Nations around the world are eager to harness the power of the Internet to accomplish their agendas. Globalized efforts to define and implement a one-size fits all approach to e-governance has in turn influenced local government and the e-governance of the global campus. A customer-centric approach is needed to ensure the needs of the learner are addressed as new meta-trends are identified and new needs emerge. Visionary leadership is needed to diminish the doublethink issues exposed by technology and globalization of online learning.
TopObjectives
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Define e-government versus e-governance.
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Identify stakeholder theory as an approach to the e-governance of government, public and private institutions.
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Discuss effective e-governance of the global campus using a customer-centric approach.
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Discuss the current global approaches to e-governance, including laws to protect privacy, and how these laws affect education.
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Analyze how globalization influences the global campus of online learning.
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Identify examples of doublethink in education.
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Expose the dangers of the Internet if used as a weapon.
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Identify potential challenges and approaches in moving forward, such as meta-trends in K-12 and higher education.
TopBackground
The terms e-government and e-governance are some times used interchangeably in some circles yet they are distinctively different. Definitions available, although general in scope, all focus on using technology to distribute information and connect to citizens. Governance is a larger terminology that envelops government. Governance includes both the formal and informal processes and procedures that guide the activities of the institution (Saxena, 2005).
An important distinction should be drawn between the terms government and governance. Government, according to Saxena (2005, p. 449) “…is the institution itself where as governance is the broader concept describing forms of governing which are not necessarily in the hands of the formal government,” government therefore influence governance. Higher education governance can be defined as being the internal mechanisms in place that provide for accountability to the stakeholders and share public policy. The government of the campus may include organizational hierarchy that influences policymaking. Characterized by long-term outcomes, policies and programs, governance is the process. Governance focuses on the objectives rather than the means for achieving it. This distinction is critical in understanding that outcomes and outputs are not the same. E-governance has evolved in the knowledge age to encompass the potentiality of the incorporation of information and communication technologies.