A New Paradigm for Delivering University-Level Education

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A New Paradigmfor Delivering University-Level
Education

• Paul T. Bauer

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The Old Paradigm The Current University System

• University education has essentially become a job
  training process
• Programs (curriculum degrees) across virtually
  all current competing universities are the same
• The paradigm emphasizes
• Standard course modules (i.e., 3 4 credits)
• At a prescribed time and place
• Legal job commitments to employees (tenure)
• Very high non-value-added overhead costs, and
  incentives towards diseconomies of scale (e.g.,
  course proliferation)
• High levels of fixed assets (buildings, library
  books)
• Delivers
• Certification
• A social environment
• A peer-pressure pacing system (weekly meetings,
  tests/assignments, semester schedule

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The New Paradigm

• Asynchronous training using
• Computers delivering engaging interactive
  training
• Internet and CD-ROMs
• Member networks (students organized into groups
  for support and reinforcement)
• Assets (physical organizational) focus on
• Organization capable of delivering engaging
  interactive educational training packages
• Hardware and software development systems
• Cross-discipline (training psychology, user
  graphics, animation, etc.) organization of
  talented training system professionals
• Managers of subject matter areas, and networks of
  support experts
• Efficient server networks
• Managers of sales distribution

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Presentation Organization

• Core Strategy
• Strategic Resources
• Configuration
• Customer Interface
• Customer Benefits
• Value Network
• Company Boundaries

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Core Strategy
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Business Mission

• Deliver highly effective training to prepare
  clients for a successful job market emphasis is
  on engaging and interactive learning processes
• At an out-of-pocket cost substantially below that
  charged by current university system
• While making it possible for such clients to earn
  a living while using the enterprises training
  process
• Complimenting the training process with
  opportunities for personal enrichment through
  involvement in community activities
• Thus developing the complete person, well
  prepared for professional life

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Product/Market Scope

• The initial emphasis will be on
• Training comparable to undergraduate degree
  programs
• Targeted to those with a need to quickly and
  inexpensively build marketable skills
• In highly codeable professional disciplines
  (engineering, software development, business,
  etc.) for which certification national exams
  exist
• Marketing
• Will pursue a geographic role-out strategy
  starting with the top 20 U.S. cities
• Will focus on sales through targeted organization
  channels of distribution (e.g., church and other
  welfare support organizations)
• The total product will rely on integrating
  existing community organizations and resources to
  support the social needs of the enterprises
  clients

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Basis of Differentiation

• This approach is predicated on serving those who
  can not afford the current traditional university
  process. Hence, it will be differentiated by its
  cost.
• By tightly integrating subject matter through a
  just-in-time delivery process, compared to the
  university building block process, this approach
  will simultaneously
• Reduce the total amount of academic training
  hours required
• Increase the effectiveness with which information
  is acquired and retained
• This approach will make it possible for clients
  to earn a reasonable incomes with normal jobs
  while pursuing their selected area of training.
  Standard university training makes holding a
  normal job very difficult.

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Strategic Resources
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Core Competencies

• The ability to build engaging and interactive DL
  (distance learning) training models will be
  developed and demonstrated by building standalone
  training programs that are unaffiliated with an
  entire degree program. This might be done by
  creating such programs for DL courses offered by
  existing universities.
• A second competencies is building and maintaining
  a team of managers and affiliated experts for the
  subject areas offered
• A second core competency will be sales of an
  entire degree equivalent training program through
  community support organizations
• A third competency will consist of build social
  activities using existing community resources

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Strategic Assets

• These will consist primarily of
• The teams of experts (consisting on a few
  full-time managers and many experts that work
  under contract) that develop and sustain each
  training area.
• The training software itself, which will become,
  over time, a large competitive advantage over new
  entrants
• The marketing network of companies, universities,
  community support agencies that assist in
  continuing sales efforts
• The network of community organizations that
  participate as partners in providing a social
  environment for clients

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Core Processes

• These are the processes that support the creation
  of the strategic
• assets previously listed. They are
• The process by which engaging and interactive
  training modules are created and constantly
  improved and updated. This process will be
  crucial since many of the target clientele may
  not have the self discipline to endure current
  forms of DL.
• The client sales and service (non-academic)
  organization that must expand sales initially
  pursuing a geographical role-out plan followed by
  a growth vertically into more traditional clients
  who would otherwise enter current universities.
• The process by which brand awareness is created
  and recognition is achieved for the superior
  effectiveness of the overall approach.

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Configuration
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Appling Strategic Resources to Core Strategy

• Central to this plan is the ability to create
  dynamic, engaging and interactive training
  modules. While getting the subject matter correct
  is important, the appeal of the form in which the
  material is presented to the user is crucial.
  Therefore, primary investment will be on the
  building of a team that creates the template into
  which specific subject matter is injected.
• Subject matter experts abound and may be
  inserted into the core team primarily as
  consultants. An additional challenge will be
  dividing centralized common feedback to all
  students versus local individual-specific
  support. For this real the channel of
  distribution through which this training will be
  provided will be critical configuration issue.

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Customer Interface
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Fulfillment Support

• Fulfillment will involve the following
• Responding to student interest ? delivered in
  fashion similar to current universities
• Enrollment ? will be online, including payment
  arrangements
• Course deliver ? CR-ROMs (and appropriate study
  material) in the mail which automatically make
  necessary connections thru the Internet to our
  servers (Internet connections provided by
  distribution channels)
• Certification ? includes optional availability of
  performance on all tests, and results of standard
  national tests taken at completion of the
  program
• Social experiences ? delivered thru partnerships
  with local community organizations
• Client Support ? delivered thru a help desk
  accessible either thru an 800 number of e-mail.

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Information Insight

• We see our customers, at least initially, as not
  necessarily the end client (formerly called the
  student). We see this product being distributed
  through supporting organizations such charities,
  issue support groups (battered women shelters,
  etc), universities, etc.
• Therefore, accurate scio-demographics in
  connection with such organizations will be
  critical to product design and delivery.
• We plan to collect the following
• Pre enrollment test scores that will be used to
  guide course selection
• A detailed history (prior to entrance) of every
  client
• A detailed history of clients experience with
  the program
• Scio demographics of communities from whom we
  gain client clusters
• A follow-up history of graduates (for ten years)
• Guidance from partner corporations as to changes
  in needs
• Technology migrations so as to continuously
  adjust both the hardware and software on which
  the program is predicated

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Relationship Dynamics

• An important and enduring character of the
  process and environment in which skills are
  acquired is the social environment among
  similarly situated client colleagues.
• We believe it will be essential to not only
  aggressively build a relationship between this
  enterprise and its clients, but, equally
  important, to offer value to our clients by
  assisting in building relationships among our
  clients.
• Therefore, we will focus building relationships
  among clients
• As an integral part of the skill acquisition
  process (courses), and
• Through affiliates, in a social environment,
  using existing resources in communities
• In order to achieve these objectives, we will
  clearly need to build relationships with those
  same community organizations (sports
  organizations, coffee shops, libraries, community
  service organizations where people help meet
  others as they help third parties)

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Pricing Structure

• This enterprise proposes to achieve competitive
  advantage by costing its clients substantially
  less, all costs included.
• Specifically,
• The asynchronous, delivery process allows clients
  to earn an income substantially greater than
  might be possible while attending a full time
  competitor (traditional university)
• Since the cost of delivery of skill training
  sessions may be spread over substantially greater
  numbers, the per unit costs should be
  substantially reduced compared to competition
• Because other, social-related resources already
  exist, the effective shared cost will be
  substantially less than is possible for
  traditional competition
• Cost savings will also be associated with travel
  normally associated with the traditional
  competition.
• Finally, we expect it to be reasonably possible
  to complete a full plan of study in substantially
  less time than is necessary with the traditional
  competition, thus providing for substantially
  higher income than would otherwise normally be
  possible with the comptition.

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Customer Benefits
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Applied Core Strategy to Customer Interface
Customer Benefits

• Clients will intellectually mature in a fashion
  more representative of the real world in which
  they will eventually need to function than is
  otherwise typically the case
• They will be able to acquire necessary skills in
  a shorter period of time
• At a lower cost
• While remaining socially engaged in an
  environment representative of the world they will
  need to function over their lifetime.

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Value Network
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Suppliers

• Our academic suppliers
• Subject matter experts, engaged for a fee and
  commission
• Corporate human resource departments who advise
  as to changing needs
• Off-the-shelf equipment and software suppliers
• Network communication providers
• Organizations that refer clients to us
• Organizations that manage local testing
  environments

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Partners

• Organizations that affiliate with us for the
  purpose of delivering educationally and
  economically effective education. They
• Find clients
• Assist with financial aid
• Support associated testing and social activities
• Local community services such as
• Sports organizations
• Community clubs
• Coffee shops, etc.

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Coalitions

• A wide variety of training software companies
• Professional societies
• Knowledge/skill organizations. E.g.
• The Training Company
• Certification Programs
• Cisco
• Microsoft
• Education affiliated equipment companies
• Textbooks
• Computer equipment
• Universities and other distance learning
  organizations such as Connecticuts Distance
  Learning Coalition

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Company Boundaries
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Strategic Resources Value Network
Company Boundaries

• The company sees itself as wholly containing
• Training professionals who design efficient and
  effective training curriculum
• Designers Produces of engaging and interactive
  asynchronous training programs which serve as
  housing for subject matter expertise
• Managers of teams of subject matter experts
• Local community sales and service managers
• Course managers
• Buttressed by supply partners
• Subject matter experts
• Equipment software suppliers, and network
  communication suppliers
• Local community support organizations for
• Client sales
• Local course administration