Industrial Relations And Human Resources Instructional Opportunities In The Electronic Media Environment

Abstract

nstructional applications of the Internet in the 1990's have been a driving force for infusion of information technology into the academic environment.  However, the glitz of the Internet has tended to obscure the full range of potential media applications, such as multi-media product development, and cable TV and satellite delivery.  For the professorate to enrich their instructional capabilities through different media requires a clear vision of how specific academic disciplines can best benefit from the available media options.  Media facilities and access have reached a stage of development at universities that requires discipline specific thought about their potential contribution to learning.  This article describes these possibilities in the context of the related fields of Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management.  Strategic considerations, practical applications, and implications for professional associations are presented.  The broader objective is to alert readers in other academic disciplines to the possibilities of exploring media opportunities, and conversely generate some thinking as to the consequences of not exploring those opportunities.