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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