Education extension : a structural description and analysis
Date
1983
Authors
Alexander, Sharon Eldred
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Abstract
The Report of the Commussion on University Programs in Non-Metropolitan Areas (1976), submitted by W.C. Winegard, Commissioner, was a milestone for post-secondary education in the Province of British Columbia. From the original twenty-four recommendations made by the Commission, several initiatives were funded by the Universities Council of British Columbia, including support to the three Universities to provide equal access to educational opportunities in the non-metropolitan areas of the Province. As a result of the Commission report and the subsequent funding, Education Extension, originally Professional Programmes, was founded in September of 1978. This study examined" that organization, Education Extension, a sub-unit of the Faculty of Education and the Division of University Extension at the University of Victoria. The major goal of the study was to describe and analyze the structure and the function of the office using Mintzberg's (1979) theoretical framework on the structuring of organizations as a base, particularly emphasizing two structural types: Professional Bureaucracy and operating Adhocracy.
The study was based upon data secured from published and unpublished documents, a questionnaire administered to mentors of the Faculty of Education, and interviews with individuals prominent in the development of Education Extension. The study, while recognizing aspects of the five-year evolution of the office, was primarily concerned with the 1983 profile.
What was discovered was a young, dynamic organization, achieving its stated objectives through the cooperative efforts of its basic personnel: the Dean of the Faculty of Education; the Director of the Division of University Extension; the Faculty Coordinator; the Program Coordinators, the Faculty; and the secretarial staff.
Education Extension exhibits many characteristics of an Operating democracy. These include the dispersal of power and decision-making throughout the organization, the use of project teams or work constellations for achieving the innovative work of the office, and the use of liaison devices to coordinate that work.
Education Extension exhibits traits of a Professional Bureaucracy inherited from one of its parents, the Faculty of Education. These manifest themselves in the flow of authority through the organization and the standardization and formalization of many procedures.
In analyzing the structure and function of Education Extension, the template provided by Mintzberg proved to be comprehensive and relevant. It is concluded that his configurations and the taxonomy of dimensions are suitable tools for analyzing entities such as Education Extension at the University of Victoria. As well, the analysis has presented opportunities for further research. Included would be a study, in depth, of various components of Education Extension identified in the surface analysis of this study.