a specific clientele involving close consultation during the development of thecourse and highly directed marketing may require considerably more resources, eventhough it may be extremely effective in developing the professional skills of the targetgroup. The issue of high volume, wide audience, versus low volume, highly responsivecourses, is one which raises questions about continuing education funding and policy.
It can also be said that some courses by their nature can only be provided by continuingeducation agencies. Computing courses, for example, are usually of short duration andselected on the basis of current job requirements. Courses often update skills and aredesigned to teach the latest developments and applications. When the need for trainingin one area ceases due to market saturation or when the subject matter is incorporated intoregular teaching programs, continuing education courses move on to new topic areas.
Table 5: Frequency of course offerings per year
Once23456+
Total
Prerequisites
298534460295
35
3458
86%10%2%1%0%1%
The question about required prerequisites was also open to misinterpretation. A simpleyes/no was requested. Many respondents interpreted the question literally, others morebroadly. For example, prerequisites might be a medical degree if the course is computingfor medical practitioners being run by the Medical Faculty and no mention is made ofprerequisite computing skills.
Many courses self-select their clientele, as with a course on advanced computer-aideddesign which is not likely to attract general interest. In these cases, pre-requisites are notactually specified but often the assumption is that the participants will have completed anundergraduate degree in engineering. Thus, to say pre-requisites are required often onlymeans that some continuing education courses are sequenced, such as the three levels ofa language course. While only 20% of professional courses stated that pre—requisites wererequired, many specialised courses would require some background by default. Forcourses aimed at a general adult clientele prerequisites were stated for approximately 53%of courses.
Continuing education courses are generally specific to a particular client group whichleads to a process of self-selection and identification of relevant prerequisites, eventhough these may not be specifically stated. The adult category identifies courses of
Dow
nloa
ded
by [
McG
ill U
nive
rsity
Lib
rary
] at
09:
17 1
6 O
ctob
er 2
014
Studies in Continuing Education, Vol.11, No. 2,1989. 153
interest to the community in general while the professional category identifies coursestargeted to a specific client group, e.g. registered chiropractors or veterinary graduateswhere the prerequisite is obvious. In other cases e.g., nurses or social workers the specificcourse determines the prerequisite skills e.g., introductory nursing concepts is clearly notintended for the experienced nurse and "working with aboriginal children and theirparents" for social workers would be selected by those social workers who identify thecourse as relevant to their practice.
Clientele/target audience
While the responses to clientele (target audience) were used to classify courses as eitheradult or professional, a more specific classification of target audience could be of interestin finding out how many courses were directed at sub groups within a professional area,say, to educational administrators rather than teachers. It should also be reiterated herethat a course such as computing for business, for example, was classified under business(DEET 4), given that the content was business specific or applications of computing inbusiness and offered as a course to those in business rather than to those in computing.
An interesting area not covered by the survey was the question of whether the course wasa contract for a specific audience and therefore, a 'closed' offering rather than an 'open'offering. Courses designed on contract for a specific client appear to be increasing incontinuing professional education. While some respondents did include this informationabout client groups, knowing how regularly this occurs in practice could further illumi-nate a potential growth area.
The different client groups targeted by the field of study (Business, Administration, andEconomics) illustrates the wide variety of provision. Courses were aimed at:
accountants, arbitrators, army and navy personnel, auditors, civil engineers, consultants,executives, foremen, general public, graduates, leaders, managers, middle managers,organisations, personnel officers, policy makers, professionals, senior secretaries, super-visors, third world government officers, training officers, women in local government
There are many more, but this list serves to illustrate the diversity of clientele identifiedin a single field of study and the degree of specificity that clientele identification can bringto course analysis. 'Auditors' and leaders' are two audience categories from the above listthat illustrate this point. One is quite clearly focussed while the other is broad enough toinclude virtually anybody from a community group leader to the senior executive of amultinational corporation. There is a wealth of information contained in a study of targetaudience alone and many questions remain to be asked, such as courses offered specifi-cally to women, or to community health workers or disadvantaged groups.
Course Location
An examination of the raw data revealed that questions of location are quite complex andof increasing interest. Courses may be offered not only on-campus or off-campus butincreasingly they are offered as independent self-study courses with or without tutorialassistance. Courses offered off-campus can mean external study or an attended courselocated somewhere other than at the host institution, such as a local hotel or conference
Dow
nloa
ded
by [
McG
ill U
nive
rsity
Lib
rary
] at
09:
17 1
6 O
ctob
er 2
014
254 Studies in Continuing Education, Vol.U, No. 2,1989.
venue. This last alternative can be further extended so that courses offered by institutionsinterstate or out of their immediate geographic area can be identified. Increasingly, withspecialization many institutions hold attended courses in a number of major cities eventhough these locations might be considered to be serviced by local insitutions. Teachingstaff from regional institutions often travel to other large metropolitan areas to see groupsof students, which is like a residential course in reverse. In general, regional colleges aremore than likely to offer attended courses 'off-campus' at large centres of population inorder to meet their region's needs.
Courses for industry developed on the basis of a contract and offered in the workplaceform a growing category. For example, the University of New South Wales has taught atelecourse for telecommunications employees, not only by independent study, but alsowith televised programs. The students were located around Australia at remote locations,linked by electronic mail, computer bulletin board and teleconferences. The terms 'off-campus', 'workplace' or 'external' all apply and yet individually fail to describe thecomplex delivery of particular continuing education courses in meeting the needs ofspecific industry based clients.
Many respondents applied the term 'off-campus' to residential conferences held inlocations other than the host institution. A common event in continuing education, buteasily confused with an external studies course if the term off-campus is the onlydescriptor. Clarifying responses such as, 'studio', 'on site', 'workplace', 'client's facilities'would further identify the extensive range of locations used.
Fees Charged
Responses to this question varied and illustrate the range of provision, the amount givenwas sometimes for the total contract and in other cases the participant fee. The variationfrom $100 to $15,000 being sufficient illustration that both interpretations were confi-dently given. Some respondents gave a sliding fee e.g. $250-$320. Some respondents gavethe fee charged as per hour of the course. Some fees obviously included residential costsfor accommodation, meals, and even air fares. Making sense of costing requires a betterbreak down of options than the responses permitted.
The question offull cost recovery was obviously interpreted differently by respondents andtherefore does not really provide a reliable basis for discussion. From those who repliedto the question, in 1084 courses (or 31%) it was claimed that full costs were recovered. Itwas stated that the course was not full cost recovery in 288 courses (or 8%) and theremainder did not answer. However, some courses were offered as audited coursesextracted from the normal teaching program of the institution and some were supportedunder the community development provisions, so the question is not always easy toanswer. In most cases, direct costs are covered but the overhead component is not alwaysclearly identified and met by the fees.
It would be helpful to know whether fees charged cover direct costs such as tutor fees,marketing costs, venue hire, refreshments, materials; or whether some charge is levied tocover overheads such as full time staff costs, administration, telephone, etc.; and whetherprofits go to the institution or to the centre or are shared. At times it was difficult to
Dow
nloa
ded
by [
McG
ill U
nive
rsity
Lib
rary
] at
09:
17 1
6 O
ctob
er 2
014
Studies in Continuing Education, Volll, No. 2,1989. 155
determine whether a fee, such as $13,000 for an eight-week external course in ProfessionalTraining attracting 87 students, was a total fee or an individual fee and if it was anindividual fee, whether accommodation, overheads, facilities, and equipment wereincluded.
Enrolment Numbers
1986 1987
192372232
38
158261342
39
Number of courses with responsesTotal enrolmentsAverage enrolment per course title
The drop of enrolment figures in 1987 is influenced by the fact that the survey was to becompleted by July 20, so this figure did not represent the same period of time as the 1986figure. Several institutions did not present their 1986 enrolment figures so the total is wellunderestimated. Figure 2 demonstrates the enrolment by field of study details for allcourses and years combined.
The missing responses for enrolment figures should be interpreted under the followingconstraints. Some figures were given for both 1986 and 1987 so to add them wouldoverinflatethem. Some were given for either 1986 or 1987. Some did not give any figuresand in some instances indicated that the course did not run or that the figures are notavailable.
Figure 2: Enrolments by DEET field of study (1986 and 1987 combined)
Personal Development
General Education
Services, Hospitality, Transportation
Computing
Science
Law, Legal Studies
Health, Community Services
Engineering, Processing
Education
Business Administration, Economics
Languages
Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Architecture, Building. Surveying
Land and Marine Resources, Animal Hus.
Dow
nloa
ded
by [
McG
ill U
nive
rsity
Lib
rary
] at
09:
17 1
6 O
ctob
er 2
014
256 Studies in Continuing Education, Vol.ll, No. 2,1989.
Estimates for total enrolments in this area of provision vary greatly. Some respondentsgave actual enrolments for that course while others gave projected/expected enrolmentsfor that course or the maximum allowable enrolments for a particular course. Somefigures represent the sum of enrolments in the say, 8 repeats of a particular course, whileother respondents' figures are the average enrolment for the 8 repeats. And if thisvariation was not enough, some respondents gave the enrolment for one offering of acourse that ran 8 times. When the response was nil the interpretation was difficult; somerespondents used it to mean that no-one enrolled and others that no figures were available.
Table 6: Combined (86 and 87) Enrolments by field of study
TOTAL 77318 56256 133574
From the breakdown in Table 6, the most dominant area for professional clientele is theBusiness field of study (DEET 04) with 31 % of the courses and 35% of the enrolments. Forthe general adult clientele, the Arts and Languages categories (DEET 03 and 35) repre-sented the most popular category with 41 % of courses and 46% of the enrolments. (Thesefigures may appear to contradict those in Table 3, however, it should be noted that thefigures for courses aimed at adult and professional groups are combined in Table 3).
Average enrolment figures should be considered in relation to the nature of the course.Large figures of attendance at say a public lecture by Germaine Greer for two hoursattracting 2500 people will inflate the average class size when compared with intensivecourses of two hours per week for 8 weeks attracting 30 people.
Enrolment figures really need to be calculated separately for• public lectures/seminars/concerts• industry based contract 'closed' entry• residential courses• independent study courses/telecourses
DEET Field of Study Professional Adult Combined
01 Land & Marine Resources, Animal Hus. 3706 5% 1255 2% 4961 4%02 Architecture, Building, Surveying 1424 2% 183 0% 1607 1%03 Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences 2567 3% 16330 29% 18897 14%35 Languages 709 1% 9708 17% 10417 8%04 Business Administration, Economics 26813 35% 1438 3% 28251 21%05 Education 4955 6% 5168 9% 10123 8%06 Engineering, Processing 5063 7% 310 1% 5373 4%07 Health, Community Services 14529 19% 2459 4% 16988 13%08 Law, Legal Studies 1381 2% 251 0% 1632 1%09 Science 2967 4% 2951 5% 5918 4%9.5 Computing 7681 10% 3415 6% 11096 8%10 Services, Hospitality, Transportation 2319 3% 87 0% 2406 2%11 General Education 2550 3% 9229 16% 11779 9%12 Personal Development 654 1% 3472 6% 4126 3%
Dow
nloa
ded
by [
McG
ill U
nive
rsity
Lib
rary
] at
09:
17 1
6 O
ctob
er 2
014
Studies in Continuing Education, Vol.U, No. 2,1989. 157
• regular attendance coursesbut, the data is not sufficiently complete to enable this to occur.
Table 7: Average enrolments by field of study
DEET Field of Study
0102033504050607080995101112
Land and Marine Resources, AnimalArchitecture, Building, SurveyingArts, Humanities and Social SciencesLanguagesBusiness Administration, EconomicsEducationEngineering, ProcessingHealth, Community ServicesLaw, Legal StudiesScienceComputingServices, Hospitality, TransportationGeneral EducationPersonal Development
Professional
Hus. 3020153529362037352314219827
Adult
3014364629
191244336372129938
Combined
301930452961203835291621949
Average for all fields 26 35 29
Future of courses
Respondents were asked what the future of the course was likely to be. The responses canbe summarized as:
Table 8: Proposed future of the course
25510731139
457
146
2539
one offannuallyas requestedcontinuingfirst timedon't knowfinishing
courses
7.0%30.0%32.0%
1.0%0.2%0.4%0.2%
Total
The largest category indicates the responsive nature of continuing education provisionalthough provision "as requested" can mean many different things. "As requested" canmean that the course is advertised in a prospectus and runs if sufficient enrolments areregistered. "As requested" can relate to a self-study audio visual program available on a
Dow
nloa
ded
by [
McG
ill U
nive
rsity
Lib
rary
] at
09:
17 1
6 O
ctob
er 2
014
153 Studies in Continuing Education, Volll, No. 2,1989.
continuous basis from a catalogue. "As requested" can refer to a course designed on a one-off basis for a particular client.
It is significant that 255 courses were identified as one-off, designed for a specific purposeand presumably for a client group.
Conclusions
Continuing Education in tertiary institutions is emerging Janus-faced, looking oneway to its traditional foundations as a means of sharing the academic expertise andscholarship of its knowledge base with those who were unable to participate as fullyadmitted candidates in degree programmes, looking the other way to its strength-ening and highly dynamic role at the cutting edge of the institution's response to therapidly changing professional education requirements of the community. Tertiaryinstitutions cannot afford to continue the marginalisation of this sector of activity.To do so is to imperil their ability to respond flexibly and adequately to the needsof the community. It is already apparent that tertiary institutions and academics likemany, formerly highly regarded elements of the social fabric are under publicscrutiny. Changing demands on the public purse have resulted in less real fundingfor the tertiary sector. (Hedberg & Forster, 1989)
It is interesting to compare Australian data with the statistics for continuing educationprovision in British Universities during 1981/82 (Table 9). Titmus (1985) commentedupon the paucity of information about this area of educational activity and pointed to thestatistical information by the Universities which indicated that most of the 19,252 courses(613%) were considered extra-mural courses. By contrast, the current provision inAustralian higher education is completely reversed with two thirds of courses beingoriented to continuing professional development.
Table 9: Course Areas in British Universities (1981/82,19,252 courses)
Course Area % of coursesAgriculture, Forestry, Vet Science 0.4%Architecture 2.6%Arts other than languages 23.0%Language, literature and area studies 10.0%Administration, Business, Social studies 21.0%Education 7.4%Engineering and Technology 3.4%Medicine, Dentistry, & Health 21.2%Biological and Physical Sciences 11.0%
The problems identified in this survey could be overcome with the development of anational database of continuing education course provision. A clear statement of purposeand intent for such a scheme is necessary if the full co-operation of providers is to begained. While it is recognised that a data base would be valuable for national human
Dow
nloa
ded
by [
McG
ill U
nive
rsity
Lib
rary
] at
09:
17 1
6 O
ctob
er 2
014
Studies in Continuing Education, Vol.11, No. 2,1989. 159
resources planning, it is not so dear what the value of such a data base would be to the usersof continuing education, the providers and the clients. Given the essentially ephemeralcharacter of this type of educational provision, its responsiveness to local communityneeds, fluctuating fee structures, and changing market forces, there are frequent and rapidchanges in provision.
However, even from the existing survey it is possible to claim that there are some obviousadvantages of the data base:
• knowledge of who is providing similar courses enables a dissemination of informationabout course content, client groups and marketing strategies. These can then beapplied to local situations, facilitating decision making, avoiding duplication of errorsand ensuring a better quality program;
• a broad view of course provision assists in strategic planning for individual providerse.g., the major providers in each metropolitan region are no doubt competing for thesame clientele, and at times, providers from different areas within the same institutioncompete. The data base would enable easier identification of duplication and enablemutual co-operation or, more informed competition;
• institutions could better develop unique profiles of provision, reflecting their ownfootprint of expertise, values and philosophy as might be expressed in an institution'smission statement;
• the data base facilitates the exchange of information in specialised areas;
• as more flexible open learning responses to the needs of learners are incorporated incontinuing education, independent learning, distance education, telecourses, andcomputer assisted learning, will increase and the sharing of resources, mutual co-operation in their development and national marketing strategies will be required tomaximise the efficiency and cost effectiveness of this type of provision.
This survey provides additional support to the need for uniform methods of statisticaldata collection of continuing education activities. The work currently being undertakenby other agencies (e.g. Whyte, 1988) will help to identify the range and complexity ofcourse provision in what is becoming an increasingly high-profile area.
Notes1. This paper is based upon a report entitled Continuing Education Course Provision by
Universities and Colleges in Australia 198&-1987 prepared by John G. Hedberg andAnne Forster, Continuing Education Support Unit, The University of New SouthWales, Kensington, NSW. The assistance of Ann Forster in preparing the informa-tion contained in this paper is gratefully acknowledged.
2. Standing Conference of Directors of Continuing Education in Higher Education,Response to the Green Paper, Jack McDonell, Monash University 1988
Dow
nloa
ded
by [
McG
ill U
nive
rsity
Lib
rary
] at
09:
17 1
6 O
ctob
er 2
014
160 Studies in Continuing Education, Vol.11, No. 2,1989.
References
Hedberg, J.G. & Forster, A. (1989) Continuing professional education provision inAustralia. In H. Edwards & S Barraclough, Research and Development in HigherEducation, 11, Sydney: HERDSA, 167-172.
Johnson, R., & Hinton, F., (1986). It's human nature: Non-award adult and continuingeducation in Australia. A discussion paper prepared for the consideration of theCommonwealth Tertiary Education Commission, Canberra.
Smith, B., (1985). A review of continuing education provision by the Australian universities.Newcastle: Department of Community Programmes, University of Newcastle.
Titmus, C. (ed.) (1985). Widening the Field: Continuing Education in Higher Education.Guildford, Surrey, Society for Research in Higher Education and NFER-Nelson.
Whyte, A. (1988) Draft Report on National Statistical Collection for Adult Education. Mel-bourne: Council for Adult Education.
Address for Correspondence
Dr John Hedberg, Professional Development Centre, University of New SouthWales, PO Box 1, Kensington, NSW, 2033, Australia.
Dow
nloa
ded
by [
McG
ill U
nive
rsity
Lib
rary
] at
09:
17 1
6 O
ctob
er 2
014
