A review of research on online and blended learning in the management disciplines: 1994–2009

This paper reviews studies of online and blended learning in managementoriented disciplines and management-related topics. The review shows that over the last decade, this emerging field has seen dramatic conceptual, methodological, and analytical advances. However, these advances have progressed within the particular disciplines at uneven rates. Studies examining courses in Organizational Behavior and Strategic Management have seen the most progress, with courses in Human Resources, Operations Management, and International Management receiving lesser attention. To date, studies of courses in Entrepreneurship are next to non-existent. Our review suggests that although several multi-course studies have been published, there is ample opportunity for research within the respective management disciplines. We also suggest topics and methodological issues requiring further study, including stronger delineations between online and blended management education; further examination of participant characteristics, particularly for instructors; and the influence of institutions located outside North Americ

Communities of Inquiry in crisis management exercises

Employees working in diverse settings such as schools, shops and government organisations have to be prepared for crisis situations, for example a school shooting, extreme weather flooding, a health pandemic and so on. In these situations they have to deal with the unexpected which makes it difficult to anticipate what they need to learn and how. This chapter examines how employees learn to deal with crisis situations, specifically focusing on whether a crisis management exercise could contribute to the development of a community of inquiry (CoI). The CoI model is chosen as the underpinning theory because it is assumed that learning communities create awareness, trust, and support knowledge sharing, which are necessary pre-conditions for collaboration in crisis management situations. The study uses a combination of quantitative and qualitative data to analyse a simulated crisis exercise. The first round of analysis evidences that the exercise does not contribute to the development of a learning community. Digging deeper into the data in a second round, the results show that the CoI model does not reflect the various types of learning communities that develop within a crisis management exercise, such as home communities, cohort communities, specialist communities and local working groups. A key recommendation is that the CoI model should be expanded to include these four community types. Four additional key concepts appear important for community development in crisis management exercises: adoption of the various group, considering important partnerships, value creation and visibility. The extended CoI model could help to plan, monitor and evaluate professional learning of learning communities in future crisis management exercises