Technology and Education: Seeking a Rational Middle Ground ...continued

entered the private sector, where ques-
lions regarding the use of technology
continued to be discussed and even
debated; sometimes the technological
alternatives were accepted and at other
times rejected. But there were few, if
any, arguments about what direction
the technology was taking.

What is the difference between the
private sector and the public sector as it
relates to the implementation of tech-
nology and the transmission of infor-
mation? I belicve the answer can be
found in three simple words: clarity of
purpose.

First, consider public education. Is the
purpose of public education to educate?
It is to transmit information from one
place to another? Is it to train young
people to be able to cope with today’s
socicly?

[am unaware of a single educational in-
slituuon that bases its budget on the
number of bits of knowledge crammed
into the number of heads involved. [am
unaware of any realistic attempt to sys-
tematically analyze cost benefit based
on an educational institution’s teaching
costs, classroom costs, laboratory

costs, and educational media costs.
Rather, education seems to be
evaluated, not on the basis of how much
leaming occurs, but on the basis of how
many fill-time (or part-time) instructors
stand in front of how many bodies for
how many hours, days, wecks, or
months. In fact, the cynic might suggest
that the true purpose of education is not
education but self-perpetuation.

In the business sector, however, the
main purpose is crystal clear. The ul-
limate objective is profit. Whether we
like it or not, almost every business
decision is based on profit.

The cost of training is almost always
compared with the cost of Icaving
workers untrained. While this approach
might seem hard to some, particularly
when issues such as safety arc involved,
it has a significant benefit for the
private sector educator. We have an op-
portunity to justify our recommenda-
tions and our training approaches
against an absolute measuring stick:
profit. In the private sector, the goals of
training are almost always specific: to
improve morale and reduce staff tum-
over by 3.5%; to reduce accidents by
8%, the injury rate by 4%, and the

fatality rate by 11%; to improve energy
consumption; to decrease rejection
rates; to reduce union grievances or
labour-management conflicts; or to
reduce theft, spillage, or abuse of
equipment.

Of course, the budgets for these private
sector training programs are also more
in line with the anticipated benefits. If
the training program is likely to save a
company a million dollars, the expen-
diture of a quarter of a million dollars
on training is considered good busi-
ness. For example, the Chrysler Cor-
poraion recenuly decided to provide
chemical handling training for cach of
its 85,000 employees. Chrysler realized
that it would be economic suicide to
pull employees off the assembly line in
numbers sufficient to make classroom
training cost effective. Thus, the com

pany opted for individual study, com-
puter-based training, using interactive
video. The program, which takes an
employee about an hour to complete,
costs approximatcly twenty dollars per
employee training hour, or just under
$1.7 million (U.S.) for the entire
program.

continued on page 3

 

Technology and Education:

A Copyright Update...

in Mill Woods ..

Courses at GMCC...

 

Fall, 1988

Seeking a Rational Middle Ground
An Enhanced Leaning Resources Centre.

The Revolution is at Your Fingertips... asene
Computer Graphics and Desktop Publishing

An Introduction to the Videodisc: ‘Part 1.
Supercomputing Expired cecsssssneeesnsersaneeron ase

Table of Contents

Training for Improved Performance:

asaueenssevesaunt 1 A Training and Support Program.............:00 9

3 Children and Computer ICOMS..........::seseseseeseeers 10
To Improve Learning:

4 Redesigning Alberta Correspondence Courscs.......11

5 Tech Trivia....cscaass showcase HE
Breaking the Unseen Barrier .. eajatbenereenessnaes 15

5 Bits & Bytes... op anay Nip skacen suuua s Cosmevoneinaemayeranays 16

6 About the TAC Bulletin.. Lascransenvarssreeorattbstcwent shale 20

8 TAC Calendar oo... cece cceseeseseeeceeeteneeenensenneerenes 21
CML, Come ls cacssccsassscsgeayes tanieexacyeeseacaescucctecsatehaqerens 22

 

Technological Applications Committee Bulletin

 

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