Hi there! A warm welcome to my blog which addresses theory and policy. The burning question is, how does theory inform policies? Find out in the discussion below! Happy reading!
Theory can inform policies in so many ways, however, that would depend significantly on policy makers in a DE organization. You see, policy makers serve as the middlemen of theory and policies because they can choose to base their decisions on theory or they can choose to pay little to no attention to theoretical vantages. The power is therefore in their hands. In fact, policy makers across fields are powerful agents. Walt (2005) noted that “policy makers pay relatively little attention to the vast theoretical literature in IR” (IR means International Relations). This can also be the case in the distance education realm. Precisely, policy makers may not place emphasis on theoretical underpinnings. As such, the policies that they make will not be informed by theory. Meanwhile, there are those that place great emphasis on theoretical perspectives. In this case, theories lay the foundation of policies.
Essentially, theories serve as underpinnings of policies. This, is in fact illustrated in the image attached to the blog. Since theories function as underpinnings, it would be better suited at the bottom of the staircase while the transformative agent of DE organizations i.e., policies is at a higher altitude. Although being at the top is equated to having the most power, this may not always be the case as leadership within the organization are the ones making the decisions and implementing them.
If the leadership of the organization base their decisions on theoretical works, then policies can be informed in the following ways:
1. Policies that incorporate rewards and punishment may be informed by behaviorist principles. A classic exemplar of this is UMGC’s academic integrity policy. Students must adhere to this policy. There are disciplinary sanctions that accompany this policy if there is a breach. For instance, if a student has been found to be plagiarizing or cheating, then that student can receive a grade F in the course, case managers can suspend that student, or that student can be expelled (see Academic Integrity Policy | UMGC for more information). In accordance to operant conditioning specifically principles of reinforcement, the aforementioned disciplinary sanctions can be considered to be punishment.
2. Policies may also have underlying cognitivist and constructivism elements. Intellectual property policies, for instance, protect content creators. Cognitivism focuses a great deal on internal processes which content creators use to produce excellent work. It is therefore important to protect the output or what they would have produced. Policies may also be shaped by constructivism. Precisely, policies that are student-centered draw from constructivist principles.
3. Finally, policies that focus a great deal on technology may be informed by connectivism. For instance, online teaching and instruction involve the use of technology. Policies that therefore guide faculty and students’ use of technology in the classroom can be based on connectivism principles.
As Otte (2019) nicely puts it, “leadership is much more about orchestrating the interaction of all the stakeholders than providing direction in a top-down manner” (p. 23). Likewise, the interaction between theory, leadership, and policies are crucial in the transformation and growth of DE organizations. This interaction is significantly dependent on organizational leadership because they have the power to choose how theory will shape and inform policies.
What are your thoughts on the power of the middleman? I look forward to continuing the conversation with you! Let’s chat!
PS. The graphics for this blog came to you complements yours truly me!
Krista
MDE student
University of Maryland Global Campus
University of Maryland Global Campus | UMGC
References
Otte, G. (2019). Online learning: New models for leadership and organization in higher education. Online Learning, 10(2). doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.24059/olj.v10i2.1761
Walt, S. M. (2005). The relationship between theory and policy in international relations. Annual Review of Political Science 8, 23-48. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.polisci.7.012003.104904
Hello Krista,
Great job expounding on the theories of behaviorist, cognitivist and connectivism and how they can inform policy in a DE organization. Leadership at various levels will most certainly have a part to play in developing policies. Otte (2019) adds, “middle management is critical for mobilizing faculty and support.” When I think of the middleman, I think of someone responsible or capable of bridging the gap between the different entities. The middleman would probably have a good understanding how the different groups think as it relates to determining policies.
References:
Otte, G. (2019). Online learning: New models for leadership and organization in higher education. Online Learning, 10(2). doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.24059/olj.v10i2.1761