Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems can represent one of the largest investments of human and financial resources by a higher education institution. They also bring a significant process reengineering aspect to the institution and the associated implementation project through the integration of compiled industry best practices into the…

Good methods for assessing the comparative costs of various types of academic programs are badly needed. This report briefly describes a method for doing this used in 1970 at the University of South Florida. The method described has limitations, since the data are based on non-personnel costs only. A more useful analysis would be based on total…

A Quality Assurance Program (QAP) developed at the College of St. Francis is presented that is based on an open systems approach. The model allows an institution to continually monitor, evaluate, and, when necessary, modify its academic programs, graduates or undergraduate, traditionally or non-traditionally delivered, to assure quality. Part I…

Implementation of IT "solutions" in the context of changes to business processes and efficiency is a common trigger for using formalised project management techniques. The trigger may include topical activities such as job evaluation schemes or quality assurance accreditation. This has led to a blurring of the boundary between projects and…

Colleges, like corporations, spend millions each year on information technology products and services to support academic programs and administrative services. A good deal of these dollars were not part of institutional budgets not long ago. In this context, textbook economics suggest that colleges and universities should be "more productive"…

The Open University of Great Britain provides home-based instruction via broadcasts and correspondence. Since technical arguments for the superiority of open-network, cable, or cassette television systems are inconclusive, the university has been forced to develop a decision-making model to determine which system is the most cost effective. For…

Examines practical applications for the suitability of two different approaches to quality management within engineering education. One utilizes quality systems standards as typified by a specific industrial process that ensures an effective production system. The other applies the notion of total quality management emphasizing a process of…

This paper presents a complex, hybrid, method of cost analysis of online courses, which incorporates data on expenditures; student/course enrollment; departmental consumption/contribution; space utilization/opportunity costs; direct non-personnel costs; computing support; faculty/staff workload; administrative overhead at the department, dean, and…

A model developed at Metropolitan College of Saint Louis University for assessing the quality of nontraditional education programs is discussed. The concept of quality in relation to individual programs, accreditation, and students is examined. The limitations of the existing definitions of quality and the methods for measuring it are considered.…