The ICT training providers have specialized trainers which can help with assignment and can make one understand the topic properly. These distance training providers have various online books and modules along with their study material. The study materials provided are self explanatory and can be understood easily. Even if you have any problem relating to any topic of the training, you can take help of online trainers available. These training providers help in saving time, money and resources. These training providers are the best source of education as through this method education will be accessible for everyone, even for those who cannot travel daily or attend classes. This method is cost effective when compare with traditional methods of training or education.
These training providers are consisting of Academic Director, General Manager, IT Assistant, Trainer, Trainee and Receptionist, to run their day to day activities. Below given is various analysis of SSM to above mention roles.
Cultural Analysis
Cultural Analysis is done on the basis of qualitative research methodology of social sciences, particularly anthropology and ethnography (Fisher Melissa Suzanne, 2006), in order to collect statistics on cultural phenomenon. The Cultural Analysis is done in order to understand or gain knowledge through analysis of data collected on cultural phenomenon. The cultural analysis is useful for recoding and understanding influences, trends, affects and effects within cultures. There are four theses to cultural analysis:
1) Adaptation and Change: The Adaptation and Change refers to how good a particular culture acclimatizes to its environment by the utilization of its culture. Few of such examples are tools, surroundings, foods, home, art etc. that exhibit the way a given culture is customized. This aspect also shows the way a given culture makes its environment more compliant.
2) The way culture uses to survive: How a particular culture assists its associates survive the surroundings.
3) Holism, Specificity: The capability to place annotations into a sole set and presenting observations in a logical manner.
4) Expressions: This concentrate on interpreting the expressions and execution of daily culture.
This is a new approach to online education and its customer (trainees) is smaller in number as compare to its indirect competitors, other educational institutes. These Training Providers work totally in a different culture as compare to previous traditional training methods. The role of trainee has changed a lot in this type of educational method. Unlike traditional method trainee do not need to attend regular classes. The method of self study is followed with the help of study materials provided by the training providers. The trainees are self dependent for studies. This system allows them to make maximum utilization of their time and they can earn while learning. They can get the benefit of work experience along with specialized degree. These trainings can be beneficial for those who want to get high professional degree or for those who want to increase their knowledge. The culture of education is adaptable by the student as it is very flexible and do not ask for stringent hours of studies. Trainee can study chapters or assignment as per their convenience.
The trainers under this training system work under a very different culture from the traditional way of direct face to face training. The trainer job is not to deliver lectures or to train a group or batch of trainee in class as in traditional system of education. The lectures are delivered with the help of broadband services or internet. However most of the time lectures are published on the website from where trainees can get information about any chapter. Instead of giving direct guidance or problem solving session, trainers clear doubts of their trainee through online chat.
The culture of Academic Director also gets changed and is slight different from the traditional technique of training (Prowle Malcolm, 2005). Even the responsibility of Academic director is increased in this system of education. Apart from the publication of study material he is also responsible for articles and notes publication on the website. He becomes responsible to get trainers available online for online problem solving session. He needs to check that all the online queries of trainees are answered properly.
The culture of IT Assistant is very different from the traditional method of training. In this method an IT Assistant has increased responsibility. For this method of training the role of IT assistant is the most important. He is responsible for all the technicalities related to online lectures, publications and any other technology related problem. Most of the parts of these trainings are dependent on technology, hence the role of IT Assistant is very important in these trainings. The culture of working for IT Assistant is very different from the traditional method.
The General Manager works in the same culture. The role of General Manger is same as traditional method and is to mange things only. The Receptionist is also unaffected and is expected to perform their standard jobs.
Intervention Analysis:
Client: The client in this project is General Manager as he is very concerned that in spite of being such a flexible means of education it is adopted by very less number of people and at a very slow rate. The general manager believes that there is something needs to be done in order to make people aware of this type of education system and to attract more and more trainees, who are interested in getting online training.
Practitioner:
The practitioner should be the person who knows the techniques of Soft System Methodology properly and how to use it to organize the task of addressing and improving the situation (Lane David A., 2006). In this scenario, I am going to be the practitioner conducting the investigation.
Problem Owners
General Manager: He is concerned about the slow adoption of online education or distant learning by the trainees. He does not know the actual reason behind it but believes that the reason is lack of awareness about this method of education and has an opinion that institute website can be made better in order to create awareness about this method of education.
Academic Director: The academic director feels that he is not getting the required support from the trainers about the evaluation of trainees and is not getting lectures on time to be published online, which is impacting the popularity of online education and is affecting new admission of trainees.
Receptionist: The receptionist is suffering from increasing number of entrance and course related queries, which causes prospective trainees to hold line for long period resulting in unanswered queries and dissatisfied customers or trainees.
IT Assistant: The IT Assistant claims that to display more information on the website it needs up gradation and includes cost which institute is not ready to pay.
Trainer: The trainer claims that tools provided are not sufficient to make the course clear or self explanatory.
Trainee: Many trainees are not aware of the courses offered and the method of education properly and are not sure whether this will help them develop their skills or not. Some of them also suffer unavailability of institute website at times.
Social Analysis
Social analysis means an effort to analyse circumstances or social problem impartially, not dependent of the doer and the idea of the analysis. The social analysis is used in relation with an effort to transform the situation or find a solution to the analyzed problem. Thus, social analysis attempts to relate ethical sensitivity with scientific analysis (Koh S. C. Lenny, 2009). Usually the social analysis is concerned with what steps to take. The social analysis relies on and assumes particular ethical values. It is utilize as an instrument to accomplish a particular objective.
General Manager
Norms:
To administer the whole set up.
To create a healthy coordinated environment between different departments of the institute and third party vendors
Allocate resources and prepare budget
Proper resource allocation
Making high level decision and policies for the betterment of services and institute
Defining the objects and strategy of the institute
Monitoring the services offered and quality of service
Values:
Maintaining proper coordination between different departments
Making profit
Making sure that institute is creating its brand name in the market
Academic Director
Norms:
Manage trainers efficiently
Make sure that trainers respond to trainees query as soon as possible
Make required amendments to the courses offered as per the changing market requirement
Scheduling test and examination in order to facilitate proper evaluation of trainees
Publish results of examination and test
Make sure that trainers submit lectures on time
Development and implementation of academic enhancement courses for trainees
Scheduling regular meetings with trainers
Motivating trainers and trainees by rewards and recognition
Values:
Proper delivery of education material online
Evaluation of trainees
Amendments in course offered and syllabus as per the latest market condition
IT Assistant
Norms:
Make sure that systems are running properly
Identifying system problem and solving it
Make required up gradation to the website
Make whole network safe from any kind of risk
Values:
Making the website more and more user friendly
Making the website more safe
Making the website available 24x7
Trainer
Norms:
Time to time evaluation of trainee
Preparing online lectures which can be understood easily
To clear all the doubts of the trainee
Evaluation of trainees and proper feedback and guidance
Relating the course to the current market conditions
Values:
Making the course easy and informative
Relating the course to the current market condition
Proper feedback to the trainees to help them understand where they stand
Achieving the goal of the institute of making professional trainees
Trainee
Norms:
Following the rules and regulations of the institute
Submitting the assignments allocated on time
Taking assistance of trainer available when having doubt on any of the topic
Understanding the course and ability to relate it to the current market condition
Values:
Enhancing professional knowledge
Developing skill
Going through online publish lectures
Receptionist
Norms:
Giving proper reply to calls enquiring about the course details
Maintaining proper co ordinance with administration
Informing about frequently ask questions, in order to get answers available online, this will reduce flow of queries on call and will also result in better service
Reduce hold time
Values:
All the queries are answered properly
Reduce hold time
Satisfying prospective customers that is trainees
Political Analysis
The high-level decisions such as assigning tasks, allocating budgets to different departments of the institute, employing new staff, defining institute objectives and devising plans are all made by the general manager. The academic director is responsible for the courses and managing trainers, he can ask to recruit more trainers but this need to be approved by the general manger. He is responsible for the evaluation and publishing of result of the trainees. Any decision made by the general manager affects the institute, IT assistant, academic director, receptionist and trainee as well.
CATWOE AND Root Definition: -
The CATWOE is used to identify the problem and to fuel thinking about what one is really trying to achieve. It can be use while implementing solution and to consider the impact on the concerned people. Below given are the steps to fuel assessment about problem and employing the solution.
C = Customer
Check that who is on receiving end
What are the problems of people at receiving end?
Reactions of people at the receiving end to the proposed solution
Recognise losers and winners
A = Actors
Check for actors who will put proposal into action that is who will carry out the proposed solution
Impact on actors
Possible reaction of Actors
T = Transformation Process
Identify the process for converting inputs into outputs
Identify input and their source
Identify outputs and there utilisation
Identify the steps between input and output
W = World View
Classify the problem according to the situation it fits
Classify the real setback working upon
Identify the wider effect of any proposed solution
O = Owner
Identify the real owners or owner of the situation or process you are converting
Can they stop you or help you
Identify factors that can cause them to stop you
Identify the factors that may direct them to assist you
E = Environmental constraints
Identify the wider constraints that operate on your ideas and the situation
Identify the laws, ethnical limits, regulations, financial constraints, limited resources and so on
Identify the ways these can constrain the proposed solution and the way you can get around them
Customer: Trainees
Actor: General Manager
Transformation process: Transforming traditional education method into online education
World view: Developing more and more professional with the help of online or distant learning method of education
Owner: General Manager
Environmental constraints: Human Resource And Development Department or Education Ministry, Budget
A planned report of a system which is related to the problem is known as root definition (Cano Jeimy J., 2003). It is a clear report of actions which occur or might occur in the institute being considered. It is planned in such a manner to facilitate modeling the system. SSM language has two main types of definitions (i) the Primary Task Root Definition; (ii) the Issue based Root Definition (Marsh Andy, 2000)
The Primary Task Root Definitions concern procedures which the organization being considered executes as a part of their usual activities. On the other hand, the Issue Based Root Definitions concern procedures which are unusual or one-off occurrence. An accurately planned root definition has three main parts which are what, how and why. The 'what' is the main motive of the system, the 'how' is the resources of achieving that motive and the 'why' is the wider term motive of purposeful activity. The below given formulation should constantly be used with root definition:
A system to………………
By…………………………
In order to…………………
A system to provide professional trainings without attending regular classes by studying through study material provided and online lectures available in order to facilitate learning for those who are willing to pursue professional course but cannot attend regular classes. In this root definition related to distant learning training provider the three different main parts are as follows:-
The What is 'to provide professional trainings without attending regular classes'
The How is 'by studying through study material provided and online lectures available'
The Why is 'in order to facilitate learning for those who are willing to pursue professional course but cannot attend regular classes'
The above mention is not only way a root definition could be created for the concept or need of training provider. This root definition is derived by just looking at the one way of the activity.
Conceptual Model
A mental model stores concepts in problem domain, whereas a conceptual model signifies 'concepts' (entities) and correlations between them. The conceptual modeling must not to be baffled with other representation disciplines, for example, physical modeling, data modeling and logical modeling (Dhillon Gurpreet, 2009). The conceptual model is clearly chosen to be not dependent of plan or implementation concerns, such as data storage or concurrency.
The system defined in the root definition will be modeled here.
Generic Activity Model:
Agree Objectives
Establish Constraints
Develop a plan
Acquire and install resources
Implement the plan
Monitor the effectiveness of system
Take corrective action
Explanation of activities:
The general manager starts the activities by agreeing the objective of system and allocation of budget.
Establishment of constraints includes awareness about the online method of education and rules to be followed while using such type of education method.
Developing a plan includes making aware the general public or the interested trainees about the distant learning program and making aware about the benefits like with the help this education method, one can get specialized degree without attending regular classes.
Starting to attain and install resources to bring the plan into execution
Conduct seminars: the trainers should conduct seminars at different places like in colleges, corporate offices or coaching institutes informing the general public about the benefit of online or distant learning program, about the courses offered and the benefits one can drive out of it.
Preference Survey: The institute should conduct survey by distributing pamphlets or emails and free reply text to get an idea about the fraction of people comfortable with such type of education method.
Proper information: The prospective trainees visiting through phone calls, internet or directly should be inform about the course plan and subjects cover properly and should also be provided with brochures
Benefits: Prospective trainees or general public should be inform about the benefits of the distant learning or online education
Post explanation about the online education system prospective trainees should be asked that whether they understood proposed education system or not. Any doubts relating to the course and proposed method of education should be answered
Report about the seminar: After the seminar trainers or staff of the institution should prepare a report detailing about the points explained or discussed in the seminar and feedback of the participants
Monitor the effectiveness of system
Efficacy: Does the seminars help in creating awareness about the proposed education method
Efficiency: Is the system time saving and cost effective as compare to traditional method of education
Effective: Is the proposed system of education is effective, and is capable enough of delivering its key objectives or purpose
And last but not the least function is to take corrective actions to remove any loopholes or drawbacks of system
Soft System Methodology (SSM)
The Soft systems methodology is an organized way of tackling real-world problematic situations. The soft system methodology provides a distinguish way of tackling with the circumstances perceptible as problematic.
Strength of SSM
The SSM is strength for trainers and trainees. The trainer can easily structure the problem and can deal with it in an organized manner. The trainer can focus on solution that is more than technical. The trainee can easily structure the problem he is facing and can present it to trainers for solution. The SSM is a methodology which can be used in messy problems and can be resolved easily with the help of specific techniques.
The SSM system has resolved the problem of learning for trainees who cannot attend regular classes for degree or specialized skill. It has structured the problem of learning for trainees living in outskirts of city, who cannot travel daily or attend regular classes with the help of techniques like online assignment and online publish lectures. By structuring the problem and dealing with it in an organized way, it has given the opportunity of learning while earning to the trainees.
The specialized trainers who were not able to concentrate on their numerous students now can easily benefit them by their online published lectures and online problem solving sessions. It saves their time as now they don't have to travel to institute for delivering lectures.
Weaknesses of SSM
The trainee has to adapt the culture of overall approach to get the benefit from the suggested solution. The trainee needs to adapt the culture of distant learning, and then only he can get benefit out of it. The trainee alone cannot get the benefit out of it until and unless all the participants take part in it. For example, if a trainee is willing to learn specialized skill or want to get specialized degree but is not supported by or helped by the trainer or all other factors say, Academic Director, IT Assistant, G Manager and Receptionist, he will not be able to learn without their support.
On the other hand, role of all other elements or participants is all futile without the contribution of any of the participant. It is a time taking procedure and cannot be assembled properly until and unless a particular solution and structure on the situation of problem is imposed. This means if a trainee has some problem in any of the subject then he need to structure that problem in order to get the solution.
The overall approach of distant learning programme is such that it resolves the problem of learning without attending the classes. However, to get effective result or solution of the problem, participation of every role is imperative. The SSM methodology implies that the scope of investigation should not be narrowed early. The distant learning training provider is a wider term covering the part of people who are willing to get specialised degrees or specialised skill. Another limitation of SSM is that people show an over-urgent aspiration for action. In the distant learning training program instant action is not possible. For every action it takes comparatively more time. It happens because of the flow of information as the information does not flow directly. Suppose if a trainee has some problem then it will take comparatively more time to get the resolution and instant solution is not possible.
