Biography

Claude Oakley completed the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Education and Human Resource Studies with specialization in Educational Leadership and a concentration in Business Administration at Colorado State University. In addition, Dr Oakley holds graduate degrees from Syracuse University, Mercer University, and University of the West Indies. He is also a Chartered Accountant. His research interests are in academic integrity, pedagogical issues relating to undergraduate business students, ethics, and accounting issues. The title of his dissertation is shown below. INSTRUCTION IN ETHICS: INFLUENCES ON UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC DISHONESTY Claude is a full-time faculty at DeVry University. He is Faculty Chair (at the Decatur Campus) and Assistant Professor of Business and Management. Until recently, Oakley worked as Director of Finance with a contract administrator for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. In addition, he has had teaching experience as an Adjunct Faculty Professor at DeVry University, Atlanta, Georgia, and has taught in the undergraduate business school mainly in the areas of Advanced Accounting, Financial Accounting, Managerial Accounting, Finance, Auditing, Accounting Information Systems, and Federal Income Tax. He also taught a semester-long course at the undergraduate level at Mercer University, Atlanta, Georgia. While in Jamaica, Oakley taught Jamaican Taxation at the undergraduate level at the University of Technology. As a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica, he worked with the Urban Development Corporation rising to the position of Deputy General Manager, Operations, prior to migrating to the United States. Oakley is a consultant with FACTS Corporation, a company in which he is an equal partner offering services in individual and corporate taxation, accounting and consulting services. Dr. Oakley plans to pursue full-time educational opportunities and research initiatives in the DeVry University systems. In addition, he has tremendous interest in elevating the graduate and undergraduate accounting programs in the university. Claude is the proud father of two children; Claudine, a graduate of University of Maryland, and Maurice, a part-time student at Morgan State University.

Article Title

Effectiveness of Learning Modalities in the Caribbean: A Case Study Synthesis

Abstract

Historically, it was thought that learning could only occur in the traditional brick and mortar environment. Caribbean people, in particular, Jamaicans, are not new to distance education. In the early days (pre-Independence, late 1950s and early 1960s) study at home programs were referred to as Correspondence Courses. In any case there appears to be, at least for a time, less acceptance of teaching deliveries that fall outside or extemporaneous to an enclosed classroom setting. Over the last two decades more institutions appear to have appended an online portion to their traditional programs. In effect, there is a greater reach since distance education as one form of delivery has revolutionized the education setting. The Caribbean is no different. It should be noted that the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Management Studies Department, began offering one of its degree programs in an online setting from as far back as 1977-1978. In those years, UWIDITE (University of the West Indies Distance Teaching Experiment) was synonymous to distance learning. One criticism against online delivery, generally, appears to come from a lack of understanding of the quality of online, virtual setting education. The most pervasive argument is that it may be both less rigorous and effective than the traditional onsite in classroom delivery. However, conclusions like these cannot be considered valid unless online and onsite deliveries are evaluated objectively. This paper uses the research findings of one Caribbean tertiary institution to respond to two research questions relative to online education.

• The relationship between delivery methods and effectiveness of student learning.
• The relationship between age and student understanding of the subject matter content.

Despite the unfounded skepticisms, there appears to be no turning back among Caribbean people that in the new dispensation, the need for education is growing, and this would have to be met through different modalities (i.e., online, in-classroom, onsite). The past will be relevant only to the extent that it provides lessons for the future. The fact is, education is a necessary part of not only one’s development but also, the economic development of a nation.