Students and faculty in distance education programs encounter barriers to success that do not exist in traditional classrooms. This article explores student and faculty barriers, compares the current literature on barriers to success with data gathered from an online master-of-science degree program offered by Walden University (Minneapolis, MN),…

Presents a case study illustrating practical management and quality issues in the transition of a Master of Education course from traditional to distance learning format. Summarizes criteria used to define quality in the course, highlighting concerns about maintaining quality during change, and warns that the short-term appeal of entering distance…

The article reflects on the construction of a common Master's programme across four universities located on four continents, in order to explore the role of networks in international educational collaboration. The study draws on the documented processes of the principal members of the programme team. It is presented as a case study of the…

To assess how an urban university can take advantage of its setting to design a master's program in corporate communication, a 1987 study of the master's program in corporate communication at Duquesne University of Pittsburgh was conducted. Data were obtained through a survey of 590 local communication professionals, of whom 270 responded (a…

A Total Quality Management (TQM) approach to enforcing an admissions rule was taken in one master's degree program in lieu of punishing students for infraction. Prevention became possible only after TQM techniques revealed the causes of rule violation. Follow-up shows no new rule infractions for several academic terms. (MSE)

The Western Australia market for master's-level business administration education (MBA) is examined, particularly relating to the University of Western Australia. An overview of current Australian MBA market conditions is given; and the history, competitive environment, structure, admission policy, tuition, and student financial aid of the…

The development of e-learning has opened up new opportunities for innovation in assessment practices in higher education. This descriptive case study draws upon staff and student experiences of teaching and learning on a web-based Masters programme in primary health care to explore how specific features of the online environment can be exploited…

During the past few years, Executive Master's in Business Administration (EMBA) programs at U.S. universities have expanded both in number and content. This article proposes a rigorous strategic planning model for EMBA program directors to consider in planning international experiences for students. It uses a case example to delineate between…

Within the existing system of education, student work rarely has any value beyond the particular course that it is created for. The work is graded and then usually discarded. The authors describe in this article a way that student work can be systematically made available for use by others beyond the immediate learning context within which it is…

The main purpose of this research is to clarify the relationship between adult students' self - directed learning (SDL) ability and instructional technology (IT) competency. The research involves surveying 199 students who take online courses in a large Midwest state university. Preliminary results indicate a considerable positive correlation…

A multi-stage modeling and analysis approach that may be used to assess overall performance of an educational program from the current student's viewpoint is described, and applied in two waves (1989, n=350; 1992, n=779) to a master's in business administration degree program. The statistical model estimates relative importance attributed by…

This paper discusses the role of blended learning in teacher education on a Master's programme at Manchester University. Blended learning is the bringing together of traditional physical classes with elements of virtual education. The paper focuses on one particular module of the degree and attempts to capture students experiences of using a…

Our graduate degree program includes a component of six one-credit courses, in which teachers find ways to bring into their own classroom practices theory learned in related three-credit courses. Prior research indicates that taking course work alone may not bring about changes in teachers' decision-making. Prior research also encourages higher…

This case study has two storylines. We describe the implementation of the Bachelor-Master's (BaMa) structure at the K.U.Leuven with an emphasis on opportunities for faculty development. We also focus on the meaning of this operation for the Educational Support Office. While the introduction of the BaMa structure at the K.U.Leuven resulted in an…

Student retention at the University of North Carolina--Chapel Hill is examined using different student levels (freshman, transfer, masters, professional, and doctoral) as a basis for comparison. Intrainstitutional data have the advantage of being readily available and they highlight the difference among levels within the institution. Understanding…