Learning Resources

Abstract: The study presented in this article examines human walking capacities to better understand how design of the physical environment affects the experiential quality along campus walks. The study centers on the idea of a quarter-mile (10-minute) walking radius, the variables encountered, and how these affect the perception of time and experiential quality. Data collected from 48undergraduate students who participated in six quarter-mile walks on the campus of The University of Georgia suggest that there is a positive correlation between experiential quality, the perception of time, and campus design.

Abstract: University strategic planning is typically well structured with attention to both process and outcomes. However, plans are frequently not implemented in an equally process-driven manner. As a result, the product of planning efforts may not lead to the anticipated change or may even remain “on the shelf.” This article describes how Philadelphia University is using “action research” during strategic plan implementation in order to optimize campus commitment, facilitate organizational learning, and support the sustainability of change.

Abstract: This article applies Clayton Christensen’s definition of disruptive technologies in business to the question of whether online learning is a disruptive technology in higher education. Four examples are discussed that focus on the higher education market, learning object repositories, course redesign, and course management systems, and each is evaluated for evidence of disruption. Tentative support for disruption was found in the marketplace and course redesign, but other factors (such as faculty time, institutional resources, and choice of pedagogy) are proposed as reasons for why online learning may not disrupt as proposed.