Dr Arif Sikander

Academics and researchers have developed and put together various learning models that describe the teaching-learning process. To this effect blended learning, flipped learning and reverse learning are models under discussion and development at various universities. The model proposed in this presentation is named as an “integrated model”, not aligning with any of these models, but integrating the core aspects of each to suit a diverse population of students. Especially in the context of Australian higher education, predominantly multinational with students from many cultures and countries, no one approach will suffice. Each student brings along an experience of learning with a unique model relevant to his/her country. A blended or flipped model is not a “one fit” solution for all. I had designed and developed a new blended version of an existing course last year and had the opportunity to teach as well. Having taught across various countries and being aware of the cultural sensitivities, I felt that the blended approach alone would not work for my style of teaching. I needed to infuse innovation and develop an alternate teaching strategy. I realised the online portion of the course, though suitable for local students, would not be appreciated by most international students, who have chosen to study in Australia - not to do an online course. They prefer and are comfortable with more face to face contact and a lesser use of online. My adopted model represents an integrated approach, relying on online material presented on Murdoch's LMS, but most of the learning is done by the students themselves in workshop settings. The workshop component included a short review of theories and concepts. Each theme was followed by activities and in groups with students doing their own “search and rescue”. I tried to avoid “feeding” videos and journal articles, asking students to explore for themselves, assisted by material available on the LMS. The students took control of their own learning and constant feedback was sought. The concept worked for the unit's offshore delivery as well.

Technology strategies have assumed an important role in providing technological leadership to firms. A study conducted by the author in the East, revealed that the performance of firms is influenced by the type of technology strategies adopted. This result provided the motivation to explore if such strategies are relevant to the management of the 'services' sector and if their performance too is influenced by these adoptions. There is dearth of similar studies in the literature. More importantly, in this age of technology, there is a dire need for management to understand and implement appropriate technology strategies. The results could contribute to the literature/management in developing a set of strategies which could be termed as 'global' and applied to any sector and those termed as 'unique' which are specific to firm/service sector. In terms of the services sector, the nearest similarity to the technology intensive firms appear to be the vocational and technical institutions (VTI). The other justification to focus on technical institutions was that their performance is more affected by technology strategies/policies than the traditional primary and secondary schools/colleges. The big study sought to identify and analyse the level of awareness of participants on technology strategy issues and the perception of departments (including those in the Ministries) about technology management, gender, local/expatriate, qualification, teaching experience, years since last professional course completed, industry experience, understanding of quality, and department employed. This paper attempts to present the results on that part of the study which deals with the relationship between the type of the managers/management (gender, qualification, age etc) and the application of technology strategies. The participants included the staff and heads of departments at a technical college from an oil rich ASEAN country, the senior management at the college and the policy makers at the Department of Technical Education (DTE). The technology strategy (TS) and technology management (TM) data was desired from all the three groups. Data was collected through a questionnaire and analyzed using statistical techniques. A pilot-study helped to refine the questionnaire before it was administered. The study sets the tone to open up discussions and research interest towards applying strategic technology management tools in the education sector in a rapidly growing digital world. The type of managers/management revealed as part of this study has implications to the senior planners in the education sector in keeping pace with the technology age by providing valuable inputs to develop technology strategies/policies.

The concept of Strategic technology management (STM) places technology in a strategic context. STM did not emerge as a distinct area of managerial and academic interests until late 1980s. The key managers may initiate efforts to gain access to newer technologies, but the question is whether the approach they adopt is strategic or a series of ad hoc decisions [Quinn, 1988]. Value Management (VM) has assumed an important role in providing leadership and strategic growth to technology firms. Historically VM emphasized use of alternatives to reduce cost, promote innovation and enhance the performance of products. VM has moved beyond manufacturing and can be applied for strategic decision making in the services sector. It is envisaged the VM can be an effective tool for STM. It should help in generating creative ideas on the most appropriate technologies, examination of alternatives, evaluating the alternatives and developing a strategy. A study conducted by the author in the East, revealed that the performance of firms is influenced by the type of strategies developed during the VM process. This result provided the motivation to explore if such strategies are relevant to the managers of the "services" sector and if their performance too is influenced by these adoptions. There is dearth of similar studies in the literature. More importantly, in this age of technology, there is a dire need for management to understand and implement ideas not perceived before. The results could contribute to the literature/management in developing a set of VM strategies which could be termed as "global" and applied to any sector and those termed as "unique" which are specific to firm/service sector. In terms of the services sector, the nearest similarity to the technology intensive firms appear to be the vocational and technical institutions (VTI). The big study sought to identify and analyse the level of awareness of participants on strategy issues and the perception of departments (including those in the Ministries) about STM (and the inherent VM). This paper attempts to present the results on that part of the study which deals with the relationship between the type of the managers/management (gender, qualification, age etc) and the application of developed strategies. The participants included the staff and heads of departments at a technical college from an oil rich ASEAN country, the senior management at the college and the policy makers at the Department of Technical Education (DTE). The strategy and management data was desired from all the three groups. Data was collected through a questionnaire and analyzed using statistical techniques. A pilot-study helped to refine the questionnaire before it was administered. The study sets the tone to open up discussions and research interest towards applying VM tools in the strategic management of technology in the education sector in a rapidly growing digital world. The type of managers/management revealed as part of this study has implications to the senior planners in the education sector in keeping pace with the technology age by providing valuable inputs to innovate, discover, evaluate and develop strategies to provide value to the stakeholders, decision makers and technology lecturers.

The impact of changing technology in gaining sustainable competitive advantage is of interest and concern to organisations. Lately interest has grown in analysing the influence of strategic management of technology (STM) in the performance of firms. Studies so far have focused on the manufacturing sector and those too in the West. Studies on STM in the East are almost non-existent. A study was carried out in an Eastern country to exploit this gap and develop new variable which could be further developed. This paper is part of the large study and analyses the influence of the nature of firm on the development and implementation of technology strategies at the firm level. It contributes to the literature in terms of overall effect of STM on firm performance.

Strategic technology management (STM) places technology in a strategic context. Many studies in strategic management research have investigated the relationship between technology strategy (TS), technology management (TM) and firm performance, but largely from a western viewpoint. The dramatic increase in cost of producing goods and services in the midst of ever increasing cost of oil and other raw materials places huge pressure on the economies of newly developing countries. This study analyses the gap in literature where there is paucity of studies in analysing STM application in the countries in the East. A conceptual framework has been proposed and tested. The results of the research have implications for Technology Strategy Planners to develop technology strategies relevant to their environment.