Learning: Cost and YieldLearning: Cost and YieldLearning: Cost and YieldLearning: Cost and Yield
The debate over the effectiveness of knowledge transfer
through Distance Learning continues—but there is virtually
no debate at all about its cost, even though in the US alone
the annual education budget (K-12, postsecondary and busi-
ness) approaches one trillion dollars. Are courses adminis-
tered at distance expensive compared to “traditional" ones?
What is the cost per student for an on-line MBA, versus one
taught face to face with an instructor? Surprisingly, the cost
discussion is muted. The press is beginning to take note of
this disparity between the increasing popularity of on-line
programs and the lack of cost figures. A recent article found
that only the highest volume (high student count) courses
5
were able to operate without a financial loss. Apparently,
Distance Learning does not have an inherent economic ad-
vantage.
The literature on Distance Learning implementation in de-
veloping countries, like that in the United States, is charac-
terized by a paucity of data about assessment and cost. The
extensive JICA report on Africa’s Distance Learning, men-
tioned earlier, includes no information whatsoever about cost
or assessment. Even the great multilateral organizations,
like the World Bank and UNDP, seem reluctant to do eco-
nomic outcomes measurements that could guide effective
implementation. Are virtual universities in the poorest parts
of the world a solid investment? What are the outcomes of
courses that are delivered electronically in countries that
have only the most tenuous ICT infrastructure? From our
perspective there are two very simple dimensions that can
and should be used in developing policy level decisions
about Distance Learning investment. The first is total pro-
Sample of the Cost/Yield Approach in DeveloSample of the Cost/Yield Approach in DevelopSample of the Cost/Yield Approach in DeveloSample of the Cost/Yield Approach in Developp-p---
ing Countriesing Countriesing Countriesing Countries
Figure 1 describes cost and yield graphically. Five Distance
Learning approaches are positioned on an x-y graph. The
ideal case is an approach that has low cost and high yield, the
upper left segment of the graph. The least valuable case is in
the lower right part, where high costs are accompanied by
low effectiveness. Correspondence courses are positioned on
the graph as being the best mix of cost and yield. This form
of Distance Learning has been used since mid 1800’s and is
8
still highly ef原文请找腾讯752018766辣,文;论'文:网
http://www.751com.cnfective in poor countries. Despite the difficul-
ties of postal systems and the delays in lesson transmission,
correspondence courses are widely employed. In the middle
of the cost/ yield continuum are the combination of corre-
9
spondence with TV as well as with and radio and Inter-
net/CDROM. Each of these has its own strengths and weak-
graph.)
gram cost. Program cost includes all the materials, technol-
ogy, advising, infrastructure, rent, travel, software and hard-
ware, etc., that must be paid by an organization or donor to
achieve the desired result. Several viable cost models exist
6
to facilitate this computation. The second variable is
yield—the aggregate result or outcome that was obtained for
the investment. Yield can be measured in graduation rates,
new approaches developed for further improvement, job suc-
cess after training, etc. A recent study in Romania developed
a four-step approach for measuring the yield of technology
courses using a traditional model widely employed by large
7
global businesses. The methodologies exist but organiza-
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