Date of Award
12-17-2012
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Educational Leadership, Ed.D.
First Advisor
George Foldesy
Committee Members
David Cox; David Holman; John Beineke; Larry Salinger
Call Number
LD 251 .A566d 2012 M32
Abstract
Extensive research has been conducted on students pursuing degrees off-campus; however, limited studies have been directed to explain the growing practice of students enrolling in courses and degrees at off-campus degree centers. The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the organizational issues related to governance and management of off-campus centers throughout the United States. Data collection was conducted using recorded telephone interviews that were transcribed, analyzed, and summarized.This dissertation used one introductory question and ten research questions to examine the organizational issues related to governance and management of off-campus centers. The introductory question was: What are the issues and opportunities relating to off-campus courses, programs, and/or centers as a whole? The ten follow-up research questions were: (1)Why did your institution establish an off-campus center/s and what influenced the location? (2)Why do students attend your off-campus center? (3)What is the student demographic make-up of your off-campus center? (4)What ongoing operational issues does your off-campus center face? (5) How is your off-campus center/s marketed? (6)What are the day-to-day problems associated with off-campus centers and will you identify which problems influence the centers to close? (7) What are the current trends facing off-campus centers? (8)What is the impact of web-based and web-assisted classes on enrollment at your off-campus center? (9)What issues does your off-campus center face regarding how it is managed, governed, or controlled? (10)What present day budget or financial factors is your off-campus center experiencing that impact services to students? Based on the data collected from the nineteen off-campus center administrators throughout the United States, off-campus degree centers were commonly established for political reasons as well as a result of community needs. Administrators indicated that web-based and web-assisted courses and degrees negatively impacted off-campus degree centers; however, institutions strategically modified their programs to adjust to the challenges caused by online delivery. Economic challenges caused by budget cuts forced institutions to seek alternatives to services and opportunities for students, faculty, and staff. Finally, with the exception of one institution, a fear existed that web-based and web-assisted courses and degrees would ultimately cause off-campus centers to close their doors.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Macklin, Cedric Dewayne, "Organizational Issues Related to Governance and Management of Off-Campus Centers" (2012). Student Theses and Dissertations. 828.
https://arch.astate.edu/all-etd/828
