State of the Field Report

Carolyn Weiblen
COMM 5080
Oct. 13, 1998

1. Research area: organizational communication

2. List of research emphases in organizational communication: business and professional
speaking, health communication, human communication technology, negotiation and mediation,
organizational behavior, socialization and assimilation, training and development, leadership and
management, superior-subordinate relationships, verbal, written, nonverbal and interpersonal
communication in organizations, networks and channels, listening and feedback, symbolic
behavior, harassment, small group communication, conflict management, motivation, etc.

3. Within the training and development area of organizational communication, the study of
distance education in the business environment is fairly new. Holzberg (1995) noted that distance
education via corporate television networks were first implemented in the early 1980s, and that
interactive distance learning programs were incorporated into the networks in the early 1990s.
Although the area of corporate distance education is new, a study by the International Data
Corporation (IDC) "reported an annual growth rate of 63.5% for distance learning from 1992 to
1997" ("EXEN Partners," 1998, p. 2). Because of the increased use of distance education in
business, research has been conducted, and in this paper, studies on distance learning in the
corporate environment will be synthesized to provide a sample of research questions and discuss
the methods of investigation on this topic.

    From a broad perspective, research has been conducted on the concept of training within the workplace. Studies (Tobin, 1998; Wilson, 1994) have researched the questions of

• Why do businesses need to provide continued employee training?
• What are some common characteristics of companies who provide worker training?
• How does training meet business goals?
• What changes or systems are in place in business which require continued training?
• How does training increase employee performance?

In addition to studying training in business, research has also been done on distance education as a solution to corporate training. For example, studies (Egan, Welch, Page & Sebastian, 1992; Holmes, 1996; Ford & Kozlowski, 1997; Boles, 1997) on distance education in the workplace have focused on questions such as:

• What type of companies have implemented corporate television as a distance learning solution?
• How is corporate television used?
• Is it primarily used for training or corporate communication?
• Why have organizations begun investing in distance education?
• What is the most preferred method of training in corporate education?
• Is distance learning as effective as conventional instruction methods?

For research in the area of corporate training and distance education in the workplace, both qualitative and quantitative methods were used. In gathering data, interviews with company management were conducted and feedback surveys from employees and management were incorporated to determine study results.

    The implementation of corporate distance learning has spawned many studies (Holmes, 1996; Holzberg, 1995; Ferry, 1997; "Going the Distance," 1996; London, 1989; "One Touch Systems Case Studies," 1998; Rollier, 1988; Schumacher, 1998; Wilson, 1994) to understand why companies invest in this medium and what values drive the decision for corporate networks. More specifically, these studies have sought answers to:

• Does distance education save the company money? And, if so, how much does it save?
• What is the return on investment of distance education?
• What is the monetary breaking point where the cost of installing a distance training network would offset traditional classroom training?
•  Does distance education increase employee productivity?
• What is the per student cost for the same training offered via distance education verses traditional classroom?
• What is the cost savings for new product training via traditional promotion verses corporate television?

    Although many studies have focused on the monetary value of corporate distance education, some studies (Myers, 1996; Schumacher, 1996; Gach, 1995; Stephenson, 1995) have researched the value of distance education on employee productivity and time-savings. In particular, research has been conducted to study:

• How does a distance training program effect employees' time? Does it make them more productive?
• How much time is saved using distance training? And, does it help keep salespeople in the field?
• Can course material be taught via distance education in less time than in a conventional classroom or via text? If so, how much time is saved?
  

    For studies on corporate investment and perceived value of distance learning, data was gathered by researchers primarily via quantitative means. For the most part, surveys were used to gather information from both company management and employees participating in distance learning courses in order to conclude research findings.

    Most of the existing research on distance training in business has not centered on the employee, however some recent research (Technology in Training, 1994; "Going the Distance," 1996; Semrau & Boyer, 1994; "One Touch systems case studies," 1998; Tanoos, 1997) has been done that focuses on the worker to answer questions such as:

• How many employees can effectively be taught via distance education?
• How does distance education provide consistency for employees?
• How does distance education effect employee attendance when compared to traditional
  classroom training?

Along the lines of research from the student perspective, Lennon and Payne (1998) noted more
than 800 studies which all sought to answer the basic question:

• How does distance learning compare to traditional face-to-face instruction? Three studies (Lennon & Payne, 1998; London, 1989; Tanoos, 1997) address a similar question, but do so from the corporate perspective. These studies researched:
• Do employees who learn via satellite courses do as good or better than employees who take the same course in a traditional classroom environment?

    Other research on student perception of distance education has primarily centered on distance learning participants in the academic environment. Because these studies can help make generalizations for students in the corporate environment, it is important to identify them.

    Multiple studies (Biner, 1993; Biner, Dean & Mellinger, 1994; Biner, Welsh, Barone, Summers & Dean, 1997; Egan, Welch, Page & Sebastian, 1992; McGreal, 1994; Tallman, 1994; Thomerson & Smith, 1996; Westbrook, 1997) have focused on distance learner perceptions and their satisfaction level of distance education courses. In these studies, researchers have asked:

• Do students prefer learning in the traditional classroom or via distance education?
• Does the physical learning environment of a distance education classroom effect student learning?
• Does class size effect satisfaction in distance education?
• How does the level of student-instructor interaction in a distance education environment compare to a traditional classroom? And, how does this interaction effect students' perceived satisfaction with the course?
• How can satisfaction be increased at remote learning sites?

    For research on student perception of distance education, surveys were used for the most part to gather data. Research data for studies in the corporate environment included employee feedback surveys. However, for research in the academic environment, a majority of the scholars used the Likert scale Telecourse Evaluation Questionnaire (TEQ developed by Paul Biner.

    In summary, the research area of distance education in the corporate environment is fairly new, but with the increased use of technology, should be expected to flourish. With the limited studies on business distance education, this area is in need of continued study by scholars. Not only will research in this topic aid in the understanding of distance education on employees, but it should help management improve worker skills and ultimately lead companies to success.

References
(4th ed. of APA)

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