ABSTRACT

As demands on educators and educational establishments increase both in load and complexity, it becomes apparent that a key problem of many commercial organizations is also a problem in education. This problem - a lack of internal communication - may, in addition, be an enhanced characteristic of modular courses or vocational courses. The advantages of modular courses (flexibility, choice, individual selection) are well documented and very apparent; the disadvantages, however, are less clearly identified. A major disadvantage is the lack of communication between staff associated with individual and independent module areas. Programmes which combine a vocational area with modularity face a significant challenge in maintaining or developing an adequate level of internal communication. Courses which are both modular and vocational suffer, if that is the right word, from the need to employ staff with professional expertise over a wide range of disciplines. This results in a need for an explicit approach to communication as otherwise problems will arise with staff from diverse areas not understanding the subject areas and professional/industrial concerns and the module content of colleagues.