Using Learning Delivery Systems Tools to Facilitate Executive Education Coursework

Abstract: There are a number of proprietary and open source Learning Delivery Systems (LDSs) available to Instructors for use today. While each have their own protocols, they all share an overlapping and common tool set. This article provides a case study describing how to apply some of the common tools found in LDSs in the delivery of course in an executive level, international program that is taught in the students’ non-native language. Designed for the practitioner, the article describes how an Instructor can apply these tools for maximum benefit to executive level students for whom language issues may be an impediment for their maximum learning. The article also lays out a schedule for the Instructor to assist them in the integration of the tools before, during, and after the delivery of the course.

Key words: Learning delivery system, international students, executive programs, transformative learning

Main Body: Executive education is the learning solution of choice for busy executives who are climbing their career ladder. By its very nature, executive education must be accessible and convenient for professionals who are not only busy building their careers, but often times managing many other commitments. This creates a unique set of challenges beyond those of full-time learners. Additionally, with the partnership that many local institutions are forming with international higher education institutions, many executive programs are now being delivered in the executive learner’s non-native language. This creates additional challenges for the executive education learner. For these reasons, executive education lends itself to a hybrid delivery - that is, a combination of in-class learning supplemented with an asynchronous learning component delivered through application of technology. Learning Delivery Systems (LDSs) are one of the main technologies developed to provide this asynchronous learning component.

While there are a number of learning delivery systems on the market today, most share a number of common tools. This article is not about comparing the current LDSs on the market today but rather about how to use standard modules found in most LDSs to co-create a transformational learning experience for professionals enrolled in an executive education program. The list discussed in this article is not comprehensive. It is, however, a good starting list for the beginner or intermediate designer of an executive education course. Following the guidelines for tool use presented in this case can save hours of course design that you, as an Instructor, can refocus on working with your learners. The LDS tools presented in this article will be: announcements; online syllabus; glossary; instructor information; tasks; surveys; assignments; discussion forums; groups; course documents; external links; tests, and; drop boxes. The use of podcasts and blogs will be briefly mentioned and will be covered in a later article.

This methodology was designed specifically for a six week, executive education course that was presented once a week. The student population was Taiwanese and the course was delivered in English. Recognizing that there are specific start-up and closing elements, the methodology is equally applicable to courses of either shorter or longer duration - the application of the tools in the middle of the course can be replicated for any number of weeks. Figure 1 illustrates the overlay of the tools mentioned above on the course timeline.

Figure 1: LDS Tool Overlay

The case study presented here advocates integrating the LDS into course delivery for three distinct phases: course start-up; ongoing course delivery, and; course closing.

Course Start Up: The LDS will only be successful if the executive learner sees the value it can add to the course for them. Some of the learners will know this already, but some executive learners may not have been in a classroom for many years. For these learners, they may not understand the purpose and power of an LDS. They may also be intimidated by the use of technology in their learning experience. Hence, to ensure that the LDS is introduced as a key course component, the Instructor needs to reach out to the learners in an email before the course even begins. This initial email contact should address the following points:

· Welcome the learner and express the Instructor’s excitement to be working with the group of executive learners;

· Introduce the concept of an LDS, how it will be used in the course, specific instructions how to access the LDS, and an invitation for the learner to explore the corresponding LDS course site;

· Present the syllabus for review in advance of the course start;

· Introduce the Instructor and her/his credentials as someone qualified to be leading the course (and give the learner the opportunity to see for themselves what the Instructor’s credentials are);

· Request the learner to take a survey of her/his existing knowledge and aspirations in the area;

· Invite the executive learner to contact the Instructor with any questions, concerns, or limitations that the executive learner may have.

This initial contact is setting the stage for how the LDS will be used throughout the course, begins to manage the executive learner’s expectations, and draws the executive learner into the course before it even begins. Achieving these goals early are especially important for executive courses, since executive courses by their nature present large amounts of information in a shorter duration than a traditional masters level course will. Figure 2 is a sample welcome letter that an Instructor can send out to a learner before the start of a course.

Figure 2: Sample Student Welcome Letter

This welcome letter should also be the first announcement that is shown to the executive learner when they arrive at the LDS module corresponding to the course.

From a practical perspective, this initial contact has introduced the learner directly to some of the LDS tools (e.g., announcements, syllabus, Instructor info, surveys) and indirectly to others through your invitation to review the entire LDS course module (e.g., the glossary, tasks, assignments, discussion forums, groups, external links, tests, and; drop boxes).

During the fist class session, you should review the LDS with the executive learner. It is in this first class that you will explain to the executive learners how you plan to use the LDS. You have to be careful to gauge the level of the executive learners in this first session so you do not spend too much or too little time on the LDS. Encourage learners to work together reviewing the LDS, pairing those who are more familiar with the LDS with those who are less familiar.

If students have laptops with internet access, have an in class exercise that has them use the LDS – a group survey, starting to add definitions to the course glossary, answering a question in a discussion forum, and visiting an external link are all relevant exercises that can be assigned to executive learners in the first class to ensure that they are comfortable with using the LDS. As an Instructor, you want to make sure that at the end of the first class, all of the executive learners have developed at least a familiarity of the specific LDS that will be used to complement the course.

For you, as an Instructor, the most powerful communication tool you have at your disposal is the “Announcements” tool. Announcements serve two purposes for an Instructor:

· Before a class session, they provide insight to the lesson ahead. Specific pre-class preparation work can be assigned (including surveys), reminders of work due for the session can be reiterated, and any special information pertaining to the class can be communicated (e.g., there will be a guest lecturer, class is being held in alternate location, new external links have been added, etc.).

· After a class session, they provide a channel to finish conversations that were not completed in the class, reiterate topics covered in the class, identify additional areas for learners to visit (in external links or course documents), and reinforce the homework assigned in the class (in discussion forums, assignments, surveys, or tests).

As Figure 1 indicates, by the first session, the executive learner will have been introduced to all of the tools in the LDS. If an internet connection is available, they will also have had the opportunity to work as a group navigating through the LDS. Accomplishing the above assures that your course will get off to a strong start and the LDS will start to be internalized as an integral part of the executive course delivery.

Ongoing Course Delivery: During the delivery of the course, you will be employing different tools within the LDS. As Figure 1 illustrates, you will always want to make sure that before each class session, you provide the executive learners with “Announcements” and refer them to the specific “Course Documents” that will be employed in the upcoming class session. You may also use “Surveys” and refer them to “External Links” to help them prepare for the class session. If tests are to be administered, you may also assign “Tests” for them to complete.

After each class session, as mentioned above, you will use the “Announcements” to reiterate topics covered in the class, identify additional areas for learners to visit (through “External Links”), and reinforce the homework assigned in the class in the “Assignments.”. Some of these assignments will probably bring them to “Discussion Forums” and the “Glossary.” One of the areas open for exploration is integrating podcasts and blogs into the “External Links” in the LDS.

I have found that as an Instructor, you will want to set a schedule for updating the LDS for the pre-class and post-class supplements. If you do not do this, you may start to find that the LDS will start to take over your life (no kidding)! I have found from my personal experience that the post-class supplement should be posted the day after the class session. This gives you time to pull everything together and also provides you the time for the necessary reflection required to make sure your communication to your class is a complete one.

Posting too frequently to the LDS has the tendency to burn the executive learner out and runs the risk of them avoiding the LDS altogether. For the pre-class supplement, I usually do it at least one full day before the class. This gives the executive learner the time to complete assignments from the prior session and prepare for the upcoming session. It also gives them the time to print out any new materials in advance if they need to so they can read them during commuting hours or free time during their work day.

As indicated above, one of the powerful advantages that an LDS provides for executive learners when the course is taught in their non-native language is the ability for them to review the class materials after the class so they can catch up. A useful technique I have employed has been to assign specific topics to learners to find articles in their native tongue and place them in the “Drop Box.” I can then either post them directly or provide their location via “External Links.” Not only do executive learners appreciate this sensitivity to their national culture, but it also helps to increase community in the class section. It helps the executive learners to build their networks outside of the class setting. After all, one of the benefits an executive learner expects from an executive level course is the ability to increase their professional network.

The “Glossary” tool is a powerful way executive learners build a shared vocabulary around the course topic. One of the requests I make for learners when adding to the glossary is to not only provide a definition for the term, but also to relate either a personal experience they may have had around the specific term or find a reference through a web search that cites a specific example of how the term may have unfolded in a specific business setting. It does not matter what the course topic is, but true understanding of the term or concept required in the glossary addition itself must be augmented with a practical application so the executive learner can better put that concept to use in their career. An important outcome of executive learning needs to be relevance for the executive learner.

Closing the Course: An executive level course usually does not end on the last class. In some cases, a final can be required to be submitted after the last class session. Here, the “Test” tool would be employed. More often, however, a project – and many times, a group project – is due some time after the last day of class. To continue to benefit from the LDS, the course module needs to be able to facilitate the completion of the executive learners’ group projects. This becomes particularly important when the team members are in different cities (or even countries).

A standard tool in an LDS is the “Group” tool, whereby a special private area is assigned to facilitate group work. Not only can the group email each other and establish threaded conversations, but they are also able to exchange documents that they can work on together. This is extremely important to help them with version control and managing a project through to completion. Additionally, the “Group” tool enables the instructor to contribute to the group project.

I usually like to leave the LDS course module open even after the group project has been turned in. I encourage learners to bookmark any links that they might have found helpful and copy any “Course Documents,” threaded discussions, or really any of the material that the group co-created as a learning community in the course.

Conclusion: An LDS is a powerful complementary technology in executive education. While there are many proprietary and open source LDSs available today, many of them share a common tool set. However, like any craft, it is important to know how to use them. This article presented a number of these common tools - announcements, online syllabus, glossary, instructor information, tasks, surveys, assignments, discussion forums, groups, course documents, external links, tests, and drop boxes – and showed how an Instructor can integrate them into a six week executive education course. The methodology presented here advocates integrating the LDS into course delivery for three distinct phases: course start-up; ongoing course delivery, and; course closing. Hence, this methodology can be extended to courses longer or shorter in duration.