Teaching Methodologies of the Camford University - Essay Example

Camford Camford Introduction The world as a whole is changing and the changes are so rapid that most of the s found difficulty in keeping pace with the requirements of the modern world. Only those institutions which are ready to fine tune their conventional structure and methodologies in line with the requirements of the modern world will exist and others will struggle for the existence. The educational sector is also not different. The curriculum and the teaching methodologies of the universities must be properly revised to meet the challenges of the world. The conventional methods are not sufficient enough for the students to compete in the modern world. The management principles and organizational structures are also undergoing drastic changes to cater the requirements of the current world. The current problems of the Camford University must be analyzed, keeping all the views expressed above in mind. Current challenges faced by Camford University “The bogus University of Camford, a formerly prestigious seat of learning, has been allowed to offer sub-standard and worthless degrees — virtually unchecked by the government — for the last twenty years” (Fabian Tassano, 2008). The reports appearing on news papers and different web sites are not in favor of the university. In Camford University 2 fact the criticism is so severe that even the integrity of the university has been questioned by critiques. The current courses offered by the university are focusing on theoretical knowledge rather than the practical knowledge. The current world requires practical information more than the theoretical information. The courses has to be restructure to meet such requirements. Another criticism against Camford University is about their claim of accreditation with QAA (The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, based in Gloucester). But the functioning of the QAA itself is questioned by the critiques. They believe that the QAA has some secret ideological agenda aimed at promoting a program of ‘egalitarianism’. “A check at Companies House revealed that, far from being "independent", the QAA is in fact a branch of the government, and reflects government ideological policies” (Fabian Tassano, 2008) The University’s independency is also under scrutiny. The critiques argue that the University is acting as an agent of government to spread their ideologies. They also expressed concerns about the various award ceremonies and the publication of photographs of happy students receiving the awards. “Administrative support professionals are the central nervous systems of an office. Their responsibilities are numerous and vital to the operation of their organization. Knowing the best ways to perform office functions will enable administrative support professional to complete their responsibilities efficiently and Camford University 3 effectively” (Administrative Functions) Although the University has a substantial administrative support team, its policies and procedures on teaching, learning and assessment are limited. Administration is one of the core management functions as per the scientific management principles. The efficiency of the administrative team will reflect in the successful functioning of the organization. The timely implementation of required modification or changes in strategies is essential for the smooth functioning of an organization and it is the duty of the administration team to convince the top management in this regard. Because of the high reputation the University enjoyed over a period, the student recruitment was not at all a problem. But reputation alone may not bring admissions in future if the university fails to adapt with the realities. New and new knowledge and challenges are created in the world in every second and only a rapidly changing curriculum can address the ever changing needs of the students and the society. The curriculum and the courses of the university must be entirely restructured to meet the current needs. The tutors of the Camford University consider themselves as some kind of geniuses and they are living in an imaginary world. They don’t believe in changing their teaching strategies or status which may result in a close relationship with the students. The autocratic approaches of some tutors completely damaged the image of the university. They are using their supremacy to counter any organizational changes because of their fear about losing supremacy and status. Camford University 4 The administrative staff of the university doesn’t have the required skills to meet the current challenges of an organization. They are dispersed only at the central departments and their involvement in other departments is limited. The supremacy of tutors prevented them from interfering into other matters. They are forced to limit themselves to the basic administrative functions alone of old tradition. The possible difficulties in addressing the current challenges Though the identified problems of the University can be solvable, it can be addressed only through gradual changes rather than a quick change. The major difficulty in addressing the current problem is about the future of the current students. The question is how to implement the changes without affecting the current learning procedures of the students. The curriculum can be adjusted semester by semester only as most of the syllabi are interconnected. So the curriculum change is possible only at the beginning of the first semester. The courses and different streams offered by the university also need to be diversified. The handling of ego centric tutors is another problem. Making them aware of the need of their change in teaching strategies may sometimes consider as a personal offence to their dignity. They are living in an imaginary world rather than a real world. So bringing them into the mainstreams of the current requirement needs a herculean effort. The organizational restructuring is another difficulty. The whole University structure has to be restructured to meet the challenges. But it is not an easy task to Camford University 5 educate the top management about the current organizational principles is not easy. The top management is living in a world of false beliefs and thoughts. They believe that the current trends are short living and their old custom will be justified in future. Regaining the confidence of the public is the most important difficulty currently facing by the University. The image is completely spoiled all over the world through different media and articles published against them especially through the internet. They are often criticised for their partiality towards spreading the government ideologies. They need to make the world believe that they are functioning as an independent body and their curriculum is free of prejudices. They should also convince the world that their standards are matching with the international standards and requirements. Remedial actions to counter the current problem The implementation of a professional management scheme can rectify the current problems up to certain extent. A professional management scheme consists of Planning, Organising, Command, Co-ordination, Control etc. The role of teachers and administrative staffs has to be redefined based on the organizational theories in order to meet the current challenges. The University’s must concentrate in implementing the scientific methods of new principles regarding an organization, like organizational Design, Culture, Motivation, Communication, Leadership etc to get rid of the current problems. Camford University 6 Organizational Design Organizational structure is the pattern of relationships among positions in the organisation & among members of the organisation. It creates a framework of order & command through which the activities of the organisation can be planned, organised, directed & controlled. The main objectives of the organizational structure are; the economic & efficient performance of the organisation & the level of resource utilisation – “value for money”, monitoring the activities of the organisation, accountability for areas of work undertaken by groups & individual members of the organisation “Organization Design is a formal, guided process for integrating the people, information and technology of an organization. It is used to match the form of the organization as closely as possible to the purpose(s) the organization seeks to achieve. Through the design process, organizations act to improve the probability that the collective efforts of members will be successful. Most organizations today are designed as a bureaucracy in which authority and responsibility are arranged in a hierarchy. Within the hierarchy rules, policies, and procedures are uniformly and impersonally applied to exert control over member behaviors. Activity is organized within sub-units (bureaus, or departments) in which people perform specialized functions such as manufacturing, sales, or accounting. People who perform similar tasks are clustered together. Organization design begins with the creation of a strategy — a set of decision guidelines by which members will choose appropriate actions. The strategy is derived from clear, Camford University 7 concise statements of purpose, and vision, and from the organization’s basic philosophy. Strategy unifies the intent of the organization and focuses members toward actions designed to accomplish desired outcomes. The strategy encourages actions that support the purpose and discourages those that do not.(Roy H. Autry, 1996) A complete restructuring of the university must be executed based on the hierarchy of organizational design. The autocratic approaches of the tutors and other administrative staff must give way for democratic approaches. The policies and procedures must be implemented to control the crazy actions of the employees. The tutors must realize that they are only the part of the system rather than being the system. A whole hearted team effort is required instead of the individual brilliance to streamline the university in the right path. A new manifesto for the organization must be discussed and implemented. Organizational culture A general concept about the organizational culture is difficult to explain or define precisely. There is no consensus on its meaning or its application to the analysis of work organization. It can be confused over the difference between the interpretation of organizational culture & organizational climate. It reflects the underlying assumption about the way work is performed, what is acceptable and not acceptable, and what behavior and actions are encouraged and discouraged. Corporate culture is about what Camford University 8 really happens, not what management or anyone else says is happening, it’s about what staff believe. Organizational culture is so important in the functioning of an organization. The University must take lessons from ‘farming’ to implement a new organizational culture. "Changing culture in many ways parallels farming. The first phase, Analysis and Objective Setting, is dedicated to analyzing and preparing the soil. Phase II, Systems Introduction, plants the seed of change. The third phase, Systems Integration, is the cultural equivalent of adding fertilizer and water so that the plant takes root and flourishes. And the fourth phase, Evaluation, Renewal and Extension, is similar to harvesting the crop and gathering new seed for the next planting." (Richard, 2008) Such a well defined organizational culture can bring unbelievable results. The lost confidence of the people and students can be regained through only a new system and culture. Organizational motivation Our behavior is generally motivated by a desire to attain some goals. Motivation is the driving force within individuals by which they attempt to achieve some goal in order to fulfil some need or expectation. It is the degree to which an individual wants and chooses to engage in certain behaviour. As per Jeremy Bentham (1748 – 1832) All workers are motivated by self interest with the sole objective of avoiding pain and finding pleasure. As far as the Camford University employees are concerned, the above statement has more relevance than anything else. Camford University 9 “Motivation is in many ways the key to the success of Human Resource Management. Managers should aim to increase performance through self-motivation, rather than having to use external motivation (i.e. the imposition of rules and continual improvements to conditions of service) to bring about higher standards of performance. Motivation should be built into the performance management system where supervisors will have the opportunity to communicate and motivate staff on their performances. Supervisors may adopt the following ways to motivate their staff: Discuss with staff from time to time especially at the beginning of the appraisal period and during performance review meetings, what their work goals and targets are and how they should be accomplished. Provide feedback on what staff have done well and where improvement could be made. Encourage staff to express their views on their performance. Assess the staffs performance throughout the appraisal period rather than focusing on periods where their performance was particularly good or bad. Discuss ways to empower staff. Consider training and/or development needs of staff and work out for them corresponding training and development plans to raise the capability of staff for performance improvement” (At the Organisational Level Staff Recognitation Schemes) Camford University 4 Camford University 10 The greater the loyalty of a group toward the group, the greater is the motivation among the members to achieve the goals of the group, and the greater the probability that the group will achieve its goals. All motivational theories are based on the assumption that we all have needs and will do whatever is legitimate to satisfy those needs. Management is about harnessing the energy generated by individuals in meeting those needs for the benefit of the organisation. The University must made use of different motivational theories to lift the damaged morale of the employees under the current crisis. The employees must consider the organization as their wealth rather than the heavy remuneration package they are obtaining from the university. They should realize that the organization is for social development rather than their own development. The employees must be motivated to the new system through different training sessions. Organizational communication “Organizations cannot operate without communication. Communication can take various forms but all forms involve the transfer of information from one party to the other. In order for the transfer of information to qualify as communication, the recipient must understand the meaning of the information transferred to them. If the recipient does not understand the meaning of the information conveyed to them, communication has not taken place. The communication process involves seven key elements as illustrated in the diagram below” Camford University 11   (COMMUNICATION THEORY) It is through proper communication only the damaged image of the university can be regained. The rumours spread about the university must be counter by well defined public relations strategies. Rigorous media campaigns are required to regain the lost pride and confidence of the university. Organizational Leadership Good management leadership helps to develop team work & the integration of individual & group goals. It aids intrinsic motivation by emphasizing the importance of the work people do. Effective change leadership is the key to shifting people’s perceptions from seeing change as a threat to seeing it as an exciting challenge. Leadership and management are closely inter-related; how to get things done through people and how to make work an enjoyable experience. Camford University 12 “Leadership is an organization’s most valuable resource. It is not to be wasted. It needs careful stewardship. Paradoxically, this means leadership itself has to be managed as a key component in the system. The most common approach to improving leadership is developmental. It gives primacy to individuals and their needs. Whilst some development methods - such as mentoring, projects, and 360 degree feedback - take account of the organization’s context, much development activity is course based and has the following characteristics:- •   It often takes place off the job (classroom or outdoors). •   It assumes universal leadership truths. •   It develops generic skills. •   It employs abstract learning material. •   It tends to isolate learners from their real environment. •   It takes little account of current issues in the organization. •   It assumes that tomorrows needs are similar to today’s. •   It ring-fences development activity and practitioners” (William Tate, 2003) An effective leadership is required for the implementation of organizational strategies in the university. The success of the new strategies will depend on the will power and abilities of the new leadership. The leaders must be well aware of the current trends and challenges and they should be able to customize the theoretical knowledge of modern management into the practical framework of the university. Camford University 13 Conclusion The university has only two ways at its front. Either implement the scientific management theories in the university to regain the confidence of the public or close down the university. Camford University problems can be rectified by implementing scientific management principles. The organization must be restructured completely to regain the lost pride and confidence of the people. The existing tutors and administrative staff must be educated to realize the need of scientific techniques in their approaches for the well being of their organization. An effective leadership and a collective effort can bring dividends to the university in future. Camford University 14 References 1. Fabian Tassano, (2008) Bogus University Scam Uncovered Accessed on 12/1/09 2. Administrative Functions- Accessed on 12/1/09 3. Roy H. Autry, MBA, Ph.D (1996) What is Organization Design? Accessed on 12/1/09 4. Richard, (12th January 2008) Organisation Culture , Accessed on 12/1/09 5. At the Organisational Level Staff Recognitation Schemes Accessed on 12/1/09 6. COMMUNICATION THEORY Accessed on 12/1/09 Camford University 15 7. William Tate, (Prometheus Consulting, 2003) The Organizational Leadership Model Accessed on 12/1/09 Read More