Process re-design and online learning

Although information technology is at the core of business process reengineering (BPR), the radical restructuring that can accompany the deployment of IT in industry does not produce consistent improvements in business performance. Failures of BPR projects are often due to insensitive implementation in the context of the interests and aspirations of the workforce. These problems present a challenge and sound a note of caution for the current and ongoing revolution in the delivery of educational content via web-centric learning environments. It is essential that new ways forward for education be chosen with care to enhance open-ended interactions between students and educators and to achieve this in an economically efficient framework. In this paper, the authors compare and contrast the introduction of new technology in industry, commerce and education and conclude by introducing details of current work incorporating an exemplar that highlights the issues faced when developing economically efficient and effective, redesigned educational systems.