DIFFERING INSTITUTIONAL APPROACHES TO EFFECTIVE EDUCATION

1. DIFFERING INSTITUTIONAL APPROACHES TO EFFECTIVE EDUCATION • CPE educators work in the context of institutional settings • Effectiveness in CPE is based on institutional setting • Each institution has a unique set of values and resources • Group of institution share similar characteristics

2. The chapter overviews CPE providers with their strengths and weaknesses • Major institutional issues faced by CPE educators are explored • And how the particular context frames its practice • Includes issue of competition and collaboration

3. Which Institutions Provide CPE? • Major providers are : • Universities and professional schools • Professional associations, • Employing agencies • Independent providers • Other types of providers: • Government foundations • Autonomous groups : teachers’ centers • Company supplying CPE equipment

4. Universities and Professional Schools • Characterized by great diversity in term of participants, budget, and staff • May be organized by professional schools, colleges, or departments or university wide continuing education unit (centralized) • Decentralized approach is favored – more specialized individual get involved

5. Centralized approach more viable – better program, administration, sharing of resources • A hybrid is more effective • Strengths of university: • Primary source of knowledge from research • Experience in instruction • Can provide certification • Can offer lengthy types of programs

6. Can provide continuing education credits • Have large multi-disciplined, full-time resident staff • Abundant and readily available physical facilities and resources • Perceive by professionals as credible source of knowledge • Weaknesses of university: • CPE is not a primary function - effects funding • No concrete independent policy – instability of program

7. CPE view as marginal function • Lack of incentives and rewards for faculty participation • Do not have the ability to link theory and practice • Insensitive to instructional quality • Lack of marketing experience

8. Professional Associations • Each profession is represented by several associations • Programs has to do with certification, licensure, or to some extent degree programs, and short educational program such as seminar, workshop, conference etc.

9. Strengths of Professional Associations: • Ability to secure a wide array of talent from members • Understanding of real problems facing practitioners • Direct contact with professionals in the field • Reduced program cost as non profit organization • Weakness of Professional Associations: • Planned by non specialized unit • Unit leadership viewed as ‘seminar schedulers’ • Lack marketing expertise & physical facilities

10. Employment Settings • Largest providers of CPE • Initiate programs or sub-contract to others for resource persons or facilities • Strengths: • Assess professional problems directly on regular basis • Have official power to prescribe program

11. Able to call multi level participants in a program • Convenience of program scheduling to minimize lost of work time • Reduced cost if conducted on-site • Weaknesses: • Not favorable by participants • On-site opens to interruptions

12. Independent Providers • Wide range of institutions; private (for profit) and NGO’s (nonprofit) • Different levels of organization, strength, and specialization • Strengths: • Flexibility in responding quickly to learners’ needs in programming

13. Weaknesses: • Private providers charge higher cost • Less credibility • Smaller providers lack of resource persons and facilities • For single-item business, sensitive to economic downturn

14. Interorganizational Relationships in CPE • Competition or collaboration • Competition can produce higher quality education • Collaboration leads to efficiency and effectiveness